Following a two-year consultation, the Treasury is planning to develop a range of savings products that would be offered by different providers. All providers would offer the same terms and conditions on the products but would compete on price, service and value, making it easy for customers to compare the products. The proposals, which are [...]
New research by Santander has found that eleven million adults in the UK have no savings to fall back on in times of crisis. This equates to one in five adults, and those who are saving, are saving less than they used to, Santander found. Over the past year, the average amount saved each month [...]
Severn Trent has become the first utility company to issue a retail bond, in an effort to raise £2.5 billion. The 10-year, inflation-linked bond is being issued to the general public rather than professional investors. It is available in denominations of £100 and will pay interest twice a year at a rate of 1.3 per [...]
The majority of people would only lend a friend a maximum of £5 without expecting the money to be repaid. Around two thirds of the 1,811 people surveyed by website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk said they regularly lend money to friends, but only on the understanding that the cash will be returned. Forty-three per cent of those surveyed [...]
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has re-launched its Investment Account at a higher interest rate than it previously offered. The account now offers 0.75 per cent before tax, compared with between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent previously, depending on the account balance. Deposits and withdrawals on the account can no longer be made at Post [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is introducing new rules which will require banks and building societies to display clear signs at branches and on their websites, telling customers their savings are protected. The sign will tell savers: “Your deposits are protected up to £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK deposit protection scheme. [...]
A study by Santander, one of the world’s largest banks, has revealed that people are funding Christmas this year by dipping into their savings. High unemployment, inflation at around 5 per cent and the threat of another recession are all putting pressure on people’s pockets and causing them to use their savings to pay for [...]
The Post Office has extended its promise to match the Bank of England Base Rate percentage changes on its savings products, until 1 January 2013. The promise, which was originally planned to run until 31 March 2012, covers the Post Office’s Instant Saver, Reward Saver, Cash ISA and Easy Saver accounts. The Post Office has [...]
New data from the Bank of England suggests that house owners are focusing on repaying their mortgages as part of their efforts to reduce debt. Consumers are concerned about the state of the economy and their incomes are under pressure from pay freezes, rising unemployment and high levels of inflation. These pressures, together with falling [...]
Santander has launched an innovative new product which allows customers to receive £1,000 interest almost immediately, on an investment of £12,000. The Upfront Interest Bond has a minimum three-year term and a minimum initial deposit of £10,000 is required. It is only available to Santander current account customers and interest on the bond will be [...]
New figures from financial research company Defaqto reveal that UK savers are pessimistic about their pensions and many are failing to make adequate provision for their retirement. Dafaqto reports that the proportion of savers who fear that their needs won’t be adequately met when they retire has grown 6 per cent to 44 per cent. [...]
From November 28, National Savings and Investments (NS&I) will cease selling its accounts via the Post Office. It has been announced that the Government-backed NS&I will no longer sell investment or easy access savings accounts over the counter at the Post Office. NS&I runs Premium Bonds and a variety of savings products. However, from the [...]
Almost 40% of UK households saw their finances deteriorate in August, according to the latest Markit Household Finance Index, with the rate of deterioration faster than at the height of the recession. Worsening finances were evident across all income groups, age ranges and regions, as the survey registered the fastest fall in cash available to [...]
According to a report today, banking giant HSBC is to axe more than 10,000 jobs as part of the bank’s strategic review. The report from Sky News said some of the cuts will come from its head office while others will be the result of closing some retail banking operations. However, a spokesperson for the [...]
Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today revealed Ireland’s economy experienced growth in the July to September period. The economy expanded by 0.5% in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter – albeit, the figure was slightly below expectations. The former “Celtic Tiger” economy contracted in the second quarter after emerging from recession in [...]
The Irish Government has outlined its austerity budget, aimed at saving €6 billion in spending cuts and tax hikes, designed the trim the country‘s budget deficit. Ireland is aiming to save €15 billion (£13 billion) between 2011 and the end of 2014 – 11% of the economy‘s annual output. The measures are a condition of [...]
As part of the coalition Government’s welfare crackdown, Iain Duncan Smith, Work and Pensions secretary, has today announced that those on incapacity benefit will be forced to undergo medical tests. The tests, which will be trialled in Burnley and Aberdeen from today, will be rolled out throughout the country from next April. The move, which [...]
It has been announced today that high street travel agents, Thomas Cook and the Co-operative Group, are to merge their chain of travel agents. However, the deal will bring “inevitable“ job losses due to overlap within the two companies. The transaction will create a 1,200-branch network and will save more than £35 million a year [...]
Investment firm Schroders has revealed a third of Britons aged over 65 are raiding their savings in order to cover everyday living costs. According to the report, savers have taken out a total of £60 billion, with an average of £4,600 each. The main reason for the withdrawal of savings is the low interest rate [...]
Leeds Building Society has launched a new instant access account paying interest at 2.55%. The headline rate includes a 0.5% bonus until August 2011. The account, known as the London Instant Access Account, is only available through the building society’s London branch. Savers can open the account with a minimum investment of £100, and are [...]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than [...]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. [...]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees [...]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on [...]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages [...]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit [...]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE [...]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings [...]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though [...]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A [...]
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