According to a report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of people paying into an occupational pension has slumped to a level not seen since 1956. Last year, there were 8.3 million people contributing to an occupational pension (3 million in the private sector and 5.3 million in the public sector). This [...]
Details of the new flat-rate state pension will be unveiled next week by the Government. In last month’s Budget, it was announced that the new pensions system should make pension planning easier to understand – stripping out the current complex means-tested payments system and will move towards a flat-rate payment for men and women. The [...]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a severe warning to the Spanish economy suggesting it needs “far-reaching” reforms to ensure its recovery. The economy, which is the euro zone’s fourth largest, exited recession in the first quarter of the year after experiencing growth of just 0.1% – ending a run of seven consecutive quarters [...]
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 [...]
The chairman of the Council of Mortgage Lenders has accused regulators of depicting the UK’s mortgage lenders as “drug dealers at the school gates”. Addressing the CML conference last week, Matthew Wyles said he increasingly saw lenders and intermediaries cast in this role, “enticing innocent consumers in and then getting them hooked, for their own [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has today set out “major reforms” that it intends to impose on UK mortgage lending. The proposed new measures are aimed at making the market “sustainable” for lenders and borrowers and reflect “a more intrusive and interventionist style of regulation”. Key features include imposing affordability tests for all mortgages and [...]
According to the Pensions Advisory Service, only a third of women currently receive the full state pension. Many women miss out on a full state pension if they stop working or opt to work part-time to bring up their children. As a result, they are missing out on National Insurance contributions due to leaving the [...]
The Chancellor Alistair Darling has today announced key reforms of banking regulation in a bid to prevent future meltdowns. The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s has forced the Government to nationalise Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley, as well as bailing out Lloyds TSB and Royal Bank of Scotland using [...]
In a bid to prevent future meltdowns of the banking system, Chancellor Alistair Darling is set to announce key reforms of banking regulation today. According to the Chancellor, the reforms will “toughen up of the regulatory system” in order to “learn the lesson of what went wrong… and make sure we reduce those risks”. Proposals [...]
US President Barack Obama is proposing a major reform of banking regulation in order to prevent future meltdowns of the US banking system. Mr Obama described the reforms as biggest overhaul of the system since the 1930s, which will see major banks put more money aside against future losses to prevent excessive risk taking. The [...]
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, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
