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- Published 16/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Current Accounts
Bank customers should be offered the choice to opt out of having overdraft facilities on their current accounts, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has argued.
The consumer watchdog also called for more choice when it comes to charging systems.
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- Published 15/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
As large numbers of sellers returned to the property market, the average house price rose by just £216 in March.
The 0.1% monthly increase was the lowest ever recorded for the month, according to housing website Rightmove, and compared with an average jump of 1.3% for the period during the previous eight years.
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- Published 15/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Savings
The majority of savers are confused about the rules surrounding tax-free ISA accounts, a survey has revealed.
Lloyds TSB found only one in 10 know what the current ISA allowance is, while even less (9%) were aware of what it would increase to at the beginning of the new tax year.
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- Published 15/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
Nightmare neighbours forced more than 360,000 people to relocate last year, according to a new study.
The survey of 2,000 adults by Halifax Home Insurance found the number of homeowners who put up the 'for sale' sign as a result of irritating neighbours has jumped by a third since 2008.
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- Published 12/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
Mortgage lending dived by 49% following the end of the Government's stamp duty holiday, figures have revealed.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders said just 32,000 loans worth a total of £4.7 billion had been approved during January - a figure down significantly on December's figure and one that "emphatically demonstrated" the impact of the holiday's end.
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- Published 11/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Savings
New research suggests people are beginning to save again, either occasionally or regularly.
Nationwide found 80% of people surveyed last month considered themselves savers, the highest percentage since May 2008.
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- Published 11/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Savings
Consumers are being urged to take steps to avoid paying unnecessary tax - by taking advantage of their tax free Isa allowance.
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- Published 10/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Credit Cards
New figures have revealed the first annual drop in fraud losses on UK credit and debit cards since 2006.
According to the UK Cards Association the level fell by 28% in 2009 to total £440.3 million.
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- Published 10/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
More properties were put on the market in February, leading to housing supply outstripping demand, research has showed.
The number of people selling their home rose faster than the figure for potential new buyers last month, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said.
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- Published 09/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Savings
About four in 10 people aged over 50 have said they plan to use their entire ISA allowance in the next tax year, a survey has revealed.
Research by Saga Personal Finance showed that people in London are keenest to avoid their savings being taxed, with 46% saying they intend to use their maximum allocation.
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- Published 09/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
The proportion of first-time buyers who are planning to buy a home this year has fallen to 25.8%.
According to new research by property website Rightmove, only a quarter of people planning to buy a property during 2010 will be first-time buyers.
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- Published 09/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
The average cost of a two-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to its lowest level in six-and-a-half-years last month.
The Bank of England figures were taken as a further sign that competition was slowly returning to the market.
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- Published 08/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Current Accounts
Current account customers with Virgin Money will be charged a monthly fee when it launches its banking service at the beginning of 2011.
Instead of hitting consumers with high overdraft charges, the group plans to charge an up-front monthly fee for people to bank with it. There will be no requirement to deposit a minimum amount in an account each month
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- Published 05/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Credit Cards
Virgin Money has launched a new charity credit card which will donate the equivalent of 1% of all spending to good causes.
The Virgin Charity Credit Card will allow users to designate the charity of their choice to receive the funds.
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- Published 04/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
Two high street banks have announced best-buy offers on mortgages.
As average mortgage rates continue to fall, Co-operative Financial Services announced a mortgage with a fixed rate of 3.19% over two years.
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- Published 04/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
The first fall in house prices for eight months has been blamed on the recent long stretch of bad weather and the end of the Government's stamp duty holiday.
Halifax linked the fall to the stamp duty threshold falling back to £125,000 at the end of 2009, and revealed that the average cost of a home fell by 1.5% in February to £166,857.
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- Published 04/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
Almost a third of homeowners on a standard variable rate (SVR) do not know the interest rate they are charged on their mortgage, a survey has revealed.
The Post Office deduced from its study that the 28% of borrowers on an SVR - the rate people revert to when their existing deal comes to an end - who did not know their rate were just assuming they were better off.
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- Published 04/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
Interest rate-setters have resisted the temptation to pump fresh aid into the economy, deciding against any change to the ongoing stimulus package on Thursday
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) left rates and the £200 billion quantitative easing (QE) programme unchanged, with many suggesting a year of record-low 0.5% interest rates had informed the decision.
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- Published 03/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Loans
Young people are increasingly being forced to borrow money from their parents to meet their daily living costs and pay off debts, according to research.
While more than a third of young people borrow money from their parents to meet their daily expenses, 35% rely on a regular amount from their parents and 38% have borrowed money to clear off debts, the study by YouGov said.
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- Published 03/03/2010 00:00:00 in Money and Mortgages
Property prices in the UK are rising at a faster rate compared with other markets across Europe, a report has shown.
The year 2009 saw house prices increasing in only five European nations including the UK, with other markets suffering a sharp downward correction of up to 53%, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said.