The Nottingham and Shepshed building societies will merge in July 2013, with Shepshed’s three branches being rebranded under The Nottingham name. Shepshed Building Society, which has branches in Shepshed and Loughborough, Leicestershire; and Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, has struggled to grow in the face of economic downturn and increased competition, prompting it to seek a merger. It […]
Building Society lending is increasing as mutuals attract customers from high street banks. Lending from building societies increased to £3.1 billion last month, a 14 per cent increase from June, according to the Building Societies Association. Building Societies gained a 24 per cent market share of gross lending in July, an increase of 17 per […]
Moody’s Investors Service has today announced it is reviewing 14 UK banks and building societies for downgrade due to the withdrawal of Government support. Elisabeth Rudman, a Moody’s Senior Credit Officer, said: “It has been initiated in response to ongoing guidance from the UK authorities (the Bank of England, the Financial Services Authority and the […]
The Observer newspaper has today reported that US private equity firm, JC Flowers, might bid for four UK building societies as part of plans to create a new “supermutual”, that could be sold via a partial flotation. It is believed that West Bromwich, Skipton, Norwich & Peterborough and Principality are being targeted. However, JC Flowers […]
Smaller building societies are often able to offer better interest rates on current accounts than big banks, a financial expert has claimed. Phil Perry, director of Ark Financial Planning, said smaller, regional lenders such as mutual societies can offer savers higher rates of interest because they have members rather than shareholders. “If the members are […]
Less than half of those contributing to the Building Societies Association’s (BSA) June Property Tracker survey think that now is a good time to buy a home. The confidence level slipped to 45%, down from 49% in March, possibly reflecting concerns about the state of the economy and the various austerity warnings issued by the […]
In its latest quarterly survey, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has reported signs of growth in the UK financial services sector, for the first time in two years. The study, which is carried out in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers, reveals that 32% of firms questioned saw business volumes rise in the three months to early […]
The Building Societies Association (BSA) has expressed its concern over new regulations, proposed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), saying they will disadvantage the industry. Proposals from the City watchdog include plans to restrict riskier types of lending by building societies, which according to the BSA, would have a “discriminatory and anti-competitive effect in the […]
Consumers taking out a personal loan are “paying through the nose” due to soaring interest rates. Banks are now charging an average APR of 10.32% on personal loans even though the Bank of England’s base rate has been held at a record low of 0.5%. This compares to an average personal loan APR of 8.71% […]
Savers withdrew £2.2 billion from building societies in June, the most in a single month since records began in 1955. This is compared to an inflow of over £400 million during the same month last year when savers, anticipating the collapse of banks, viewed building societies as a safer option. However, with banks now stable […]
Over half of UK building societies believe 2009 will be a positive year and that the economy will continue to improve in 2010. In a poll by the Buildings Societies Association (BSA), 55% of building society chief executives expressed high hopes for the year ahead. The majority also said consumers continue to trust building societies […]
The Sunday Telegraph has reported that local councils are planning to withdraw billions of pounds of deposits from building societies. The move follows the decision by Moody’s last month to downgrade the credit ratings of several building societies due to concerns they will be hit by losses due to the housing market slump. The downgrade […]
Crisis talks have been taking place over the weekend between the Bank of England (BoE) and seven of the UK’s building societies. The move follows last week’s decision by Moody’s to downgrade the credit ratings of several building societies due to concerns they will be hit by losses due to the housing market slump. The […]
Ratings agency Moody’s have downgraded several building societies due to concerns they will be hit by losses due to the housing market slump. The building societies that have been downgraded include Chelsea Building Society, downgraded from a C to E+, while West Bromwich has fallen from C- to E+. Furthermore, Britannia, Newcastle, Norwich and Peterborough, […]
A survey conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has revealed that banks and other financial institutions are expected to cut a further 15,000 jobs in the next three months. According to the organisation, approximately 15,000 jobs have already been axed in the industry in the first quarter of this year, which will take […]
Buildings societies offer the most consistent interest rate on savings accounts, new research has revealed. A study by Moneyfacts.co.uk found that 79% of the most consistent savings account interest rates are at building societies, rather than banks. Since the Bank of England started cutting interest rates in December 2007 – and especially since the recent […]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has introduced a rule which allows merged building societies to keep their separate compensation limit. In the past, anyone with money in two building societies that merge could find only the first £50,000 of their savings protected. It is hoped that the new level of protection will mean that people […]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
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