Personal finance news
How to survive the credit crunch
Published 5 July 2008
We're all feeling the pinch thanks to rising fuel prices and the credit crunch, but help is at hand. Paul Dickson, of Amstrong Watson, gives his expert advice on surviving the credit crunch.
Race to buy £7,000-an-acre farmland
Published 4 July 2008
The average cost of farmland has broken through the £5,000-an-acre barrier following a 38 per cent jump in prices during the past year.
Seventy per cent of buyers find faults with their brand new home
Published 4 July 2008
Seven out of 10 people who buy a new home find faults with their property and a third face delays in moving in.
The cost of living... and kids
Published 27 June 2008
Rising bills and stagnant wages have made the average family £8 a week worse off than they were a year ago.
Future flood planning for home insurance cover
Published 27 June 2008
More than half a million homes could become uninsurable unless the Government takes steps to protect them from flooding, insurers have warned.
Fixed two-year deals pass 7%, highest in decade
Published 27 June 2008
THE average two-year fixed-rate mortgage has broken the 7 per cent barrier, Moneyfacts.co.uk has warned.
£1 billion a day wiped off the collective value of our homes
Published 20 June 2008
Britons have collectively seen nearly £300 billion wiped off the value of their homes since house prices first began to fall.
Families pay to help elderly parents
Published 20 June 2008
One in 10 Britons are having to help support their parents during retirement.
When the cheapest home in town is beyond your means
Published 13 June 2008
More than one in four young people are priced out of their local housing market with affordability problems being made worse by the credit crunch.
Introducing Mr and Mrs Smith...
Published 13 June 2008
The average Briton is called Smith, lives in a three-bedroom home and takes holidays in Spain.
Does Barclays’ new deal put banks’ honesty to the test?
Published 6 June 2008
Barclays has announced it is to “significantly reduce” its overdraft fees, in a move that could question industry claims about the “true cost” of bounced payments.
Cool reception for new heating bill help
Published 6 June 2008
New measures aimed at helping vulnerable and elderly people with their fuel bills have been announced by the government.
Money’s really tight – but we won’t skimp on the holiday
Published 30 May 2008
Cash-strapped consumers are spending less on leisure, entertainment and eating out, but are still happy to splash out on holidays, a survey revealed today.
‘Buyers’ strike’ strangles home sales
Published 30 May 2008
House prices fell for the eighth month in a row in May as a “buyer’s strike” continued to grip the market, figures suggested today.
Brits may be hit by Spanish ‘concurso’
Published 27 May 2008
More than 1,000 Britons could lose money they have invested in Spanish property, a UK law firm has warned.
You’re more likely to ditch your partner than your bank
Published 27 May 2008
Britons are more likely to dump their husband or wife than ditch their bank to find a better deal. A new survey by Age Concern has discovered only 16 per cent of the British population have switched their bank after being unhappy with the service – while nearly half of marriages are likely to end in divorce, according to the Office of National Statistics.
WHSmith promotes the premium bond
Published 27 May 2008
Premium bonds and other savings products could soon be marketed at WHSmith Travel stores.
Insolvencies ‘will hit new high’ as the crunch bites business
Published 27 May 2008
Insolvency figures look set to hit a new high in 2008 after rising for the first time in more than a year during the first quarter. A total of 25,264 people in England and Wales were declared insolvent during the period, a rise of 1.7 per cent compared with the previous three months, the Insolvency Service said.
The million pound home sales glide over the waves of the recession
Published 16 May 2008
The number of million-pound properties sold across the UK rose by more than a third in 2007, research has revealed.
Banks raise current account charges ‘for a new package’
Published 16 May 2008
Two of the UK’s biggest banks have increased current account charges for some of their customers. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, which includes NatWest, and Lloyds TSB have hiked rates for people with certain packaged accounts.
