Compensation paid to consumers who were mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) reached a record £379m in November, compared with £268m in October. PPI was routinely sold alongside loans to protect re-payments if the customer fell ill or became unemployed, but many people were sold policies that were invalid because they did not meet the qualifying [...]
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has criticised banks and insurance companies for their slow response to payment protection insurance (PPI) compensation claims. The huge numbers of PPI claims are overwhelming UK banks, with the result that customers are becoming tired of waiting and are taking their cases to the FOS. The FOS says that number [...]
Following the recent revelation that HSBC subsidiary NHFA mis-sold asset-backed investment products to elderly people in care, HSBC has promised to consider complaints dating back to before it took over NHFA in 2005. The decision means that HSBC could face thousands more potential claims for compensation, adding to the £30m compensation bill it already expects [...]
Customers who were mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) are liable for tax on the compensation they receive. The Financial Services Authority awarded compensation to PPI customers who had been mis-sold policies, plus 8 per cent interest on the money they originally spent on the policy. This interest is subject to tax it has been revealed, [...]
Figures from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) have revealed that the three most complained about British banks are Barclays, Lloyds and Santander. According to the FSA, Barclays received more than a quarter of a million complaints in the first half of 2011. Lloyds received 181,907 complaints in the six month period, while Santander had 168,888 [...]
Barclays has improved its customer service, with new complaints down 9% in the first half of 2011, compared with the previous six-month period, to 251,563. However, in the general insurance and protection category, volumes increased 25% to 73,692 with payment protection insurance (PPI) complaints leading the surge. The bank expects PPI volumes to be even [...]
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has today unveiled a loss of £1.4 billion for the six months to the end of June. The bank, which is 84% owned by the taxpayer, said its exposure to the Greek debt crisis and costs relating to the mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) pushed it into a [...]
Banking giant Barclays is the latest bank to report its half-year profits and announce job losses. The bank said pre-tax profits came in at £2.6 billion for the six months to the end of June, down one third from the same period a year ago. However, chief executive Bob Diamond said he was pleased with [...]
Spanish banking giant Santander has today revealed its first half profits were hit by costs relating to its mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI). The controversial insurance has been a hot topic for some time now and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) introduced a review of the insurance after millions of policies were mis-sold and [...]
Banking giant Barclays has today announced it will pay compensation to customers who were mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI). The bank said it will reimburse those who made a complaint before 20 April the total value of all premiums plus 8% interest. It highlighted that it was the first bank to pay out PPI compensation [...]
Banking giant HSBC has today said net profits grew 58% to $4.153 billion in the three months to 31 March on lower taxes and bad debt charges. However, the bank, which is Europe’s largest, said the group’s pre-tax gains were driven down by rises in other exceptional costs – such as the £269 million it [...]
UK banks are set to lose billions following a High Court ruling over Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). The controversial insurance has been a hot topic for sometime now and the Financial Services Authority introduced a review of the insurance after millions of policies were mis-sold and thousands of complaints were received. Under a PPI policy, [...]
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has today said complaints rose in the second half 2010. According to the FOS, it received 97,237 new complaints between 1 July and 31 December – a rise of 15% compared with the first half of 2010. This list only covers those complaints which required mediation. Lloyds Banking Group, which [...]
Banking giant Lloyds has confirmed it will no longer sell the controversial payment protection insurance (PPI). Lloyds Banking Group, which is 41% owned by the taxpayer, is the first bank to drop PPI sales and the decision will apply to customers of all its brands including the Halifax, Bank of Scotland and the Cheltenham & [...]
“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 [...]
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) said it dealt with a total of 925,095 queries from consumers in the last financial year – a 46% increase on the previous financial year. However, it said it resolved a record number of disputes (166,321) and in 50% of these cases, consumers were awarded compensation. It did highlight, though, [...]
The Competition Commission is pressing ahead with its proposal to ban the sale of the controversial payment protection insurance (PPI). Under a PPI policy, an agreed sum of money is paid out each month to fully cover, or cover a percentage of the payment due on your mortgage or loan if you are unable to [...]
The US Labor Department has today reported a fall in producer prices of 0.6% in February – the biggest fall since July 2009. The fall, which was worse than expected, was attributed to a 2.9% decline in energy costs. Compared to February 2009, producer prices grew 4.4%, but they slowed from a 4.6% annualised rise [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA), has announced a delay on its plans to reform the Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) market. The City Watchdog said its consultation will be delayed by six weeks due to a heavy amount of criticism from the financial industry. Under a PPI policy, an agreed sum of money is paid out [...]
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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