The Co-operative Bank has increased profits by 70 percent (for the year to 10 January) as depositors fled to what has always been seen as the “boring bank” but in troubled times, many savers have warmed to its security. In a period where its competitors struggled, retail deposits increased by 17 percent whilst corporate deposits [...]
RBS and its subsidiary NatWest will only be passing on half of yesterday’s base rate cut to mortgage customers on their standard variable rates (SVRs). The lenders are reducing SVRs by 0.25%, although they claim most customers will not be missing out because the majority are either on tracker or fixed-rate deals. In the case [...]
As widely expected, the Bank of England has lowered interest rates to a new historic low of 0.5% as it continues its attempts at stimulating the economy. Since October, interest rates have been cut six times in a bid to fight off the recession but the latest cut has been widely criticised since they have [...]
Further cuts to the Bank of England’s base rate (BBR) would be an ‘assault’ on both savers and borrowers, the Building Societies Association (BSA) said this week. The BBR is already at an all time low of 1%, and analysts widely expect the central bank to announce additional cuts later this week. However, the BSA [...]
According to the Building Societies Association (BSA), over one million people opened a new building society savings account last year. Building societies have benefited since the collapse of Icelandic banks, Icesave and Kaupthing Edge, and the near collapse of Northern Rock, Bradford & Bingley, RBS, HBOS/Lloyds. The BSA said an additional 1.2 million accounts (net [...]
The Bank of England’s quarterly inflation report, due to be published later this week, is set to reassure that savers in Britain have not been ‘abandoned’ following aggressive cuts in interest rates. The Bank of England’s Governor, Mervyn King, will insist that rates will return to normal levels as soon as possible, by steering the [...]
An influential think tank believes that a cut in interest rates this week would not benefit the economy but said other moves such as the Bank of England purchasing corporate bonds would be better. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee begins its two-day rate setting meeting today and has aggressively cut rates since October [...]
The Bank of England’s 0.5% base rate cut has proved unpopular with Brits, according to the results of a new survey. An online poll by moneysupermarket.com found that over two thirds of 16,000 respondents were angry with the Bank of England’s decision, which lowered the base rate to 1.5%, its lowest in over 300 years. [...]
The director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders has described today’s cut in the Bank of England’s base rate to 1.5% as a double-edged sword for lenders who rely on savings deposits to fund their mortgage businesses. Michael Coogan comments that while lower mortgage rates can provide borrowers with the opportunity to repay their [...]
Yesterday, it was warned that British savers of internet bank Icesave, an arm of Landsbanki, may struggle to claim their money. Earlier this week, the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority announced that the country’s Government had seized control of Landsbanki, which owns Icesave. However, today Chancellor Alistair Darling has guaranteed that UK savers will get their [...]
The Government has announced its intention to guarantee bank deposits up to £50,000. With the global credit crisis showing no signs of abating and banks collapsing or being nationalised, Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the BBC he will do whatever it takes to protect people’s savings. The announcement comes after the Government of Ireland said [...]
Persimmon has joined forces with Halifax to help first-time buyers enter the property market. The housebuilder’s “double your deposit” scheme does exactly what it says as long the funds are used to buy a new Persimmon home. To participate in the offer, a would-be homeowner needs to make regular deposits of up to £5,000 into [...]
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, has announced new measures to protect savers who lose money as a result of a bank getting into financial difficulty. The Government has also asked the Financial Services Authority to consult on increasing the current threshold for compensation from £35,000 to £50,000. Any changes will come into effect in [...]
Price comparison site, moneysupermarket.com, is warning current account savers to check the small print. For instance, Alliance & Leicester’s Premier Regular Saver offers a huge 12% but only in conjunction with its current account that pays 1.5%. In comparison, the bank’s best current account pays 8.5%. Another example is getting more people to invest in [...]
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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