Nearly two thirds of Brits are still fuming at the banks for having caused the financial crisis, research has found. Three quarters of Brits believe banks are not genuinely sorry for their role in causing the recession, a study by consumer advice group Which? discovered. Three in five of those polled said banks have failed [...]
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has discovered that a lack of homes up for sale has resulted in the strongest rise in house prices since the start of the credit crunch. According to Rics, its headline house price balance has grown to its highest level since the autumn 2007. It said that almost [...]
Many UK adults have had their social lives “hit hard” by the credit crunch, moneysupermarket.com claimed this week. Two-thirds (65%) of those polled by the price comparison site said they’re more likely to stay in since the recession started. Eleven percent said they’re holding more house parties such as barbecues and ‘Come Dine With Me’ [...]
The stranglehold of debt on UK consumers is likely to continue for a “long time”, an industry expert has claimed. Chris Tapp, director of Credit Action, said the financial crisis has left a rising number of people struggling to keep up with loan and credit card repayments. Increasing unemployment has become “a real source of [...]
Dutch banks have signed up to a new code of conduct limiting executive bonuses to 100% of salary. Once the code comes into force, bankers’ salaries will have to be below the median for similar jobs, bonuses will have to be returned if a bank enters financial difficulty, and redundancy payments will be limited to [...]
Barclaycard has launched a new online service that allows potential customers to check their eligibility for a credit card without damaging their credit rating. The pre-application check allows consumers to find out whether or not they are likely to be accepted for a specific Barclaycard credit card. Using the service leaves a search footprint on [...]
One in sixteen Brits are better off because of the recession, according to new research by Yorkshire Bank. In the north-east, more than one in five (21%) are financially stronger compared with before the recession. Lower interest rates have put more money into the pockets of mortgage payers, while decreased VAT has generated extra bargains [...]
Millions of Brits have made drastic cuts to their holiday budget this summer, new research has discovered. Santander Cards found that a quarter of Brits taking a well-earned break in the sun this year plan to reduce holiday spending. Eating out is the biggest target of cutbacks, with 54% of those reducing their budget planning [...]
High street banks are still more popular with consumers than non-bank brands offering financial products despite the banking crisis, new research has discovered. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of consumers polled in a Marketing Week commissioned study said they wouldn’t consider a financial product, such as a bank account, personal loan, or credit card, from outside the [...]
In its latest “Trends in Lending” report, the Bank of England said the flow of credit to British businesses fell to £3.4 billion in May and followed a drop of £6 billion the previous month. During 2007, the normal levels of lending were £7 billion per month and £4 billion in 2008 – when the [...]
People in the UK are visiting friends and family less frequently because of the recession. One in four Brits are socialising less since the credit crunch because they’ve curbed their spending habits, a poll by Turn2us has discovered. A similar number, 28%, believe they will be financially worse off by the end of the year. [...]
Britain’s mountain of debt continues to grow, with the average adult now owing 132% of their typical earnings. Collectively, UK consumers owe £1.459 trillion, Credit Action revealed this week, equivalent to £30,480 per person. Personal debt on credit cards, store cards, overdrafts, and unsecured loans is also on the rise, increasing to £4,860 per person [...]
Governments worldwide must continue to take action on pensions or risk a decades-long global pensions crisis, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned this week. The OECD said new economic concerns created by the credit crunch must not deter governments from pursuing pensions reforms. Dealing with short-term challenges by postponing reforms would prove [...]
Work patterns in the UK have been transformed by the recession, with employers using increasingly innovative methods to save as many jobs as possible. According to a new poll by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and recruitment consultants Harvey Nash, almost two thirds of employers are putting into practice major changes to employee working [...]
The Trade Unions Congress (TUCs) has predicted that unemployment will continue to rise in the UK until autumn 2010, with the labour market not fully recovering until 2015. It made the prediction by comparing the current economic climate with official figures from the financial downturn during Britain’s last recession in the 1990s. According to the [...]
Credit crunched Brits tempted to save cash by buying counterfeit goods could end up being “ripped off”, an industry expert warned this week. Susie Winter, director of the Alliance Against IP Theft, raised concern that a desire to save money could push Brits into opting for illegal vendors. Winter said its “quite understandable” for people [...]
One in five of the world’s workforce are dipping into savings to pay off debt, a new study has revealed. Over 20% of workers have raided the piggybank in the last year to lighten their burden of debt, whilst 13% have stopped saving entirely. In the UK, China, the US, and India, savings have been [...]
Consumers are increasingly struggling to pay off debts, according to figures released this week by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). Debt enquiries to the Bureau increased 11% on year between April 2008 and March 2009, with the CAB advising 1.93 million people struggling to pay back debts. Redundancy enquiries during the same period soared by [...]
Dedicated parents are sacrificing looking good in their own glad rags so they can kit out their kids in designer threads. Credit crunched mums and dads are reducing the amount they spend on their own clothes so their children can keep up with the latest fashion trends, new research has discovered. Parents are trading down [...]
HSBC this week secured the title of Responsible Lender of the Year at the Credit Today awards 2009. The commercial and consumer lending magazine applauded HSBC for its conscientious attitude towards lending. Joe Garner of HSBC UK said the bank is “proud” to be recognised for its “approach to responsible lending”. “To us, responsible lending [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
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 disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
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, [...]
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