Banking
Personal insolvencies fall
There were 26,956 individual insolvencies in England and Wales in the second quarter of 2007 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Insolvency Service. This was a decrease of 8.1% on the previous quarter and an increase of 4.2% on the same period a year ago.
UK interest rates held at 5.75%
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee today voted to maintain interest rates at 5.75%.
Fact: Building Societies provide superior customer service
Building societies provide better service and higher customer satisfaction than other financial service providers, according to independent research commissioned by the Building Societies Association (BSA).
Lloyds TSB launches bilingual call centre for Poles
Lloyds TSB has today launched a new fast track account opening service for Poles planning to move to the UK, making opening a current account with Lloyds TSB easier than ever before.
Teenagers raid ‘Bank of Mum & Dad’ to fund holiday spending
Thousands of young people will be jetting off abroad with friends this summer, but poor budgeting skills will mean that they will be relying on financial help from Mum and Dad to fund their holiday adventures, new research from Lloyds TSB Travel Money Card reveals.
Time to put the myth of the common law marriage to bed
Fool.co.uk welcomes the Law Commission’s recommendations to extend legal and financial protection to unmarried couples.
Customers waking up to forgotten cash
Consumers are flocking to track down forgotten cash as banks step up efforts to reunite customers with money in dormant accounts in the run-up to the Government’s unclaimed assets scheme.
Fool.co.uk petitions FSA to reverse decision on bank charges
David Kuo, Head of Personal Finance at Fool.co.uk comments: “Customers who have been stung by unfair bank charges should ignore the FSA’s decision to grant waiver to firms on complaint handling. In fact, they should proceed with reclaiming penal bank fees without delay.
Mortgage business strong part of Skipton’s rising profits
Skipton Building Society Group’s half year results sees its mortgage business getting stronger year-by-year to help the mutual deliver some of the foremost profits in the sector.
Abbey International increases rates on base rate tracker term accounts
Abbey International has responded to this month’s announcement by the Bank of England Monetary Committee increasing UK Base Rates to their highest level since 2001.
Abbey International increases euro savings rates
Abbey International has responded to the rise in European interest rates last month by passing on the full 0.25% increase to all customers with deposits of more than 20,000 Euros in its Gold account or 25,000 Euros in its Call account with effect from 2 July 2007.
How to avoid getting ripped off when buying your holiday money
Lisa Taylor from Moneyfacts.co.uk investigates: “With the children’s summer holidays well underway and the UK weather showing little sign of improvement, many of us will be jetting off overseas in the next few weeks.
EU making life easier for firms at the expense of customers
The Financial Services Consumer Panel today is calling on the EU to simplify the system for consumers buying financial services across the EU, by allowing them to claim for redress through their home regulatory system.
Halifax steps up efforts to find lost accounts
Halifax, the only UK bank to launch a dormant accounts reunification scheme, today announces that it will shortly be writing to around 20,000 of its customers to help reunite them with funds held in lost accounts.
Consumers see no end to rate hikes
July's hike did little to reassure consumers that Bank of England base rates have peaked, despite five increases in less than a year, according to the latest Consumer Barometer from Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets.