The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is introducing new rules which will require banks and building societies to display clear signs at branches and on their websites, telling customers their savings are protected. The sign will tell savers: “Your deposits are protected up to £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK deposit protection scheme. [...]
Homeserve revealed today that it expects to spend around £10 million on overhauling its sales practices following the recent mis-selling scandal. The decision by repair and insurance group Homeserve to suspend sales activity after problems with its selling practices came to light will also result in significant costs. The reduction in marketing is expected to [...]
Figures from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) have revealed that the three most complained about British banks are Barclays, Lloyds and Santander. According to the FSA, Barclays received more than a quarter of a million complaints in the first half of 2011. Lloyds received 181,907 complaints in the six month period, while Santander had 168,888 [...]
Bank of Scotland, which is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, has been fined £3.5 million by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The matter arose after the Financial Ombudsman Service received appeals from investors who said their complaints had been rejected wrongly. As a result, the bank has been ordered to pay customers around £17 [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has today announced that it has fined the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society (N&P) £1.4 million for giving unsuitable advice on its Keydata products. The Watchdog said the group failed to properly assess the financial circumstances of many of its customers and often designated them as having a higher tolerance [...]
The Government has today announced the four external members of the new Financial Policy Committee (FPC). The FPC, which was first unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne last June, has been established to regulate financial services and markets. The idea behind the FPC follows the Government’s criticism of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for not doing [...]
Banking giant Barclays has announced it will axe 1,000 jobs as it ceases to offer financial planning advice in its branches. The job cuts will take place countrywide from February 18 as the bank focuses its investment service online. The announcement comes just a week after the bank was fined £7.7 million by the Financial [...]
Following a review, City watchdog the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has announced financial advisers must hold accreditation if they want to provide independent or restricted advice from the start of 2013. The FSA said retail investment advisers will need to possess a Statement of Professional Standing (SPS) if they want to give independent or restricted [...]
Banking giant Barclays has received a fine of £7.7 million – imposed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) over poor investment advice. The City Watchdog has also ordered the bank to compensate up to £60 million to customers of two investment funds. The bank has apologised for the failures and said it will “put things [...]
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and its NatWest subsidiary have been fined by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for “multiple failings”. The fine of £2.8 million was imposed because there was an “unacceptably high risk that customers may not have been treated fairly” due to not handling customers routine complaints in a proper manner. [...]
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the body established to compensate victims of banking failures, will now reimburse up to £85,000 per saver if a bank collapses, up from the £50,000 limit previously agreed. It is hoped the new limit, which is paid for by the UK financial services industry, will avert customer panic if [...]
Figures show that UK watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), has stepped up its fines this year after imposing a record £89 million in 2010, compared with £35 million in 2009. However, fines in the UK are still significantly lower than those imposed in the US, which usually exceed the $500 million mark. This year [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is set to publish a report on the near collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) following an investigation into the bank. The report, to be published by the end of March, comes after the bank had to be bailed out at the height of the financial crisis in autumn [...]
Crown Currency Exchange, which was last month placed into administration, is not expected to pay out all the cash its customers lost, since it was not covered by any of the Financial Services Authority compensation schemes. The company‘s administrators have received around 8,000 claims totalling £16.5 million but it has been revealed that customers are [...]
A “mortgage famine” could be on the way, according to lenders and housebuilders, that’s if new proposals to prevent reckless borrowing are implemented. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has outlined plans to encourage responsible lending, which could mean even more buyers are locked out of the market. The FSA has already proposed affordability tests for [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today warned that proposals by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), to encourage responsible lending, could mean even more buyers are locked out of the market. City Watchdog, the FSA, has previously announced plans to restrict mortgage lending, in a bid to prevent reckless borrowing. The FSA has already [...]
Tesco may have to delay its entrance into the UK mortgage market because the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is still mulling over its application for regulatory approval. According to reports, the FSA’s more stringent approach to mortgage lenders is likely to mean that the Tesco home loan will not be available this year, as planned. [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) is warning that new measures proposed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) could result in the demise of the interest-only mortgage. The FSA is currently consulting with lenders and other interested parties on the future regulation of the UK mortgage market, and the CML claims that interest-only home loans [...]
Banking giant Lloyds has received the highest number of complaints in the first half of 2010 with 288,717 gripes. Figures from City regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), said Barclays and Santander were second and third in the complaints league, with 250,667 and 244,978 complaints respectively. The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which like Lloyds [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has warned that proposals by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), to encourage responsible lending, will cause house price falls. The City Watchdog has previously announced plans to restrict mortgage lending, in a bid to prevent reckless borrowing. The FSA has already proposed affordability tests for all mortgages to ensure [...]
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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