Nine out of ten leading mortgage products are available direct from lenders, moneysupermarket.com has reported. The comparison website suggests that the financial turmoil of the last couple of years has turned the UK mortgage market on its head and that the days when mortgage brokers had the pick of the best deals are gone. The [...]
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 [...]
Financial pundits have praised Halifax’s new Clarity credit card for its simplicity, but warned it may not be the best deal for customers looking to borrow money long term. Moneynet.co.uk welcomed the Clarity’s easy to understand fees, with no complex introductory offer and just one rate of interest for purchases, balance transfers and cash withdrawals. [...]
Young people are plunging themselves into unmanageable debt because they not being adequately educated on how to handle their finances, moneysupermarket.com has claimed. The price comparison site said the failure of Britain’s schools to offer education on money matters is putting a generation of young people at financial risk. “Financial education has been on the [...]
Insurers need to “change their approach” to older travellers, moneysupermarket.com claimed this week. A spokesperson for the price comparison site made the comment after research found that British travellers can see travel insurance premiums more than double after their 65th birthday. Multi-trip policies in Europe increase by up to 174% for travellers aged 65 or [...]
Over 14 million Brits are using credit cards to fund everyday expenses, according to research by moneysupermarket.com. The price comparison site said the reliance on debt to pay for day-to-day purchases is a “worrying trend”. Purchasing goods online is the most popular use of credit cards, with 56% of credit card holders using their card [...]
Brits are fed up with the consumerism and money concerns that have invaded Valentine’s Day, a day that should be about celebrating love. Research by moneysupermarket.com found nearly a fifth (17%) of Brits are planning not to bother with Valentine’s Day because they don’t like the idea of it. “The anti-Valentine vibe is definitely in [...]
The AA has launched a new credit card with a 0% interest rate on retail spending for 10 months. The card, available exclusively through moneysupermarket.com, offers the 0% rate on all purchases including motoring and fuel. Consumers can also take advantage of a 0% rate on balance transfers for 12 months, subject to a 3% [...]
Brits travelling abroad this month have been encouraged to take out travel insurance by moneysupermarket.com. The price comparison site said insurance for winter breaks is available for as little as £10 per week. “Whether you’re seeking sunshine in Spain or snow on the slopes, travel insurance is an essential item when planning any holiday and [...]
Consumers struggling to manage their debts risk falling prey to expensive debt management companies, moneysupermarket.com warned this week. Research by the price comparison site found that 20,000 people are signing up to debt management plans every week in an effort to get their finances under control. Many are using free services such as the Citizen’s [...]
A wider selection of mortgages is now available to first time buyers with a small deposit, according to moneysupermarket.com The price comparison site found buyers with a deposit of 15% have 22% more mortgages to choose from compared to December 2009. Buyers with a deposit of just 10% can choose from an 11% larger range [...]
Credit card providers need to get better at explaining the terms and conditions of their cards to consumers, a financial expert has claimed. Tobias Van Der Meer, managing director of moneysupermarket.com, said many consumers are unaware how credit card repayments work. Two-thirds of those polled by moneysupermarket.com didn’t know that the cheapest debt is paid [...]
New research from moneysupermarket.com shows the number of mortgage products available to UK borrowers increasing for the third consecutive month, and crashing through the 2,500 barrier for the first time since May 2008. The firm’s mortgages channel manager, Hannah-Mercedes Skenfield, says: “This is good news for buyers, as passing the 2,500 barrier does suggest that [...]
Lenders are cautiously expanding their mortgage offerings, with the number of home loans available rising steadily since August’s low of 2,182. According to moneysupermarket.com homebuyers and remortgagers can now choose from 2,430 products, although the figure is still well below the 3,384 available at the beginning of the year. Encouragingly for first-time buyers, the most [...]
Savvy consumers are afraid to apply for the best credit card deals in case the application leaves a black mark on their credit rating. This is the view of Toby Van Der Meer, managing director of money at price comparison site moneysupermarket.com. According the Van Der Meer, the credit rating system allows credit card companies [...]
Unfair credit rating practices could be called to a halt by MPs following a parliamentary investigation. Currently consumers have to apply for a loan or credit card to find out the interest rate they’ll be offered. However, each application lowers their credit score - so the more a consumer searches around for the best deal, [...]
Many UK adults have had their social lives “hit hard” by the credit crunch, moneysupermarket.com claimed this week. Two-thirds (65%) of those polled by the price comparison site said they’re more likely to stay in since the recession started. Eleven percent said they’re holding more house parties such as barbecues and ‘Come Dine With Me’ [...]
Interest rates on savings accounts are “highly inflated” at the moment because banks and building societies are desperate for deposits, a price comparison site said this week. Financial providers are offering average bonus rates of 1.93% on savings accounts, compared to 0.71% two years ago, moneysupermarket.com said. Savers should invest now to avoid disappointment, the [...]
American Express has announced plans to start charging customers who no longer use their Amex card. The £20 per year “dormancy fee” will be charged to all Platinum Cashback credit card holders. According to Amex’s website, the fee is charged to customers “if the aggregate amount of all transactions [on their account], other than cash [...]
Borrowers seeking fixed and tracker rate mortgages are in for a pleasant surprise because arrangement fees have fallen by around 25% in the past 12 months. Research by moneysupermarket.com has revealed that the average two year fixed-rate deal now comes with a typical fee of £957, down 30% the £1,243 average charge this time last [...]
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 [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Contact us
