Airports operator BAA has today reported a rise in passenger numbers at its six British airports in July. BAA, which is majority-owned by Spain’s Ferrovial, said 11 million passengers flew from its UK airports during the month – a rise of 0.8% on an annual basis. Meanwhile, Heathrow, which is the UK’s main airport, saw [...]
Homeowners appear to be taking advantage of low interest rates after Bank of England figures showed borrowers paid a record £24 billion last year. According to the Bank, homeowners paid back more than £24 billion to lenders last year – the highest since records began in 1970. Meanwhile, £7 billion was paid back in the [...]
Britain’s largest mutually-owned retailer, the Co-operative Group, has today posted “record” results for the 2010 year. The group said underlying operating profits before significant items surged 48% to £545.7 million compared with £367.9 million the year before. Group sales were 10% higher at £13.7 billion. Earnings at the group have been boosted by its acquisition [...]
The Singapore economy grew at a record pace in 2010, driven by a sharp rise in manufacturing activity, official figures have revealed. The economy expanded by 14.7% last year – performing strongly after a 1.3% contraction in 2009 and cementing its position as the fastest growing Asian economy in 2010. The economy grew by 12.5% [...]
Figures show that UK watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), has stepped up its fines this year after imposing a record £89 million in 2010, compared with £35 million in 2009. However, fines in the UK are still significantly lower than those imposed in the US, which usually exceed the $500 million mark. This year [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed public sector net borrowing totalled £23.3 billion in November – a record high for the month. Not only did it exceed the monthly record of £21.1 billion that was set in December 2009 – it represented the highest level since monthly records began in 1993. The [...]
The good news just keeps on coming for Europe’s largest economy after the Economy Ministry today revealed industrial production rose by 2.9% in October – almost treble the 1% economists had expected. Economists described it as “a good start to the fourth quarter”. The figures indicate that Germany continues to drive the recovery of the [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank today announced confidence among German firms grew in November. The Business Climate Index rose to 109.3 in November, up from 107.7 the previous month – the strongest rise since German reunification in 1990. The closely-watched index also confounded expectations of a fall to 107.5. Meanwhile, commenting on the figures, the [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed public sector net borrowing totalled £10.3 billion in October – a record high for the month. However, the figure was roughly in line with expectations of a £9.6 billion figure but is up from the £10.1 billion in October last year. The increase comes despite a [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed public sector net borrowing totalled £15.607 billion in September – its highest for the month of September since records began more than 17 years ago. The figure was also higher than the £14.2 billion economists had expected and compares with £14.806 billion a year earlier. Overall, [...]
The Halifax has today revealed UK house prices fell by a record 3.6% in September compared with August. The latest house price fall takes the average cost of a UK home to £162,096, the Halifax said. According to the lender, the monthly decline was the biggest since records began in 1983. However, it is still [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade deficit widened in July to a record high, as imports soared and exports fell. According to the ONS, the goods trade gap widened to £8.667 billion in July, up from £7.532 billion the previous month. The deficit was the biggest since the series [...]
Coventry Building Society, which is scheduled to finalise its merger with smaller rival Stroud & Swindon next month, has today announced record results for the six months ending June 30. The UK’s third largest building society said pre-tax profit grew by 20% to £43.5 million – compared with £36.2 million in the same period a [...]
Figures have today revealed Europe’s largest economy grew by a record 2.2% in the second quarter – the fastest quarterly growth in 20 years. The figures smashed analysts forecasts who had expected growth of around 1%. Meanwhile, on an annul basis, economic growth soared by 4.1%. Furthermore, first quarter growth has been revised upwards from [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has published new rules aimed at protecting vulnerable customers in arrears on their mortgages. From 30th June, homeowners in arrears must be treated fairly by lenders and the following key areas have been confirmed: Firms must not apply a monthly arrears charge where an agreement is already in place to [...]
A record fine for JP Morgan Securities has been imposed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for failing to protect client money over a period that spanned almost seven years. The largest ever fine of £33.32 million ($48.2 million) would have actually been £47.6 million but the firm agreed to co-operate during the investigation, thereby [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK Government borrowed £10 billion in April. However, while the figure represented the highest amount for April on record, it was less than the £13 billion many economists had expected. Overall, Government debt stands at £893.4 billion – the equivalent to 62.1% of GDP. However, [...]
British Airways, which is facing fresh strikes over the next few weeks, has today reported a record £531 million annual loss. The latest results, which cover the 12-month period to the end of March, include the estimated £40 million loss from the cabin crew strikes which took place during the month. However, they do not [...]
The economic downturn appears to still be battering the airline industry after Air France-KLM reported a net loss of €691 million for the three months ending March, compared to a loss of €479 million in the same period a year ago. This took its annual loss for the full year to €1.55 billion (£1.33 billion) [...]
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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