Borrowers warned of rise in ‘advance fees’ scams with over £700 lost on average and Londoners more likely to fall victim – Lloyds Bank January 24, 2023 The rising cost of living has lead to 82 per cent increase in financial scams that target victims by charging fees for products and services that do not materialise, according to Lloyds bank. Victims lost £711 on average, and although the amount lost is lower than £1,194 recorded the previous year, the bank said fraudsters [...]
Self assessment: It’s that time of the year (again), but filling in your tax return is nothing to be scared of January 20, 2023 The self-assessment tax return deadline is almost here, and many people have yet to file theirs, so City A.M has asked Jenny Holt, managing director of customer savings and investments at Standard Life, for some advice. First things first though, the deadline for filing self-assessment tax returns is 31 January, with returns needing to be [...]
Davos: Energy prices will remain above pre-Covid levels but they will be less volatile says Equinor boss January 16, 2023 The boss of one of one of the world’s largest energy companies has warned that high energy prices are here to stay. Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor – which is bigger than BP, made his comments ahead of the Davos World Economic Forum conference in Switzerland. Opedal, who was speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today [...]
First-time buyers spend 39 per cent of take home pay on a mortgage – Nationwide January 13, 2023 Homes for first-time buyers are at their most expensive as a proportion of take-home pay since the financial crisis. The proportion of monthly income that first-time buyers are having to put towards mortgage repayments is returning to levels last seen in the 2008 financial crisis, according to Nationwide. Nationwide, the UK’s third largest lender has [...]
Why your ‘smart’ TV will only last two years – Which? January 13, 2023 “Smart” appliances such as TVs and washing machines risk losing features and functionality after as little as two years because manufacturers are not providing vital updates, a consumer group has warned. Which? said its research found that smart devices including dishwashers and inkjet printers, which might be expected to last more than a decade, could [...]
Staggering £25bn down the drain as 9 in 10 Brits plan to cut back in 2023 January 12, 2023 Close to £25bn-worth of discretionary outgoings in the “cut-back economy” may be lost this year as close to nine in 10 people plan to reduce their spending over the year ahead. More than a third of UK households are “financially distressed” and plan to cut back across most, if not all, of their non-essential spending, [...]
NatWest helps firms and customers concerned with ‘cutting back on food and groceries’ January 11, 2023 NatWest has announced new measures to help squeezed businesses and customers in debt after noticed people are cutting back on food and fuel amid decades-high inflation. The banking giant, which was majority owned by the UK Government until last March, said it was extending the repayment period for customers who have missed several payments on [...]
Inheritance tax: London property nets HMRC £820,000 in death duties on average, double other regions’ intake January 9, 2023 Property makes up half the wealth of estates in London paying inheritance tax (IHT) – around twice as much as most other regions, according to a retirement specialist. An HMRC Freedom of Information (FOI) request from retirement specialist Just Group revealed that in 2019-20, the latest financial year of available data, property accounted for 50 per cent [...]
‘Divorce Day’: Why cash-strapped couples are looking at putting off their split amid money woes January 9, 2023 Over a third of married couples who had been considering a divorce are now opting to stay in their relationship because of the cost-of-living crisis, according to a survey. The first working Monday of the new year has been dubbed ‘Divorce Day’ by lawyers, but many couples are thinking twice before splitting from their partner [...]
London house prices grow in December with UK homes falling, but 2023 set to bring good news for property owners January 6, 2023 London’s average property price grew by almost 3 per cent, while the average UK home fell 1.5 per cent between November and December 2022. The average property actually rose two per cent when compared with the same month in 2021, according to the latest Halifax house price data, while annual rate of house price growth [...]