A higher education funding review is likely to see a shake-up in the way interest is charged on student loans. The review, by Lord Browne, suggested a variable interest rate on student loans was a favoured option. Currently, students pay back their loans when they earn over £15,000 a year, at a low interest rate. [...]
Mid-year figures from Charity Bank and Triodos Bank show both lenders are on track for a record year of lending. During the first six months of this year, Charity bank agreed £20.9 million of new loans. This is compared to a total of £22.9 million for the whole of 2009. Figures from Triodos show new [...]
The era of debt-fuelled consumer spending is over, a financial expert has claimed, pointing out Britain’s consumer debts of nearly £1.5 trillion. Tim Moss, head of loans at moneysupermarket.com, seemed to be talking himself out of a job by claiming consumers can no longer afford to fund purchases on borrowed money. Consumers must face up [...]
Global stock markets were rocked yesterday with the news that euro zone banks may face funding difficulties after it was revealed that the European Central Bank (ECB) would not be offering 12-month loans. A year ago, the ECB was forced to offer European banks 12-month loans at low interest rates to help them survive the [...]
There are fresh concerns over the European banking sector after banks are scheduled to repay €442 billion (£362 billion) worth of loans to the European Central Bank (ECB) later this week. Shares in Europe hit a three-week closing low today as a result. Furthermore, shares were hit by a sharp fall in US consumer confidence [...]
The Treasury and Lloyds senior executives could be sued over the controversial takeover of HBOS, which took place at the height of the financial crisis. An investor group called Lloyds Action Now, which was established a year ago, claimed investors were lured into voting for the takeover, while not being provided with all the relevant [...]
“Onerous clauses” on payment protection insurance (PPI) mean that borrowers unable to pay back their loans rarely receive an insurance payout, a finance expert has claimed. David Kuo, director of Motley Fool, said consumers are being duped into believing PPI will cover them if they have legitimate reasons for failing to make loan repayments. “Borrowers [...]
Savers wanting to earn a good rate of interest while avoiding high street banks now have an alternative option. Zopa matches up people who have spare cash to lend with those who want to borrow money. John Hudson, professor of economics at Bath University, hailed Zopa as “a new way of borrowing and lending money”. [...]
There are hopes for Greece today after leaders of the euro zone nations have agreed to provide emergency loans to the debt-ridden country. However, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking for euro zone finance ministers, said that the euro zone countries had not decided to activate the loans, as this would depend on a decision [...]
Figures from the Bank of England today revealed that British consumers borrowed £500 million in January through credit cards, loans and overdrafts, once repayments were taken into account - the highest level since November 2008. According to the Bank, the increase was almost double the £265 million rise seen in the previous month December, and [...]
Figures from the Bank of England today revealed that new borrowing on credit cards, loans and overdrafts rose for the first time since June 2009. Consumer credit rose £52 million in December, which surprised analysts who had expected a £400 million fall. For the first time since June, borrowing outstripped the amount being paid back [...]
Citigroup, which is the third largest US bank, has today posted a loss for the fourth quarter of 2009, as a result of the repayment of Government loans. The bank said it repaid $20 billion to the US Government during the 2009 year. The Wall Street banking giant said losses totalled $7.6 billion (£4.7 billion) [...]
A new microfinance bank in Bahrain is set to help thousands of needy families. The Family Bank, a joint initiative between Bahrain’s Social Development Ministry and the Grameen Bank, will offer loans of between 150 and 7,000 Bahrain Dinars (between £250 and £11,500). “The idea is to make needy and creative Bahraini families self dependent [...]
Shares in troubled Japan Airlines (JAL) soared 31% today after it was revealed that the Japanese Government had asked the state-owned Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) to double JAL’s credit line to JAL to 200 billion yen (£1.4 billion). The airline has already used 55 billion yen of the 100 billion yen credit line set [...]
Banking giant, Lloyds Banking Group, is expected to take a hit of £450 million as a result of its investment in pub chain Admiral Taverns. In order to finance a series of acquisitions, the group’s Bank of Scotland arm loaned more than £850 million to Admiral but the pub group, which owns more than 2000 [...]
