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 […]
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 Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings […]
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 […]
The Nottingham and Shepshed building societies will merge in July 2013, with Shepshed’s three branches being rebranded under The Nottingham name. Shepshed Building Society, which has branches in Shepshed and Loughborough, Leicestershire; and Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, has struggled to grow in the face of economic downturn and increased competition, prompting it to seek a merger. It […]
The Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), launched by the Bank of England and the Treasury this summer, has caused a sharp fall in the number of accounts available for savers, according to Moneyfacts, a leading provider of personal finance data. FLS is designed to increase the availability of mortgages and business loans by providing banks […]
HSBC has received a record $1.9 billion (£1.2 billion) fine from US federal and state authorities after its poor money laundering controls allowed it to be used as a conduit for drug barons and nations on which sanctions had been imposed, including Iran. Following a multi-agency investigation HSBC was charged with violating sanctions by transferring […]
Northern Rock customers could receive a windfall of around £1,700 because of an error in the wording of loan statements. The mistake, made by the nationalised part of the bank, will cost UK taxpayers a total of £270 million. Up to 152,000 customers who took out personal loans of less than £25,000 will receive an […]
Consumer group Which? claims that bank staff are still under pressure to sell products to customers, despite the recent scandals over mis-selling. Mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) has cost banks over £10m in compensation to customers, but bank staff are still being driven by sales targets and incentives to sell products to customers. According […]
Undischarged bankrupts should find in easier to open a basic bank account when changes are made to insolvency law. Barclays is the only bank still to offer basic bank accounts, which allow customers to pay in wages and any benefits but do not provide other services such as overdrafts. Basic bank accounts were offered by […]
Santander is introducing changes to its terms and conditions which could leave victims of card fraud without compensation if the bank can show they have been negligent. Santander’s customers must use a unique four-digit PIN number on each of their credit and debit cards. Using the same number for several cards can be considered ‘negligent’. […]
UK banks need to raise £60 billion to meet regulatory risk standards and to cover fines and compensations for mis-selling, the Bank of England says in its Financial Stability Report (FSR). Banks will need between £5 billion and £35 billion to meet regulator risk standards the report said, while a further £4 billion to £10 […]
Nationwide Building Society, Britain’s biggest mutual lender, has told Reuters news agency that it is interested in purchasing the portfolio of branches being sold by Royal Bank of Scotland. The acquisition would support Nationwide’s plan to start lending to small and medium-sized enterprises. Speaking to Reuters, Nationwide’s chief executive Graham Beale said: “Strategically we want […]
Lloyds TSB is writing to the 3.5 million customers affected by its sale of 632 branches to the Co-operative Bank. Customers will start receiving letters tomorrow, officially informing them that their accounts will be moved to a new TSB Bank which will be run by the Co-op. Lloyds Banking Group sold the branches under European […]
Banks have been warned by the financial watchdog that this year’s bonuses should reflect the recent scandals that have rocked the banking industry. According to The Financial Times, Andrew Bailey of the Financial Services Authority wrote to banks’ chief executives in October, saying that bonuses should be forfeited or reduced for those involved in payment […]
UK taxpayers may never recover the £66bn spent by the government to bailout RBS and Lloyds Banking Group during the financial crisis, a parliamentary committee has warned. The government bought 40 per cent of Lloyds and 82 per cent of RBS in 2008, when the banks were at risk of collapse. Earlier that year it […]
Andrew Haldane, the Bank of England’s executive director for financial stability, has warned that the planned safety measures for banks need to be strengthened, the Independent reported. Speaking to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Banking Standards Mr Haldane said that the Vickers Report’s recommendation to ring-fence investment banking operations should be implemented fully. He also said […]
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has reduced the interest rate on its tax-free cash Isa from 2.5% to 2.25, affecting 320,000 savers. The cut follows a review of the market which identified a trend for rates to be cut on similar products. The cut by NS&I, which is the first it has made since 2009, […]
The North Yorkshire Credit Union has informed its 5,000 savers that it is no longer able to meet its expenses and has been placed in liquidation. It is the sixth credit union to collapse this year, while seven credit unions failed in 2011. The North Yorkshire credit Union is regulated by the Financial Services Authority […]
Consumer Focus, the statutory consumer champion, is calling for a minimum standard for basic bank accounts to be introduced, to ensure the survival of the product. Basic bank accounts are used by people who are unable to open a regular current account, perhaps because of a poor credit history. It is estimated that they are […]
A year has passed since the government replaced Child Trust Funds with Junior ISAs (JISAs) but more than half of parents are unaware that they exist, according to research by friendly society Family Investments Children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 were eligible to open a Child Trust Fund and to receive […]
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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