Moody’s Investors Service has today downgraded the ratings on five Irish banks – Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland, EBS Building Society, Irish Life and Permanent and Irish Nationwide Building Society. The downgrade came after Moody’s last week slashed Ireland’s credit rating by five notches to Baa1, from Aa2 – citing ongoing uncertainties over the [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed public sector borrowing totalled £14.5 billion in June. While the figure was slightly lower than the £14.7 billion seen in June last year, it surprised economists who expected the figure to be around £13.1 billion. Overall, Government debt stands at £926.9 billion – the equivalent to [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK Government borrowed £16 billion in May. However, the figure was lower than the £18 billion expected and was 8% less than the figure in May 2009. Overall, Government debt stands at £903 billion – the equivalent to 62.2% of GDP – the highest ever. [...]
The European Commission today gave the Baltic republic of Estonia the go ahead to adopt the euro on 1 January 2011. The announcement comes at a time when many nations in the euro zone are implementing tough austerity measures in order to cut their budget deficits. A €500 billion (£433 billion) emergency rescue package was [...]
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling on the Government to provide a ‘credible’ economic plan for balancing public finances by 2016 – two years earlier than planned. The business group believes that Chancellor, Alistair Darling, should use his last Budget before the general election to give more details of spending plans for Whitehall [...]
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said the Government needs to be ambitious in tackling the public finances but warned that economic recovery should not be put at “undue risk”. The Institute believes an extra £13 billion in tax hikes or spending cuts is required by 2015-16 in order to repair [...]
In the latest issue of Deloitte’s Economic Review, leading economist Roger Bootle warns that Britons are about to face “the great squeeze”. Mr Bootle, formerly chief economist at HSBC and now managing director of Capital Economics, describes the UK’s public finances as “in the worst shape for at least half a century”. He expects public [...]
Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King, warned last night that a major rethink of how banks are structured is required. Addressing Scottish business leaders in Edinburgh last night, Mr King’s comments came after it was announced that public finances suffered their worst six months on record between April and September. In his speech, Mr King [...]
Rating agency, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has downgraded Ireland’s credit rating from AAA to AA+ and has put the Irish Republic on a “negative” outlook, meaning that further downgrades are possible. The downgrade could drive investors away since it will mean Irish businesses will have to pay more to borrow on the international markets. The [...]
Following the doom and gloom surrounding the UK economy, the pound has tumbled to just above 95p to the euro – equivalent to around €1.05 to the pound. Official figures today revealed that the UK’s public finances deteriorated sharply again in November, with net borrowing rocketing to a high of £16 billion. The figure was [...]
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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