Following an investigation into Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), savers with a cash ISA should find it quicker to switch their money to a different provider. The 90-day investigation, conducted by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), came after Consumer Focus warned that cash ISAs are depriving savers of £3 billion in interest each year. The [...]
Over two thirds of ISA investors are planning to take advantage of the increased ISA allowance as the new tax year begins this week. Research by Barclays Stockbrokers found 71% of ISA investors will be topping up their ISA by the new maximum allowance of £10,200. Three in five (59%) of these said they’ll be [...]
The government’s ISA allowance increase for savers over-50 has proved hugely popular, with older investors more than doubling their lump sum contributions into share-based ISAs, according to new research from Virgin Money. Income funds have proved the most popular, with contributions rising 130% in the three months from 6 October 2009 to 5 January 2010 [...]
Making the effort to put your savings into a tax-free account is worth a mere 73p per month, according to research by Moneynet.co.uk. The additional returns on a tax-free ISA compared to a standard savings account for a basic-rate tax payer are equivalent to just £8.72 per year on a £3,600 investment, the financial advice [...]
The increase in ISA allowances for the over-50s was simply a headline-grabbing attempt by the government that will have little effect on the finances of older savers, Moneynet.co.uk said this week. Since 6 October, over-50s have been allowed to save £5,100 per year in their Cash ISA rather than £3,600. Moneynet.co.uk calculated that the average [...]
From today, the total Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowance for people over 50 will increase from £7,200 to £10,200. The £3,000 increase, which was announced in this year’s Budget, is eligible to those born on or before 5 April 1960. For everyone else, the limit will rise from 6 April 2010. ISAs, which were launched [...]
Brits are handing over £144 million to the government in taxes they don’t need to pay by failing to put their savings in a tax-free account. Research by Unbiased.co.uk found £109 million is being wasted by 6.2 million savers who don’t keep their savings in a tax-free cash ISA account. Some 1.7 million shareholders are [...]
Older savers are being kept in the dark as to how much they will be able to invest tax-free when the ISA limit increases for over-50s next month. Research by Saga found just one in twenty of over-50s know what the new ISA limits will be. More than half of those polled were oblivious to [...]
Norwich & Peterborough Building Society (N&P) this week announced plans to increase the interest rates on its ISAs and fixed rate bonds. Rates on its two and five year fixed rate ISAs increased to 3.05% and 4.55% respectively. Three and five year fixed rate bonds at the building society now pay up to 4.3% and [...]
Leeds Building Society has launched a five-year fixed-rate cash ISA paying a market-leading interest rate of 4.6%. Customers can withdraw up to 25% of the amount invested at any time, without notice or penalty. The account can be opened with a minimum of £1, and allows savers to transfer in their ISA balance from previous [...]
Many top-paying ISA providers this week slashed the interest rates offered on their tax-free savings accounts. Price comparison site Moneynet said some providers have already reached their targets for ISA deposits during 2009-10, and have cut rates to keep away new customers. Some ISA providers have completely withdrawn accounts from potential new customers, Moneynet said, [...]
From April next year, savers will be able to earn tax-free interest on up to £10,200 of savings following an increase to the ISA allowance. Chancellor Alistair Darling announced the change this week in his Budget speech, increasing both the cash savings and the investments limit from £3,600 to £5,100. Financial experts and high street [...]
There has been welcome news for savers in the budget today as savers over the age of 50 will be given the opportunity to increase their tax free savings in their Isas, as the limit is to increase from £7,200 to £10,200. For those over 50, the change will happen from 6 October and for [...]
Nationwide Building Society has called on the government to review its approach to tax-free savings accounts in today’s Budget report. The UK’s biggest building society said Chancellor Alistair Darling should seek to foster a savings habit among Brits in his Budget proposals later today by making individual savings accounts (ISAs) more flexible and easier to [...]
Santander-owned Alliance & Leicester (A&L) has launched a new individual savings account (ISA) designed to attract customers who may have been put off saving by the current climate of low interest rates. The one-year fixed rate bond ISA pays interest at 3.00% tax free, with the account maturing on 1 May 2010. Minimum deposit is [...]
Saga Personal Finance has announced plans to launch two new ISA products on 1 April, paying interest at up to 2.95% tax free/AER. The One Year Fixed Rate Cash ISA pays annual interest at 2.95% tax free/AER, whilst the Saga One Year Fixed Rate Monthly Interest ISA pays interest at 2.91% tax free or 2.95% [...]
Leeds Building Society has launched a new range of fixed-rate individual savings accounts (ISAs) paying interest at up to 3.5%. The ISAs are available for 2, 3, or 5 years, and pay interest at 3.15%, 3.25%, and 3.5% respectively. According to Leeds, the top 3.5% rate is ‘a market leading offer’. All ISAs in the [...]
Online savings provider Egg has launched a new individual savings account (ISA) paying interest at 2.50%. Minimum investment is £1, whilst the maximum is the tax-free savings limit of £3,600. Savings from existing ISAs cannot be transferred into the account. Egg’s ISA can be set up over the internet ‘in minutes’, and customers can keep [...]
HSBC today launched a fixed-rate cash ISA paying interest at 3.1% for 12 months. The 3.1% rate is available to savers who pay the full ISA limit of £3,600 into the account as an opening deposit. Funds from previous ISAs cannot be transferred into the account, but withdrawals can be made for a £100 fee. [...]
Halifax this week launched the ISA Direct Reward, a new individual savings account with interest guaranteed at 3.00% AER/Gross for the first 12 months. The ISA requires a minimum deposit of £1,000, which must be maintained throughout the 12 month period. Unlimited deposits up to the £3,600 tax-free allowance are allowed, but withdrawals are limited [...]
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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