Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has today downgraded Italy’s sovereign debt by one notch to A from A+, and kept it on a negative outlook. The agency cited weak economic growth prospects, which may impact on the country’s ability to reduce its deficit. The Italian Senate recently passed a tough austerity budget, which [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has warned it may lower the US triple-A debt rating if a deal to lift the Government’s $14.29 trillion borrowing limit is not agreed soon. The news comes just one day after fellow ratings agency Moody’s said there is a risk of a possible downgrade. Both warnings come as tense negotiations [...]
European stock markets have lost ground today as the euro zone debt crisis continues and Italy becomes the latest nation to come under scrutiny. European stock markets were down earlier today with London’s FTSE, Germany’s Dax and France’s Cac 40 all losing between 1.6% and 1.9%, following falls in Asia earlier. Meanwhile, the euro slipped [...]
Rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has today downgraded Greece’s credit rating by two levels from BB- to B – the fourth cut by S&P since April 2010. The yield on Greek 10-year bonds surged to 15.7% – more than double the level of a year ago when the country was forced to accept an [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has today lowered the US’ top notch credit rating from stable to negative – suggesting that the rating could be cut within the next two years. The rating agency believes that the Democrats and Republicans will not be able to agree a plan to cut the spiralling US deficit. President Barack [...]
Standard & Poor’s has cut Ireland’s credit rating by one notch to BBB+ from A- citing debt concerns but said further downgrades were now unlikely following recent stress tests. The ratings agency also said the outlook is stable and believes that the Irish economy is “set to gradually recover”. S&P credit analyst Frank Gill comments: [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) today downgraded its rating on Greece’s long-term debt by two notches to BB- from BB+, taking the nation’s debt deeper into junk status. The downgrade comes shortly after Moody’s cut Greece’s rating to B1, one notch below S&P’s new rating. The downgrade is a further blow to the euro zone as [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has today cut Japan’s credit rating from AA to AA-, the first time in nine years such measures have been taken. The credit rating agency cited the country’s mounting debt worries for the downgrade. Japan’s debt currently stands at almost twice the country’s annual economic output – this compares with 136.8% [...]
A leading credit rating agency has warned that government cuts and tax increases could result in a rise in repossessions across the UK housing market. According to Standard & Poor’s (S&P), the house price crash did not bring the average cost of a home in line with household incomes, and measures yet to be implemented [...]
Moody’s credit rating agency has cut Greece’s credit rating to “junk” status from A3 to Ba1 but said the outlook is stable. Meanwhile, the agency also downgraded the country’s short-term issuer rating to not-prime from Prime-1. According to Moody’s, there was still “considerable uncertainty” surrounding the impact of tough austerity measures implemented to slash the [...]
Michel Barnier, the European Internal Markets Commissioner, has pledged to investigate credit rating agencies after a series of downgrades to Greece’s debt. Mr Barnier told the European Parliament he had been surprised by the rapid deterioration of Greece’s rating. Last week, Greece became the first euro zone nation to have its debt downgraded to “junk” [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) have today downgraded Spain’s credit rating by one notch to AA from AA+ and comes as the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the crisis in Greece could spread throughout Europe. Following the news, the euro fell against the dollar to $1.3129 – a level not seen since [...]
Greece’s woes deepened today after Standard & Poor’s (S&P) cut the country’s credit rating to BB+ from BBB-. According to S&P, the downgrade comes amid worries that it is not able to take the necessary action in order to manage its economic crisis. The debt-ridden economy is asking for help from fellow euro zone nations [...]
International ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s (S&P), has cut Greece’s credit rating by one notch, to BBB+ from A-minus. The downgrade came just a few hours after the Greek government unveiled measures including a 10% cut in public spending. Last week, credit rating agency, Fitch, also cut Greece’s sovereign debt rating to a decade-low to [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has again downgraded Ireland’s credit rating by one notch to AA, from AA+ amid fears that the Government is set to incur a bigger than expected cost for supporting banks. At the end of March, the agency downgraded Ireland’s credit rating from AAA to AA+ amid debt fears and put Ireland [...]
Ireland’s Government is set to announce its second budget in six months today as the country faces a “very grave national crisis”, according to Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan. The Irish Republic’s deficit is nearing 13% of GDP – quadruple the level allowed by the European Union. The country has been hit by a raft of [...]
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 [...]
Credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has reported that the proportion of prime mortgage borrowers that are at least one month in arrears with repayments has risen 50%. Prime borrowers are those with sound credit histories and in its UK Prime RMBS Index for the three months to the end of September, S&P puts [...]
The downturn in the property market is forcing 60,000 homeowners a month into negative equity. According to the credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s, research suggests that 335,000 homes will be worth less than their mortgages by the end of October, a rise of 260,000 over four months. If the trend continues, the number of [...]
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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