Consumer Focus, the statutory consumer champion, is calling for a minimum standard for basic bank accounts to be introduced, to ensure the survival of the product. Basic bank accounts are used by people who are unable to open a regular current account, perhaps because of a poor credit history. It is estimated that they are [...]
M&S Bank which opened its first branch in July, launched its first current accounts today. The accounts are available from the bank’s 13 in-store branches. The retailer hopes to attract customers by capitalising on its reputation as a trusted brand. A marketing campaign, launched to promote the new accounts, uses the strapline ‘new fashioned banking’ [...]
Marks and Spencer is opening its first in-store bank branch this week and will launch its first current account this autumn. M&S bank will make its debut at the retailer’s flagship store in Marble Arch, London, with 49 more branches expected to open over the next two years. Its current account is targeted firmly at [...]
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to assess whether banks have made it easier for customers to switch current accounts. Following a review in 2008 the OFT said that the personal current account market was not working well for consumers. It reported a lack of transparency over charges, making it difficult for customers to [...]
The number of people giving false information when applying to open a current account soared in the first three months of 2012, according to Experian. The credit checking firm said that bank account application fraud increased by 23 per cent, compared with the final quarter of 2011. Current account application fraud is now at its [...]
Santander has joined with Moneysupermarket.com to add an extra sweetener to a deal designed to tempt people to switch their bank account. Anyone who switches their main current account to Santander’s Preferred Current Account via the Moneysupermarket.com price comparison site, could receive £30 in Amazon vouchers as well a £300 cashback reward. However, customers who [...]
Virgin Money, which is set to launch as a retail bank later this year, has announced it will charge a monthly fee for current account customers. However, the company said the fees will be low and will replace high overdraft charges. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Money recently acquired regional bank Church House Trust. Virgin Money, [...]
The popularity of current accounts with ethical provider The Co-operative Bank soared in 2009. Current account sales at the bank increased 38%, with the number of customers switching to The Co-operative Bank from other major providers rising 22%. Research by The Co-operative Bank found that 10% of consumers switching current account providers do so because [...]
Mortgage borrowers with Santander will soon be able to take advantage of a bank current account that attaches no fees to overdrafts, whether authorised or unauthorised. The Spanish banking giant is launching a “Zero” current account on 11th January 2010 to coincide with its rebranding of Abbey, Bradford & Bingley and Alliance & Leicester to [...]
Santander is attempting to lure new customers into opening a premium current account with an introductory special offer. New customers opening a Premier 50 Current Account at Alliance & Leicester or a Reward Bank Account at Abbey will pay account fees of just £5 per month for the first three months. After this introductory period, [...]
Abbey and Alliance & Leicester are offering preferential mortgage rates to some existing customers. The lenders, both part of the Santander group, are enticing current account holders who have been with the banks for six months or more with new deals available in branch or on the telephone. The range includes fee-free tracker and fixed-rate [...]
An investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) found that consumers struggle to understand current account charges, as well as interest rates and overdraft fees. As a result, new measures from 2011 will see banks make it easier for consumers to understand their costs and charges, as well as making the switching process easier. [...]
Abbey and Alliance & Leicester (A&L) are offering new customers a £100 incentive to switch to their current accounts. The Santander-owned banks are offering the bonus to new customers opening an Abbey Preferred Overdraft Rate account or an A&L Premier Account from today. To receive the cash bonus, customers must fund the account with a [...]
Abbey’s 6% savings account for small businesses will only be available until the end of this month, the business banking provider warned this week. “The clock is now ticking and I would urge small businesses who haven’t already taken advantage of this offer, to do so before time runs out,” said Paula Ickinger, Abbey Business [...]
Lloyds TSB this week launched its 2009 Student Account with a first-year interest free tiered overdraft of up to £1,500. Benefits include free mobile banking until August 2010, an NUS Extra card offering discounts at over 60 retailers, one year’s membership to the Youth Hostel Association (YHA), and 35 music downloads from eMusic. The overdraft [...]
Customers at Lloyds TSB are now able to request their bank account balance via text message. The “Balance on Demand” service was launched today by the high street bank. To check their bank balance, customers text BAL and the last four digits of their current account to a special short telephone number. In reply, they [...]
Abbey is paying a 6% interest rate to its premium current account holders. The Santander-owned bank is offering the rate on balances up to £2,500 to customers opening the new Abbey Reward Account. To benefit from the headline rate, customers must deposit at least £1,000 per month into the account. Other benefits of the £10-per-month [...]
Alliance & Leicester Business Bank (A&L) is offering 6% AER to small businesses opening a Free Business Current Account at the bank. Aimed at SMEs with a turnover of up to £1 million, the account offers the headline rate for 12 months after account opening on balances up to £2,500. Available immediately for a limited [...]
Ethical banking is proving a popular choice for British savers, with record numbers signing up for accounts at the Co-operative. The bank this week revealed that 123% more people have signed up for its current account this year compared to last year. Customers are coming to the Co-operative, which has an ethical screening policy on [...]
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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