The European Banking Authority (EBA) will reveal the results of stress tests of 90 banks across Europe later today. The latest round of tests arose after last year’s failed to reveal the weakness among banks in Ireland and have been conducted to ensure banks have enough capital to cope with difficult economic situations, such as [...]
The rate of VAT will today rise from 17.5% to 20% as the Government looks to raise billions of pounds in order to trim the UK’s budget deficit. While many are prepared for the increase, retail sales are expected to be hit as consumers are expected to cut back on their spending over the coming [...]
Chancellor George Osborne will today reveal the Comprehensive Spending Review. He is set to provide details of how he intends to slash spending by £83 billion by 2014 as he endeavours to bring down the spiralling budget deficit. The cuts have received mixed responses; many have been critical of them warning that slashing the deficit [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will today issue its final reading for UK quarter two economic growth. However, there is expected to be no revision to 1.2% growth for the April to June period. Growth in the second quarter exceeded many expectations but growth in the second half of the year is expected to [...]
Metro Bank, which is Britain’s first new high street lender for more than a century, opened its doors today in Holborn, central London. The bank welcomed dogs with a bowl of water and a bone and offered their owners free breakfast. Dog lover, US billionaire and former Commerce Bank owner, Vernon Hill, said “dogs rule [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is scheduled to announce the UK inflation rate this morning, with analysts expecting the annual rate to be around 3.5%. Last month, the ONS reported Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to a 17-month high of 3.7% in April – far exceeding the 2% target for the sixth consecutive month. [...]
The UK’s car scrappage scheme, which was introduced last May to boost the ailing car industry, expires today after giving the car industry a much-needed boost. The £400 million initiative paid drivers of cars at least 10 years old £2,000 off the price of a new vehicle. The £2,000 grant was made up of £1,000 [...]
The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, is expected to keep interest rates at the rate of between zero and 0.25% at a meeting later today. Interest rates in the world’s largest economy have been at the low level since December 2008 and the bank has previously said that as a result of subdued inflation [...]
Two months ago, US food giant Kraft, which is renowned for brands such as Kenco coffee and Oreo biscuits, approached Cadbury with an informal £10.2 billion takeover offer, which the UK confectioner later rejected. Roger Carr, chairman of Cadbury, described its US rival’s £10.2 billion takeover offer as an “unappealing” and “unattractive prospect”. However, under [...]
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 [...]
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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