More than 2.6 million mortgage holidays have been approved to date as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic of which 140.000 remained in place at the end of October. The figures were revealed in a UK Finance Mortgage Arrears and Possessions report, but do not take into account any new applications or extensions made since …
100,000+ additional house sales expected by Spring
Britain’s property boom could see more than 100,000 additional house sales in the first three months of 2021 according to a new report. Property website Zoopla says the number of new sales being agreed is 38% higher than the same period in 2019 and predicts the market before Christmas will be busiest it has been …
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TSB future uncertain as merger deal is scrapped
The future of Britain’s TSB challenger bank is uncertain after a merger between its Spanish parent company Sabadell and the giant Spanish financial services company BBVA was scrapped. Sabadell and BBVA were in serious merger talks less than a fortnight ago, but now the deal has folded because they couldn’t agree a price. Strategic alternatives …
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Uncertain future for Amigo Loans after £58.2m loss
Amigo Loans has announced it has an uncertain future following the announcement of a £58.1 million half year loss. The sub-prime lender warned of ‘material uncertainty’ after its income was hit by pandemic payment holidays and a pause in new lending. Loss The loss compared to a £35.8 million profit for the same period in …
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Council tax likely to rise by £70
Experts claim households across the country are facing an increase in their council tax after Chancellor Rishi Sunak cut financial support for councils in his Spending Review. Following an analysis of the review the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said bills may increase by £70 per household on average. Raise IFS director Paul Johnson said …
Another 842 employers plan to cut jobs
Notifications of possible redundancies from UK companies doubled in October as 842 more employers notified the government they are planning job cuts in the coming months. The rise is more than any other month since the pandemic began and almost two and a half times the number notified in October last year. Rapid rise There …
Almost 700,000 driven into poverty by Covid
A new report says almost 700,000 Britons have been forced into poverty by the Covid pandemic, including 120,000 children. The report from the Legatum Institute think tank added that a further 700,000 people have been saved from poverty by the measures taken by the Chancellor’s £20 a week boost to Universal Credit introduced in April …
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Less than 10% of savers use Pension Wise advice
A former pensions minister says less than 10% of savers are taking advantage of the free advice available on safely investing their money. Ministers have admitted the take-up rate for the Pension Wise service is inadequate and say they want to increase engagement but according to Baroness Ros Altmann have only considered giving ‘a stronger …
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Sunak warns of ‘unaffordable’ national debt as borrowing is set to double
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has warned that Britain’s national debt could become unaffordable if there is a sudden rise in interest rates. Britain has already borrowed billions to keep the economy going during the pandemic crisis. We are set to borrow £370 billion this year which is more than double the £158 billion …
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Spotting the warning signs of pension mis-selling
As the number of pension mis-selling claims hitting the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) rises there is some advice available on how to spot if you’re being mis-sold. The pension freedoms of 2015 gave savers the opportunity the chance to make their own decisions about what would happen to their retirement pots by using a SIPP …
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