Many reports over the weekend have speculated that General Motors (GM) is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy tomorrow. The century-old car maker, which was once the biggest company in the world, reaches its deadline tomorrow of restructuring the business in order to achieve a multi-billion dollar loan from the Government to avoid bankruptcy [...]
There is now a definitive separation between car firms Daimler and Chrysler after the German carmaker has reached a deal to give up its 19.9% stake in the US firm. The agreement will also see Daimler forgive repayment of the loans extended to Chrysler, which were already written off in the 2008 financial statements, said [...]
Deflation has occurred for the first time in the UK since the 1960s and the Retail Prices Index (RPI) figure has been used to track the interest rate payments on student loans. However there has always been much speculation as to what would happen if the RPI would turn negative and yet last month, this [...]
A Bank of England report has revealed that Britain’s banks and building societies are set to make more loans available to homeowners and businesses over the next quarter. The report also revealed that despite the tightening of lending criteria over recent times, credit availability to larger companies actually increased during the first three months of [...]
It has been confirmed this morning that the Nationwide is to buy the Dunfermline Building Society’s branches, good loans and deposits. It was reported over the weekend that Scotland’s largest Building Society had collapsed after last-minute rescue attempts failed. The institution, which was established in 1869, will see Nationwide take on its 500+ staff and [...]
European equities markets were higher Tuesday as banks came back from big declines on Monday, helped by a statement from Societe Generale’s (Euronext: GLE) CEO that his bank is healthy. The FTSE 100 was up 0.87 percent to 5,174.25 in London, while the FTSE 250 added 0.27 percent to 10,011, with banks the best performers [...]
Rics: Housing market remains in the doldrums
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today reported that the UK housing market remained weak in August with house prices falling further. According to the Institution, homeowners remain reluctant to put their properties up for sale, while buyers continue to struggle to secure a mortgage and remain uncertain about the economic climate. The [...]
CML: Mortgage lending edges higher in July
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in July. According to the Council, there were 48,400 loans advanced for house purchase in the month – up by 1,000 from June’s figure but almost 7,000 lower when compared with July 2010. Commenting on today’s figures, Paul Smee, [...]
UK inflation edges higher in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to annual rate of 4.5% last month from July’s rate of 4.4%. However, the figure was in line with analysts’ expectations. Higher inflation continues to be led by rising food costs but the main reason behind last month’s rise was a 5.1% [...]
Fresnillo down on silver prices
European equities markets were lower Monday on the possibility that Greece could default soon and on speculation that Moody’s Investors Service could cut its rating on several big banks with holdings tied to Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 1.63 percent to 5,129.62 in London, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.65 percent to 9,983.75 as [...]
IFS warns of tough times for UK households
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that households will be squeezed for the next decade as they suffer from the harsh spending cuts introduced by the Government. It said households are suffering one of the worst attacks on their finances since the Second World War and that the impact of [...]
ICB final report recommends ring-fencing
The Independent Commission on Banking’s (ICB) final report has been published today and is recommending that UK banks should ring-fence their retail banking operations. According to the report, ring-fencing would protect banks from riskier investment banking divisions and would “make it easier and less costly to resolve banks that get into trouble”. The ICB, which [...]
Tullow Oil leads 100 in London
European equities markets were significantly lower Friday on an increased possibility that Greece could default on its debt as soon as this weekend, raising the concern level over the European region’s debt problems and ratcheting up worries that the economic recovery is faltering. Additionally, markets reacted to the resignation of European Central Bank board member [...]
SMMT: UK car sales rise in August
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed UK car sales saw their first rise in 14 months in August. According to the trade body, car sales rose by 7.3% in August compared with the same month in 2010, with sales of smaller cars rising by more than 30%. The Ford Fiesta remained [...]
Factory gate inflation higher than expected in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK producer output prices held steady in August – remaining at the highest annual rate since October 2008. According to the ONS, output prices (factory gate) annual inflation for all manufactured products held steady at July’s upwardly revised reading of 6.1% in August. The figures were [...]
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