The Bank of France has predicted the French economy will grow by 0.3% in the July to September quarter, following growth of 0.4% in the second quarter. The recovery of the euro zone’s second largest economy is therefore likely to lose a little momentum, partly due to a slowdown in industry production at the start [...]
Professor David Blanchflower, a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), has warned that cutting the deficit too quickly risks putting the UK back into recession. Mr Blanchflower, who is professor of economics at Dartmouth College in the US, told Sky News today that further investment is required to build growth. [...]
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) is predicting that UK house prices will fall by around 10% during 2009, although the reduction could be greater if the number of people out of work reaches three million. Such a decline would result in a drop of at least 25% from the peak of the market [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) is predicting that the number of mortgage borrowers three months or more in arrears with repayments will rise to 500,000 in 2009. If so, the number of householders struggling to keep a roof over their heads will more than double, given that 210,000 mortgages are expected to be in [...]
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) has published its latest predictions for the UK economy, stating that it expects the economy to enter into a deep recession in the final quarter of the year. The independent institute estimates that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 1% in the three months to the [...]
The head of Nationwide Building Society, Graham Beale, is predicting that UK house prices could fall by as much as 25% from their peak last autumn. Speaking to BBC News, the chief executive said that signs of a recovery in the housing market may be delayed until 2010 and that prices will continue to fall [...]
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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