From November 28, National Savings and Investments (NS&I) will cease selling its accounts via the Post Office. It has been announced that the Government-backed NS&I will no longer sell investment or easy access savings accounts over the counter at the Post Office. NS&I runs Premium Bonds and a variety of savings products. However, from the [...]
According to Sir Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, a surge in home repossessions is unlikely as UK interest rates are set to remain low. Repossessions have fallen over recent times and many experts have previously argued that homeowners have been saved from repossession because of historically low interest rates, which has [...]
One of the members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), Paul Fisher, has argued that the central bank is right to keep interest rates low. His comments come despite leading business groups urging the bank to lift rates to combat soaring inflation, which is currently more than double its 2% target. Last [...]
In its influential Quarterly Bulletin, the Bank of England said interest rates can be held at the historic low of 0.5% in order to prevent growth from stalling. The statement comes despite inflation being more than double the target of 2% and many business groups are calling on the bank to lift rates to combat [...]
The Bank of England has today revealed mortgage approvals fell in April. According to the Bank, there were 45,166 loans approved in the month – 4% down on March’s figure and 9% lower than in April 2010. Not only was the figure less than expected, it represented the lowest figure for April since records began [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed a decline in US housing starts for the month of February. According to the Commerce Department, construction of new US homes dived 22.5% on a monthly basis in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 479,000 units. This represented the second lowest level since records began in 1959 [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) today elected to keep interest rates on hold at the historic low of 1% – where they have been since May 2009. Interest rates are expected to remain on hold until at least 2011, as a result of uneven growth and low inflation. The news comes after the Bank of [...]
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has today revealed a rise in sales of previously owned homes in the US for the month of April, boosted by the expiration of a Government tax credit, which ended last month. The industry body said sales surged 7.6% in April (a five-month high) to an annual rate of [...]
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke has today said US interest rates will need to stay low in order to keep the economic recovery on track. In a testimony before Congress, Bernanke said there was a “nascent economic recovery” and said long-term recovery will depend on private sector’s demand for goods and services. Bernanke, [...]
Research by the Halifax has revealed the growing popularity of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs). The Halifax, which is now part of the Lloyds Banking Group, said the number of accounts opened in the nine years to March 2009 surged by 53%. At the start of the millennium, there were 9,000 subscribed ISA accounts, but this [...]
Shares in troubled Japan Airlines (JAL) plummeted again today to a fresh low of 5 yen as a bankruptcy filing seemed unavoidable. The airline, which is Asia’s largest carrier, is expected to file for bankruptcy protection tomorrow as part of a Government rescue plan. Like many other airlines, it has been struggling amid the global [...]
The Personal Accounts pension scheme, which is aimed at encouraging low to middle income workers to save for their retirement, is to be re-branded as the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). NEST will be one option open to employers who will have to enrol workers into a workplace scheme. Employees will be enrolled automatically in [...]
Struggling Japan Airlines (JAL) has had its credit line doubled to 200 billion yen (£1.3 billion) after an agreement by the Japanese Government today, according to Kyodo news agency. The extra funding was agreed by Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Transport Minister Seiji Maehara and other ministers at a meeting this weekend. A statement said: [...]
Shares in troubled Japan Airlines (JAL) plummeted to a fresh low today, losing 24% to 67 yen. The stock plummeted for a second consecutive day amid reports that the carrier is heading towards bankruptcy under a state restructuring plan. The airline, which is Asia’s largest carrier, has been struggling amid the global economic downturn which [...]
Gerard Lyons, chief economist at Standard Chartered Bank, is predicting that interest rates could remain at historically low levels for many years to come. Interest rates currently stand at 0.5% – the lowest level since the Bank of England was established over 300 years ago. According to Mr Lyons, it is quite likely that the [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today announced a fall in the number of homes repossessed in the second quarter of the year compared with the previous three months. According to the CML, 11,400 homes were repossessed in the second quarter of the year. While this was a rise of 14% compared with the [...]
Japan’s core private sector machine orders, a leading indicator of capital spending, fell in May to a record low, the Cabinet Office said today in Tokyo. The world’s second largest economy, which is heavily dependent on exports, has been hit by a slump in demand for its products overseas, particularly cars and electrical goods. Exports [...]
The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has reported a surge in the number of potential house purchasers registering with its members. NAEA firms reported an average 299 househunters signing up in May, the highest level since September 2007. However, last month the number of properties on estate agents’ books fell to an average of [...]
Consumer spending increased in April after retail sales were up 0.9% during the month compared with March, beating analysts expectations who had forecast a rise of just 0.5%. However, on an annual basis, sales were up 2.6% compared with April last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Analysts believe record low interest [...]
As expected the New Zealand central bank Governor, Alan Bollard, has cut interest rates for the seventh consecutive time, as the recession has slowed exports and reduced business investment on the island. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has officially cut interest rates by 0.5 percent to a record low of 2.5 percent. After 18 [...]
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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