Banking
UK interest rates remain at 0.5 per cent
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee today voted to maintain interest rates at 0.5%.
Switch to a Santander Current Account and get a £100
Following the success of its summer switching campaign, high street bank Santander is bringing back its switching offer giving UK consumers the opportunity to switch their main current account and pocket up to £100 in the process.
Bank of Scotland wins ‘Best Premium Current Account' award
Bank of Scotland's Ultimate Reward Current Account has been voted Best Premium Current Account in the 2010/11 Personal Finance Awards for the second consecutive year.
HSBC Bank launches new discretionary management service
HSBC Bank this week launches its Premier Investment Management Service; a new discretionary investment management service designed to meet a variety of customer risk appetites and objectives.
Principality continues expansion plan
Wales' largest building society, Principality has announced plans to open its 52nd Principality branch at 1 Monnow Street in Monmouth, creating six new jobs in the area.
Make sure you use a current account that suits your needs
Analysis of eight Banks by moneysupermarket.com has found that only two out of eight current accounts pay interest on balances in credit, meaning customers will need to look beyond rates to get the most out of their account.
Alliance & Leicester rebrands to Santander
Santander has started the rebrand of its Alliance & Leicester branches. The first Alliance & Leicester branch to be renamed Santander, is the Horsefair branch in Leicester City Centre.
'Bank of Friends' lends over £7bn in last 12 months
The effects of the recession have caused a new type of lending to emerge, as people turn to the 'Bank of Friends' to borrow over £7 billion to cover the gaps in their income according to new research from the Post Office.
Fivers - back on track
Following a successful pilot exercise undertaken by HSBC last year, major financial institutions and ATM operators are increasing the number of ATMs that dispense £5 notes.
NatWest and RBS launch ‘Act Now' alerts
NatWest and RBS have announced that they are radically simplifying charges for customers who go overdrawn without agreement or exceed an agreed overdraft limit. The changes, which will be effective from 1st February 2011, will see four separate charges reduced to two.
Sterling rallies as “QE2” fears sink
News that UK economic growth is double the expectation in the 3rd quarter has tempered expectations of additional quantitative easing by the Bank of England sparking a rally for Sterling.
Switch your FlexAccount card for a Caxton FX card and get a fiver
If you're heading off abroad, bypass Nationwide's new charges by using a Caxton FX currency card. From 1st November 2010, Nationwide will start charging their FlexAccount customers a fee of 2% of the value of any transaction abroad and a further £1 fee for cash withdrawals from overseas ATMs.
When it comes to your finances, loyalty doesn't always pay
For many Brits, remaining loyal to your main bank may seem an easy option with some offering tempting ‘existing customer only' deals. However, moneysupermarket.com is warning that failure to shop around could be costing consumers dearly as no bank offers the best all round deal on all products.
Drop in UK retail sales furthers pound’s decline
Raising the spectre for quantitative easing, UK retail sales posted a surprise fall of 0.2% over the month in September, following on from August's 0.7% decline.
Sterling at its weakest against the Euro for six months
Sterling dropped below 1.1300 against the Euro for the first time in 6 months this morning as Markets digest the prospect of further Quantitative Easing in the UK.