Personal finance news
No job means no home for many facing tougher times
Published 2 January 2009
Nearly one in 10 people with mortgages or in the rented sector are struggling to keep up with their payments, according to a new survey published by a homeless charity.
Only lenders can get the market moving
Published 2 January 2009
House prices look set to dive by a further 10 per cent during 2009 but sales levels should begin to pick up, it has been predicted.
Claim back tax on your savings
Published 12 December 2008
THE taxman has taken £250m too much from savings accounts and people are being urged to claim it back.
Child Trust Funds ‘not the best use of money’
Published 12 December 2008
Many families would have been better off paying off debts than investing in Child Trust Funds, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable has claimed.
Is the tide about to turn on house sales?
Published 5 December 2008
House prices continued to fall during November but the slump in sales looks close to bottoming out.
Personal loan costs soar, despite the cut in bank rate
Published 5 December 2008
The gap between the average cost of a personal loan and official interest rates has nearly doubled during the past two months.
Cost of credit card spending soars
Published 21 November 2008
The cost of credit card borrowing has increased “significantly” during the past three months with more than 10 per cent of providers hiking their rates.
Black October for buyers with a tracker mortgage
Published 21 November 2008
Tracker mortgage rates for new borrowers soared to a seven-and-a-half-year high during October despite interest rates falling during the month.
Take home pay blow for retailers
Published 14 November 2008
The rate at which workers’ take home pay is increasing fell sharply during October signalling tough times ahead for retailers.
Clean up banking, Government told
Published 31 October 2008
The Government should force banks to reform their operations to put consumers at the heart of the industry, a consumer group has said.
Hold your breath... the homes market is creeping upwards
Published 31 October 2008
The housing market is showing early signs of improving with sales rising and first-time buyers resuming their search for a home, estate agents have claimed.
Mortgage defaulters ‘are queuing for advice’
Published 17 October 2008
The number of people seeking help after falling behind with their mortgage has soared by more than 50 per cent during the past year.
The older pensioners grow, the harder inflation bites
Published 17 October 2008
Pensioners suffer more from soaring inflation than their working counterparts, research has found. A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found the average pensioner experienced a 7.4 per cent rise in the cost of living during 2008, while non-pensioner’s outgoings increased by 5.4 per cent
Government ‘must act on fuel poverty’
Published 10 October 2008
A national charity is taking the Government to court over claims that it has failed to meet legal obligations to cut fuel poverty.
Credit the bank of mum and dad with half of all degrees
Published 10 October 2008
More than half the UK’s students are being helped through university by their families, a survey has found.
You’ve never had it so cheap. House prices hit a new low
Published 3 October 2008
Homes are selling for a record discount as house prices continue to tumble, figures have shown. The average seller in England and Wales got just 90 per cent of their asking price during September, the lowest level since property intelligence group Hometrack first launched its index in 2001.
Pensioners worse off in North West
Published 3 October 2008
More than half of older people in the North West are cutting back on essentials such as heating and food in order to cope with the rising cost of living, a report has revealed.
First time unlucky on the homes front
Published 26 September 2008
First-time buyers think they need to save nearly £20,000 in order to get on to the property ladder.
For a happy retirement, don’t go banking on equity release
Published 26 September 2008
Equity release schemes, which allow homeowners to sell their homes but still live in them, should only be a last resort, a consumer group has warned.
House auction prices plummet
Published 19 September 2008
The average price of a home sold at auction has dived by more than 23 per cent during the past year.
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