The Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), launched by the Bank of England and the Treasury this summer, has caused a sharp fall in the number of accounts available for savers, according to Moneyfacts, a leading provider of personal finance data. FLS is designed to increase the availability of mortgages and business loans by providing banks […]
Research by comparison site Moneyfacts has found that there is not one single savings account currently available that will completely protect taxpayersa�� savings from the effects of tax and inflation. The latest figures show that inflation fell slightly in November, from 5.0 per cent to 4.8 per cent, on the Consumer Prices Index. This means […]
The CBI is calling for a radical rethink in the way house purchases are funded including allowing buyers to dip into their pension pot for the deposit on their first home. The number of first-time buyers fell from a high of 167,400 in 2001 to 36,200 in 2011 with unaffordable deposits and financial insecurity making […]
Figures from Moneyfacts have revealed in the number of mortgage products. The credit crunch resulted in a tightening of lending criteria and mortgages have been hard to secure without a substantial deposit. However, the number of different mortgage products has risen to its highest level since November 2008, according to Moneyfacts, due to increased competition. […]
First-time buyers (FTBs) are still struggling to get a foot on the ladder, despite a steep rise in the number of mortgage products available. Mortgage deals for those with a small deposit has doubled, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk, with more than 1,000 mortgages on the market for those with a 20% deposit or less. However, while […]
Despite a rise in the number of mortgage deals on offer, a large deposit remains essential in securing a competitive loan, both for house purchasers and remortgagers. According to research by Moneyfacts Group for the BBC, the number of mortgage products available has risen 66% so far this year, to 2,351. However, the financial researcher […]
Metro Bank, which aims to make banking a a�?fun retail experiencea�? opens in Holborn, central London today. The bank is Britaina��s first new high street lender for more than a century and it has pledged to return to a�?core banking valuesa�?. The bank said it will employ more cashiers than the existing a�?big foura�? banks, […]
Savings experts have warned that a new Football Bond from Nationwide is a World Cup “gimmick”. Customers who take out the bond will he paid a bonus if England wins the World Cup trophy this summer. The four-year fixed rate bond pays 4.15% (AER) gross per year. If England win the World Cup, the interest […]
Home buyers with a zero to 40% deposit currently have 1,798 mortgage deals to choose from, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk. Researchers at the financial website have registered a 6% rise in the number of home loans on offer in the past month, taking the total up 68% year-on-year. While those with 5% or less to put […]
Consumers are increasingly taking the time to search out the best deals on personal loans and credit cards. Financial advice site Moneyfacts said since the onset of the credit crunch, Brits who need to borrow money are shopping around for the lowest interest rates. Darren Cook, Moneyfacts spokesperson, said: “The Bank base rate being maintained […]
Dr Ros Altmann, a former Downing Street pensions adviser, believes there should be an inquiry into the profit margins of credit card companies. Dr Altmann, who is a former academic and independent expert on pensions policy and retirement, believes there might be a case for a regulator to oversee the rates they charge. Last week, […]
New research has revealed that millions of credit card holders could face severe debts after card providers have put interest rates up to a 12-year high. The Bank of Englanda��s base rate has been at the historically low rate of 0.5% for almost a year but despite this, average credit card interest rates have risen […]
The value of the average pensions pot has plummeted 60% over the past decade, according to research by Moneyfacts.co.uk. The financial advice site blamed a combination of poor stock market returns and plunging annuity rates. During the same period, the average pensions income has fallen by almost three quarters. The pensions income of a male […]
The UK’s mortgage market looks set to continue its recovery into 2010, with a 20% rise in the number of home loans available since the beginning of the year. According to Moneyfacts.co.uk, the surge has led to a 26% increase in deals offering up to 90% loan-to-value and therefore requiring the size of deposit accessible […]
Newly retired pensioners on an annuity pension are receiving nearly half the income of those who retired 15 years ago, research has found. Annuity rates have hit record lows, plummeting by 45% since 1994. Annuities are used by people with defined contribution pensions, or personal pensions, to convert their savings into a retirement income. A […]
New research from Moneyfacts shows that the UK’s mortgage lenders are becoming less scared of offering high loan-to-value (LTV) ratios. According to the price comparison website, the number of mortgages available to borrowers with a 10% deposit rose from 56 in August, to 114 in November. However, availability remains severely contracted when compared to the […]
One in ten savers have had interest rates cut on their accounts in the past six months despite the Bank of England’s base rate being held, according to new research. A study by Moneyfacts found 10% of variable savings accounts are paying lower rates than they were in May. Only 3.5% of variable rate accounts […]
Ecclesiastical Investment Management was named the Best Ethical Investment Provider at the 2009 Investment, Life & Pensions Moneyfacts Awards. Sue Round, EIM’s head of investments, said the company was “thrilled” to be awarded the accolade. “Not only does it reflect the excellent fund performance and high levels of client service we have achieved over the […]
Consumers are using their spare cash to pay off debts rather than stashing it away in a savings account, Moneyfacts has observed. Michelle Slade, spokesperson for the consumer advice site, said many people are using money they’re saving due to low interest rates on mortgages to pay off personal loans and credit cards. Slade believes […]
Yorkshire Building Society has launched a new five-year fixed-rate savings bond paying interest at 5.3% gross/AER. The building society also launched a three-year bond paying a fixed-rate of 4.65% gross/AER. Both bonds require a minimum investment of A?100 and can be opened in branch, over the telephone, or online. Financial advice site Moneyfacts.co.uk said the […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was A?741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to A?12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The a�?Mind the Credit Gapa�? report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than A?50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes A?22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by A?22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was A?1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Companya��s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailersa�� sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wongaa��s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
First-time buyers take a decade to save for a deposit
Before the credit crunch it took first-time buyers two to four years to save up a deposit for a property but a quarter of first-time buyers now say it will take them at least ten years. In its latest Property Tracker report, the Building Societies Association (BSA) suggests that since September 2010 raising a deposit […]
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