Saga’s latest quarterly report is slightly more optimistic about the financial health of the over 50s than its report for the final quarter of 2011, but the organisation warns that the “green shoots” of recovery are very tentative at the moment. Compared with a year ago, the report suggests that the quality of life for [...]
Seven in ten UK adults are in debt but many are choosing to ignore the problem instead of seeking help before it gets out of hand. Research by The Co-operative Bank found that 29 per cent of people refuse to confront their debt problems. Many do not admit that they are in debt until borrowing [...]
UK households will find it increasingly difficult to service their debts in the coming years, according to a report by debt charity, Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS). According to the charity’s research, an average of more than 23 per cent of households’ disposable income went towards interest payments on loans at the end of 2011. [...]
The economic downturn, the rising cost of living and the government’s austerity programme have pushed over 70 per cent of UK families to the brink of poverty, according to online parenting organisation Netmums. The organisation surveyed over 2,000 of its members this month to find out how they are coping in the economic downturn and [...]
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
The number of people declared insolvent in 2011 in England and Wales declined to 119,850, the lowest level for three years and a fall of 11.3 per cent from a record high in 2010. There was a sharp decline at the end of 2011, when personal insolvencies fell by 5.6% compared with the last three [...]
Economic uncertainty and the threat of another recession is causing consumers to take charge of their finances and cut back on debt according to the latest figures from the Bank of England. Personal debt, excluding mortgages, fell by £377 million in December, the biggest fall since records began. Howard Archer an economist at Global Insight [...]
The rising cost of essentials such as fuel and food has contributed to a 48 per cent increase in the level of personal debt, according to the latest Aviva Family Finances Report. The average British family now owes around £7,944 in unsecured borrowing, compared with £5,360 a year ago, despite a 7 per cent increase [...]
Nearly one third of adults in the UK expect to spend less in 2012 compared with around a fifth in October, according to the Resolution Foundation, an independent research and policy organisation which aims to improve outcomes for people on limited income. The survey, which was carried out by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the [...]
National money education charity Credit Action today revealed that one person is declared insolvent or bankrupt every 60 seconds during the working week. Based on statistics gathered in the third quarter of 2011, the charity estimates that 331 people are made insolvent or bankrupt every working day and 101 properties are repossessed every day. The [...]
The Family and Parenting Institute (FPI) today warned that families with children will be worst affected by the Government’s proposed changes to tax and benefits. A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies on behalf of the FPI suggests that the average income of families with children will fall by 4.2 per cent by 2015-16, [...]
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is increasing its scrutiny of payday loan companies after the number of complaints about them soared. In a report to the Government, the OFT revealed that the number of complaints received by helpline Consumer Direct about payday loan companies more than doubled to 1,535 in the 11 months to [...]
Although stores have been forced to start their sales early this year to persuade shoppers to part with their money, nearly a third of people in the UK will go into debt over Christmas. Fifty-eight percent of this group will put more spending than usual on credit cards and thirty-nine per cent will go overdrawn [...]
High levels of interest on payday loans are helping to create ‘Zombie’ debtors – people who can only afford to pay the interest on their debts each month and not the debts themselves. Based on a study of 2,000 adults, insolvency trade body R3 suggests that around 45 per cent of the population struggle to [...]
Around half of the 6.4 million unpaid carers in the UK are suffering ill-health because of money worries according to Carers UK. A survey of 4250 unpaid carers found that 40 per cent of respondents had fallen into debt because of their caring responsibilities, and 86 per cent of carers in debt suffered mental health [...]
The economic crisis is making consumers wary of taking on more debt, according to the latest figures from the Bank of England. The amount of consumer credit totalled £0.9 billion in October, the same as for the previous month, and only slightly higher than the six month average of £0.8 billion, suggesting that pressure on [...]
The Government’s failure to act against legal loan sharks yesterday has angered pressure groups. As part of its review on consumer credit, the Government announced a voluntary deal for High Street stores to stop offering discounts to tempt customers to sign up for store cards. However, it failed to cap the interest rate charged on [...]
Although people who have been made bankrupt are legally allowed to hold a bank account, in practice most banks refuse to allow an undischarged bankrupt to open one. This reluctance is because of the risk that a trustee could pursue the bank for loss of money following a bankruptcy. However, the lack of a back [...]
Insurance company Aviva has revealed that over half of UK families have unsecured debts amounting to half their annual income. With food, transport and energy costs soaring, fifty-two per cent of UK families owe £10,604 on average, on loans, credit cards, overdrafts and other unsecured debts. This represents nearly half the annual household income of [...]
Second salvo of QE knocks £90bn off pensions funds
Falling gilt yields have pushed final salary pension funds £90bn deeper into the red since the second wave of quantitative easing (QE) started last October, pension experts said today. The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) said the Bank of England’s printing of £125bn within the past six months had hit pension funds harder than [...]
Bank of Ireland raises cost of mortgages
The Bank of Ireland has become the latest lender to increase the standard variable rate (SVR) on its mortgages. Around 100,000 UK customers will be affected when the bank increases the SVR from 2.99 per cent, to 3.99 per cent in June There will be a further increase in September, when the SVR will rise [...]
House prices down 1.1% in February
House prices fell 1.1 per cent in February according to The Halifax, contradicting earlier figures from Nationwide suggesting that property prices have increased. According to the Halifax’s three monthly index, house prices were 1.1 per cent lower in February than in the previous three months. The mortgage lender’s annual index showed that property prices fell [...]
Debit card transactions declined by Yorkshire and Clydesdale
Customers of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank have been experiencing problems with debit cards being declined due to computer changes. The problem initially occurred while the banks, which are both part of the National Australia Bank (NAB), were transferring their systems operations to an external contractor on Sunday morning. Problems with some Mastercard debit transactions persisted [...]
Banks write to customers over PPI mis-selling
Banks are writing to millions of customers advising them that they may have been mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), following the release of new guidelines by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA estimates that between four million and 12 million letters will be sent out, but not everyone who has been mis-sold PPI will [...]
Confidence in pensions plummets ahead of auto-enrolement
Public confidence in pensions has fallen to an all-time low just months before the Government starts automatically putting every worker into one, new research showed today (Weds). A survey for the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) found 54% of all employees are not confident in pensions compared to other ways of saving. 37% said [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) expects the UK economy to grow more slowly than previously forecast and says it faces “serious challenges”. In its quarterly economic forecast the BCC forecast growth of 0.6 per cent in 2012, a slight decrease from its previous forecast of 0.8 per cent. It expects the government’s efforts to [...]
Pension annuities should be clearer under new code
A new code of conduct is being launched by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) which should ensure that the sale of annuities is fairer and more transparent. The new code is designed to make it easier for people to make decisions about their retirement income, including being more confident in using the so-called ‘open [...]
Saga sees financial green shoots for over-50s
Saga’s latest quarterly report is slightly more optimistic about the financial health of the over 50s than its report for the final quarter of 2011, but the organisation warns that the “green shoots” of recovery are very tentative at the moment. Compared with a year ago, the report suggests that the quality of life for [...]
Drivers switch to autopilot after 11 minutes
A study by car insurance provider, Esure, has found that drivers suffer from a lapse in concentration just 11 minutes into a long journey. Esure questioned more than 1,000 motorists in the UK about their driving habits and attention span. 22 per cent of those surveyed said they fell into ‘autopilot’ easily, while 34% said [...]
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