Official data has revealed unemployment in Germany dropped to its lowest level in more than 20 years in September. The country’s unemployment rate fell from August’s rate of 7% to 6.6%. Unemployment now stands at 2.79 million – the first time since 1992 that the jobless total has been below 2.8 million. It was also [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has today announced UK car sales grew by 10.8% in June compared with the same month in 2009. The SMMT said the number of new cars sold in the month was 195,226 – representing the 12th consecutive monthly rise and exceeded expectations. However, the Society warns that [...]
Business Secretary Vince Cable has warned that the UK’s car industry will not receive any further funding from the Government. Mr Cable was speaking at a conference in London organised by trade body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). However, he said the industry is “incredibly important to the UK economy” and insisted [...]
The UK’s car scrappage scheme, which was introduced last May to boost the ailing car industry, expires today after giving the car industry a much-needed boost. The £400 million initiative paid drivers of cars at least 10 years old £2,000 off the price of a new vehicle. The £2,000 grant was made up of £1,000 [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed that unemployment grew by 210,000 to 2.47 million in the three months to July – the highest level since 1995. The latest figures take the unemployment rate to 7.9%, up from 7.8%, according to the ONS. Meanwhile, the number of people claiming jobseekers allowance increased 24,400 [...]
A new initiative called “Backing Young Britain” is set to get thousands of young people back to work in the form of apprenticeships or training. The latest official figures show that the jobless rate among 16 to 24-year-olds has surged to almost 20%, with nearly a million classed as unemployed. Leading business groups have been [...]
Over 10 million homes in Britain are to benefit from a government initiative to help reduce fuel bills. With gas and electricity costs soaring in recent months ministers have been under pressure to introduce a windfall tax on utility providers as a means of funding cash handouts to the nation’s poorer families. However, the idea [...]
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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