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31 Jul 2008   Crosy Report criticised for shortcomings
Property industry experts have critised the Government commissioned Crosby report on the crippled mortgage market. The report says the mortgage markets are likely to remain jammed for another three years, possibly until 2010, and that there was no easy solution.But..»  
31 Jul 2008   Anger over £1bn Centrica profits
Consumer groups have expressed anger as British Gas owner Centrica revealed £5m-per-day profits, after announcing a record price hike on Wednesday. Profits were £992m in the first six months of 2008, down 20% from £1.23bn a year earlier, with the ..»  
31 Jul 2008   UK house price fall 'at a record'
UK house prices showed their biggest annual fall since the Nationwide began its housing survey in 1991. The 8.1% annual decline came after house prices dropped by 1.7% in July, the building society said. The average home now costs £169,316 which is nearly &po..»  
31 Jul 2008   Mortgage loans reach 'record low'
The number of new mortgages approved for house purchases has fallen to its lowest level since current records started, Bank of England figures show. The number of home loans approved in June fell to 36,000, down from 41,000 in May, as the slowdown continued.The inc..»  
30 Jul 2008   Record rise for British Gas bills
British Gas owner Centrica says it is raising gas prices by a record 35% and electricity prices by 9%. The UK's biggest domestic energy supplier said that the price hikes would take place with immediate effect. It blamed "soaring wholesale energy prices",..»  
30 Jul 2008   Negative equity threat 'for 1.7m'
About 1.7 million people could be pushed into negative equity in the next year if house prices keep falling at their current rate, a report claims. The credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) says house prices may fall by a further 17% in the coming y..»  
29 Jul 2008   Price Trend for EDF Energy
Here is the graphical presentation of Price Trend for EDF Energy Standard Plan Dual Fuel Customers 2008. ..»  
28 Jul 2008   Warning on Estimated Power Bills
Energy customers with estimated bills could be racking up debts of hundreds of pounds without realising it, according to Citizens Advice. The charity says thousands of people have got in touch over their estimated gas and electric bills. In the worst cases people h..»  
28 Jul 2008   Consumers raiding the piggy bank
A survey of 1,050 UK residents found that 14% of them had used savings to pay for food and 12% had eaten into savings to settle their monthly mortgage or rental payments in the last three months.More than seven in ten of those asked expected to spend more on food, ..»  
28 Jul 2008   UK house prices 'fell 2% in June'
UK house prices fell by 2% in June, according to the UK's biggest mortgage lender, the Halifax. The drop meant that prices were 6.1% lower than a year ago, with the average home costing £180,344. The lender said that average house prices were now at the same ..»  
28 Jul 2008   Tough times for first-time buyers
A first-time buyer couple on low incomes must save a year's worth of their take-home pay to buy their first home, say surveyors. A couple in the bottom quarter of earners in the UK needs £27,738 to pay the up-front fees, says the Royal Institution of Chartere..»  
28 Jul 2008   House prices 'up by 25% by 2013'
Average house prices in England are set to rise by 25% by 2013, a National Housing Federation report says. It sees prices falling 4.4% in 2008, 2.1% lower in 2009, recovering by 2010 and rising at over 9% in 2012 and 2013.People living for longer, delaying marriage..»  
28 Jul 2008   MPs warn of energy price impact
Rises in gas and electricity bills in the near future will have serious consequences for millions of households, an MPs' committee has said. They also warned that thousands of jobs in manufacturing would be at risk if UK prices stayed higher than those faced by ind..»  
28 Jul 2008   Scottish & Southern warns of rise
UK utility firm Scottish & Southern has warned customers it is likely to increase electricity and gas prices. The warning came as the company said it was on track to grow its annual profits and had seen its customer base increase to more than nine million peopl..»  
28 Jul 2008   Gas bills 'to top £1,000 a year'
Energy bills could rise by more than 60% within the next few years, a report for the UK's biggest domestic energy supplier Centrica has said. It said annual average gas bills could rise from £600 to more than £1,000 early in the next decade. Continuing ..»  
28 Jul 2008   Call for action on payday loans
Debt advice groups are calling for urgent action over payday loans that charge extremely high interest rates. They want the market regulator to make lenders behave responsibly, as some companies have lent money at a rate equivalent to almost 2,000% annually. Payday..»  
7 Jul 2008   Mortgages 'stuck on high rates'
Mortgage deals are getting more expensive despite a drop in a key indicatorSwap rates, normally the key to mortgage rates, peaked three weeks ago but some fixed rate mortgages continue to increase in price. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) added that the effec..»  
7 Jul 2008   Stop wasting food, Brown urging
Britons must stop wasting food in an effort to help combat rising living costs, Gordon Brown has said as world leaders discuss rising prices The PM said "unnecessary" purchases were contributing to price rises, and urged people to plan meals in advance an..»  
7 Jul 2008   Bank case studies historic fees
The High Court is hearing the latest stage of the case into the fairness of bank overdraft charges, by studying historic contracts. Judge Mr Andrew Justice Smith will determine whether charges going back for years can be challenged. The banks are set to appeal agai..»  
5 Jul 2008   Thousands 'face negative equity'
Close to 150,000 homeowners who took out mortgages since early 2007 may face negative equity, research suggests. According to a CACI survey for the Daily Telegraph, one in eight of 1.2 million who bought a property since then owe more than their home is worth. If a..»  
3 Jul 2008   Mortgage squeeze 'will continue'
The availability of mortgages is expected to fall further in the next three months, lenders have told the Bank of England. Lenders say they will put a further squeeze on the availability of home loans in July to September, the Bank's Credit Conditions Survey says. ..»  
2 Jul 2008   UK life costs 'at least £13,400'
A single person in Britain needs to earn at least £13,400 a year before tax for a minimum standard of living, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) says. A couple with two children need to spend £370 a week and a pensioner couple need £201 excludin..»  
1 Jul 2008   House prices 'fell 0.9% in June'
UK house prices fell by 0.9% on average last month, according to the latest survey from the Nationwide. The decline was less severe than the record 2.5% fall seen in May, but prices were now 6.3% lower than a year ago, the Nationwide said. The average home now cost..»  
27 Jun 2008   Supermarkets to battle on prices
Supermarket giants have announced price promotions to outflank discount stores, which have risen in popularity. Shoppers feeling the pinch have moved to no-frills stores, experts say, with Aldi and Lidl seeing strong growth. Now Asda is selling 10 staple items such..»  
27 Jun 2008   House prices 'unchanged in May'
House prices in England and Wales were unchanged in May and up 1.8% over the year, the Land Registry says. But it said that sales volumes during March were half of the number of March 2007, at 53,080. The figures, which are based on completed property sales, come a..»  
25 Jun 2008   Two-year fixed-rate deals hit 7%
Two-year fixed-rate deals hit 7%The interest rate on the average two-year fixed-rate mortgage has risen above 7%, according to the financial information service Moneyfacts.It means these loans are at their most expensive since February 1997.The credit squeeze and s..»  
24 Jun 2008   Energy prices to rise 40%
GreatSwitch.com - Gas & Electricity prices to rise by 40% this winterLeading energy suppliers have confirmed that big energy price increases are likely this year. Sam Laidlaw, the chief executive of Centrica, which trades as British Gas, said it was "clear..»  
24 Jun 2008   Bank mortgage lending falls 20%
Mortgage lending for house purchase by the UK's main banks has fallen to its lowest level on record. The British Bankers Association (BBA) said that in May, the number of new mortgage approvals to home buyers fell to just 28,000. That was a 20% fall in just one mon..»  
21 Jun 2008   Car hire charge concerns
Hire car customers should take precautions to avoid disputes over damage when vehicles are returned, according to consumer watchdogs. People often fail to have their car checked because the firm's office is closed or they are rushing for flights. But this means cus..»  
21 Jun 2008   Warning on private pension choice
A former government pensions adviser has warned that hundreds of thousands of people who have invested in private pension funds have lost out. Ros Altmann said they had received a lower retirement income as the option to shop around had not been made clear. Experts..»  
20 Jun 2008   Women's low pay 'behind poverty'
Tackling the low pay of women is the key to ending child poverty in the UK, according to the TUC. A third of women in work earn less than £100 a week, but the figure falls to 14% for men, the TUC says. The government has pledged to halve child poverty by 2010..»  
19 Jun 2008   House prices 'to fall 9% in 2008'
HBOS, the UK's biggest mortgage lender, has forecast that UK house prices are set to fall by 9% this year. The banking group, which owns the Halifax, had earlier predicted that the decline would be less severe. In a trading update, HBOS said the housing market rema..»  
19 Jun 2008   No let-up yet in mortgage squeeze
There has been no let-up in the mortgage squeeze, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Gross mortgage lending in May was £25.5bn, 2% lower than in April and down by 19% on May last year. The CML said there was no sign ye..»  
19 Jun 2008   How you are feeling the pinch
Chancellor Alistair Darling has warned that we face a "difficult year" and the governor of the Bank of England says take-home pay will stagnate, but what do you think? Many hundreds of people have responded to the BBC's invitation to comment on where you ..»  
18 Jun 2008   Energy bills could go up by 40%
Household energy bills could increase by as much as 40% this winter, the BBC has learned, as oil and wholesale gas prices hit record highs. The increases could mean households paying £400 more a year on average for their gas and electricity, senior industry s..»  
13 Jun 2008   'Don't panic-buy' motorists urged
Drivers are being urged to buy only the fuel they need as a four-day strike by 600 tanker drivers gets underway. The drivers, who work for two companies delivering fuel to Shell forecourts in the UK, walked out at 0600 BST and have picketed a number of sites in the..»  
12 Jun 2008   Small rebound in mortgage lending
Mortgage lending showed a slight rebound in April, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). Some 50,700 loans to purchase homes were granted in April, a rise of 5,000 from the previous month and the highest level since December. But the number was still ..»  
12 Jun 2008   Fixed-rate mortgages rise again
The cost of borrowing to buy a house has been driven higher by a flurry of rate rises from some mortgage lenders. At least 14 lenders have increased the cost of various fixed-rate deals during the past two days. Among them have been big names such as the Halifax, R..»  
12 Jun 2008   How far will house prices fall?
The nation's newspapers, broadcasters and even, dare I say it, online news organisations, are in a frenzy about house prices. Stories abound about falling prices, slumping sales, negative equity, and even repossessions. According to two of the UK's biggest lenders,..»  
5 Jun 2008   UK home prices 'fell 2.4% in May'
UK house prices dropped by 2.4% in May, according to a report by the Halifax, Britain's biggest mortgage lender. That pushed prices 3.8% lower than a year ago and means that the price of the average home fell to £184,111. The Bank of England said on Thursday ..»  
5 Jun 2008   Interest rates kept on hold at 5%
UK interest rates have been left unchanged at 5% following the latest meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). The decision to hold rates had been widely expected amid concerns about the pace of inflation. Rising food and fuel prices pushed..»  
4 Jun 2008   Northumbrian Water warns on bills
The boss of Northumbrian Water has said that keeping water bill rises in line with inflation will be "a challenge". "We'd like to keep water bills as close to inflation as we can," the company's chief executive John Cuthbert said. Mr Cuthbert bl..»  
3 Jun 2008   Falling prices 'help home buyers'
Falling house prices may mean tens of thousands of young working households are able to buy a home this year for the first time, a report says. The analysts Hometrack say a 10% fall in prices will enable a fifth of those currently priced out of the market to buy a ..»  
2 Jun 2008   Nationwide raises mortgage rates
The volatility of the mortgage market has continued with another change in rates by a major lender. The Nationwide building society is increasing the price of new fixed-rate mortgage deals by up to 0.3% on 3 June. The rise in borrowing costs comes shortly after the..»  
2 Jun 2008   Bad debts at the Bradford & Bingley
The problems at the Bradford & Bingley seem alarming. In the first few months of the year it has actually lost money, which is very unusual for a mortgage bank. And it is having to shore up its finances to the tune of £400m. But it is the lender's bad deb..»  
2 Jun 2008   Mortgage approvals reach new low
The number of new mortgages being approved for house purchase hit a new low in April, according to figures from the Bank of England. Just 58,000 such mortgages were approved, the lowest since the Bank began reporting the figures in 1993. That was 8% fewer than in M..»  
30 Jun 2006   New low for UK mortgage approvals
The number of new mortgages being approved for house purchase in Britain has dropped heavily for another month. The Bank of England said 42,000 home loans were approved in May, a 28% fall compared with the previous month and 64% down on a year ago. This is the lowe..»  
 
 
 
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