Michel Barnier, the European Internal Markets Commissioner, has pledged to investigate credit rating agencies after a series of downgrades to Greece’s debt. Mr Barnier told the European Parliament he had been surprised by the rapid deterioration of Greece’s rating. Last week, Greece became the first euro zone nation to have its debt downgraded to “junk” [...]
Spanish banking giant, Santander, has today posted a 6% rise in first quarter net profit, fuelled by strong growth in Brazil and the UK. The bank said net profit totalled €2.215 billion (£1.93 billion) against €2.10 billion in the same period a year ago. The bank’s results come just one day after credit rating agency [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) have today downgraded Spain’s credit rating by one notch to AA from AA+ and comes as the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the crisis in Greece could spread throughout Europe. Following the news, the euro fell against the dollar to $1.3129 – a level not seen since [...]
The European Commission has warned that additional measures may need to be taken by Portugal in order to cut its budget deficit. Like Greece, Portugal’s public finances are in a dire state and last month, international credit rating agency, Fitch, cut the country’s credit rating to ‘AA-’ with a negative outlook. According to Fitch, Portugal’s [...]
There are hopes for Greece today after leaders of the euro zone nations have agreed to provide emergency loans to the debt-ridden country. However, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking for euro zone finance ministers, said that the euro zone countries had not decided to activate the loans, as this would depend on a decision [...]
The ongoing uncertainty in Greece has pushed the euro to a 10-month low against the dollar as European Union leaders prepare for a two-day summit in Brussels today. The currency fell to $1.333 – its lowest level since May last year, while it also lost 0.3% against the pound to 89.338 pence. As well as [...]
Moody’s Investors Services has today announced the credit ratings of the world’s four largest AAA-rated nations are viewed as safe. According to Moody’s, the world’s four largest AAA-rated sovereign nations, which include Germany, France, the UK and the US are currently “well positioned despite their stretched finances”. In its quarterly report assessing the prospects of [...]
In an attempt to reduce its high levels of debt, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, has unveiled tough measures which include a public sector pay freeze and a hike in fuel taxes. Further measures to reduce debt levels include a 10% cut in social security spending, as well as a massive 90% tax on the [...]
Consumers should forget about being loyal to their credit card provider because those who shop around will save money, a financial expert has claimed. “If you have a good credit rating you’re much better off not being loyal to anyone, because of all the introductory offers around,” said David Black of Defaqto. Customers who frequently [...]
In an attempt to reduce its high levels of debt, the Greek parliament is to embark on major budget cuts. Greece, which is the euro zone’s weakest economy, has the highest debt of the 16-member bloc. Currently, its public debt stands at €300 billion (£268 billion). Concerns of the sheer size of Greece’s debt led [...]
The UK branch of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) is warning that Alistair Darling’s bid to postpone tackling Britain’s debt mountain until after next year’s General Election creates a real risk of the country’s credit rating being downgraded. The body, which represents practitioners in corporate renewal and turnaround management, believes the delay could have “severe” [...]
Savvy consumers are afraid to apply for the best credit card deals in case the application leaves a black mark on their credit rating. This is the view of Toby Van Der Meer, managing director of money at price comparison site moneysupermarket.com. According the Van Der Meer, the credit rating system allows credit card companies [...]
The ongoing postal strikes will leave many credit card holders with a black mark on their credit rating, uSwitch.com said this week. The price comparison site made the remarks after discovering that credit card customers have incurred £150 million of late payment fees due to the postal strikes. “A £12 late payment fee is not [...]
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 [...]
Credit card holders can make “staggering” savings by paying off more than the minimum repayment each month, Confused.com claimed this week. A credit card debt of £5,000 could take up to 36 years to pay off for consumers paying the minimum repayment, the price comparison site said. Paying back an extra £10 per month would [...]
The annual Top 50 World’s Safest Banks list for 2009 has been published with the HSBC and the Nationwide Building Society rated 18th and 46th respectively. The two banks are the only two UK financial institutions to make it into New York-based Global Finance Magazine’s annual Top 50 list, which is in its 18th year. [...]
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 [...]
Half of Brits over 50 use more than one credit card to manage their finances, research by Saga has discovered. One in fourteen (7%) of over 50s carry five or more credit cards in their wallet. However, almost three quarters (73%) of over 50s have never missed a payment deadline, compared to half (53%) of [...]
Moody’s Investor Services has categorised remortgages as having “adverse loan characterisics”, indicating that they carry some of the risks associated with a high default rate. In a recent report entitled “What drives UK mortgage loans to default” the credit rating agency places remortgages alongside other risky loans, based on data gathered on mortgages that originated [...]
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, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
