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 [...]
Brits are more likely to change their allegiance during the World Cup than to switch to a best buy bank account. Research by the Co-operative Bank found 31% of people plan to choose a new team to support if their favourite side is knocked out of the World Cup. This is compared to just 29% [...]
Savers are finding it increasingly difficult to get a good return on their money, and many are opting to pay off debt rather than keep their savings in a bank account, Moneynet.co.uk has claimed. Andrew Hagger, spokesperson for the price comparison site, said at least a dozen best-buy savings deals have disappeared from the market [...]
Banks are increasingly tempting their current account holders with mortgage offers, as they seek to become “one-stop shops” in financial services. Research from financial products analyst, Defaqto, suggests the number of mortgage offers available exclusively to current account customers is on the rise. According to the firm, Abbey offers free valuations and cash back on [...]
Santander plans to discontinue the 6% current account at its UK banks. The 6% + 6% offer, which pays new Abbey and Alliance & Leicester customers 6% interest on their current account and on monthly savings, will close later this week. Savers taking maximum advantage of the offer could earn nearly £250 interest in the [...]
Nearly half the current accounts at UK banks are paying customers an interest rate of 0%. Research by moneyfacts.co.uk found 49% of current accounts offer consumers no return on their money. This is compared to fewer in one in five (19%) of current accounts that paid no interest 12 months ago. More than four in [...]
Millions of current account holders have been stung by a hike to overdraft rates this week, with both Nationwide and Barclays increasing overdraft charges. Nationwide, Britain’s biggest building society, has increased interest charged on overdrafts for the third time in a year, with overdrawn customers paying nearly double compared to 12 months ago. Barclays, meanwhile, [...]
A short-list of the financial providers that offer the best customer service was unveiled this week by Moneywise. Moneywise revealed the firms that have been nominated for its Customer Service Awards 2009 in the categories of online current accounts, in-branch current accounts, mortgages, home insurance, and credit cards. Halifax, First Direct, and Lloyds TSB are [...]
Moneysupermarket.com has warned of a dark shadow lurking behind the high interest rates offered by current accounts with a minimum funding clause. Attractive interest rates and 0% overdrafts are drawing consumers to these accounts, the price comparison website said, but many are unaware that they need to pay a minimum amount each month into the [...]
Nationwide Building Society has announced interest rate cuts on the majority of its current accounts. Nationwide said the change follows the Bank of England’s base rate cut last month. The building society assured savers that none of the cuts will be more than 0.5%, and that some of the cuts will be less. On average, [...]
Fears that the interest rate on savings accounts could crash to 0% are turning into reality, with two providers already cutting rates to zero. West Bromwich, Britain’s seventh largest building society, has severed the underlying rate on its Bonus Saver account to 0%. Customers of the Bonus Saver account can qualify for a 2% bonus [...]
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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