Prime Minister David Cameron has said the Government will not introduce major tax cuts but insisted he remains a “tax-cutting Tory”. His comments come just a few days after Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, claimed that millions of middle-class families who are set to become higher rate taxpayers from April will “barely notice” the difference. [...]
The newly created Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB) has been launched today and is aimed at enhancing consumers’ financial education and their ability to manage their finances, thereby avoiding debt. The creation of the London-based agency comes at a time when the Government is concerned that a lack of financial knowledge means that consumers are [...]
The UK’s recovery from recession was at a snail’s pace in the first quarter of 2010, with GDP growing by an estimated 0.2%, or just half analysts’ expectations of 0.4%. According to the Office for National Statistics, progress was also half that made in the final quarter of 2009, when output increased by 0.4% once [...]
Tony Hobman has been appointed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to run the newly created Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB). The CFEB is aimed at enhancing consumers’ financial education and their ability to manage their finances. The newly-established CFEB comes at a time when the Government is concerned that a lack of financial knowledge [...]
Leeds-based independent financial advice company, Park Row Associates, has failed to give suitable advice, according to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and has therefore been ordered to pay compensation to customers. The City Watchdog has established that customers of Park Row Associates were at risk of receiving unsuitable advice about all of its financial products. [...]
Struggling Japan Airlines (JAL) yesterday saw its shares close at a record low of 87 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange after it emerged that Mitsui & Co broking house had sold all its shares in the carrier. A spokesperson for Mitsui & Co said it had sold all of its 11.7 million shares between [...]
Asia’s largest carrier, Japan Airlines (JAL), has been offered a $1 billion (£600 million) lifeline from Delta Air Lines and its Sky Team alliance partners. According to Delta, the rescue package includes a $500 million equity injection, a revenue guarantee worth $300 million, asset-backed funding worth $200 million and $20 million to cover JAL’s costs [...]
Over the weekend, G20 finance ministers at St Andrews in Fife reached an agreement to maintain financial support until recovery is ensured. The agreement was reached following concerns over rising unemployment and unsteady growth which saw finance ministers from developing and rich countries vow to keep fiscal measures in place until global recovery is assured. [...]
Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, is calling for major regulatory reform, but Chancellor Alistair Darling said there are no plans to change the current financial regulatory system. The news comes as US President Barack Obama is proposing a major reform of banking regulation in order to prevent future meltdowns of the [...]
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has claimed that an increasing amount of consumers are receiving ‘dismal’ treatment when they complain to financial services institutions. Chief Ombudsman, Walter Merricks, said: “Some in the financial services industry – currently facing significant business challenges – appear to be taking the jaundiced view that having a large number of [...]
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson is understood to be in full support of extending financial services at the UK’s 12,000 Post Offices. The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), led by Lord Mandelson, is in favour of creating a ‘People’s Bank’, which will see Post Office outlets as the backbone of a new national [...]
Banking giant HSBC has rejected the Government’s offer of emergency funding. The UK’s largest banking group said it had not sought capital support from the UK Government and cannot envisage circumstances where such action would be necessary. Unlike other banks, HSBC has been relatively unaffected by the credit crisis due to its focus on emerging [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported that almost 50% first-time buyers under the age of 30 look for family help to secure their first mortgage. Financial help from relatives has always played a part in a fortunate minority getting a foot on the property ladder but the need has been increasing; in 2006, [...]
Yesterday saw Belgian-Dutch financial group, Fortis, rescued after the Governments of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands invested a total €11.2 billion (£8.9 billion) in the respective Fortis bank institutions in each country. Each Government will take a 49% stake in Fortis. It has emerged today that Fortis’ rival, Dexia, has become the latest European bank [...]
The UK economy has ground to a halt after data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that it did not grow at all in the second quarter of 2008. The ONS said growth was 0% in the second quarter, below the 0.3% figure recorded for the first quarter of the year. Many analysts [...]
It was announced earlier today that the $700 billion (£380 billion) US financial bailout plan had been blocked. However, following hours of negotiations today, President George W. Bush has insisted that an agreement would be reached. However, stockmarkets continue to fluctuate due to the uncertainty surrounding the deal. According to the President, there are disagreements [...]
HSBC, the UK’s largest bank, is shedding around 1,100 jobs worldwide across its global banking and markets division, as it comes under pressure due to the current financial turmoil. The jobs represent around 4% of its total workforce with nearly half of the job cuts to go at the bank’s Canary Wharf office in London, [...]
US billionaire investor, Warren Buffett, has described the current financial turmoil as ‘an economic Pearl Harbour’. Buffett, who is one of the world’s richest men, and US Federal Reserve chief, Ben Bernanke, are urging US Congress to quickly approve the $700 billion (£380 billion) financial rescue plan or risk serious consequences to the US economy. [...]
Thousands of customers have been lining up to withdraw their savings from the Bank of East Asia after rumours spread that the bank is facing financial collapse, an allegation which the bank has fiercely denied. The police have been informed and are investigating after the bank said the rumours were malicious and untruthful and were [...]
The remaining two independent investment banks on Wall Street are today surrounded by merger speculation after shares in the two organisations plummeted over recent days. Despite assurances from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, investors have still abandoned ship. Monday saw the collapse of Wall Street giant, Lehman Brothers, which was forced to file for bankruptcy [...]
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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