Strongest year-start since 2005: Brits fork out average of £255,556 on houses as prices soar February 1, 2022 Buyers are paying more than ever before for their homes with the average UK house costing 11.2 per cent more than it did last year.
Pension savers may lose thousands of pounds if they do not move ‘older pots’ February 1, 2022 If pension savers do not move older pots into ones offering better value for money, they could be thousands of pounds worse off, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned this morning. Many working-age people have pension pots that they are no longer actively contributing to – and there are concerns that these pots could provide [...]
Economists call hike in national insurance tax during cost of living crisis ‘extremely perverse’ February 1, 2022 Raising national insurance contributions during a cost of living crisis is the wrong thing to do, economists have warned. Giving evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, Tom Clougherty, from the Centre for Policy Studies, said it was “extremely perverse” to raise the tax currently and it should be delayed. Clougherty said it was “extremely perverse [...]
The New York Times hints freshly acquired Wordle may no longer be free February 1, 2022 The New York Times has snapped up viral puzzle game Wordle, a move which could eventually see the game placed behind a paywall.
Virgin Money reports steady growth despite mortgage and business lending slowdown February 1, 2022 Virgin Money has reported steady growth in the first three months of its financial year as both lending activity and deposits from existing customers saw an uptick. Deposits from existing customers rose 1.2 per cent to hit £31bn, despite overall deposits sliding two per cent to £65bn in the quarter. Unsecured lending from the group [...]
Exclusive: Ripple cosies up to UK regulators amid global payments push February 1, 2022 Ripple, the firm behind XRP, the world’s eighth largest crypto asset, aims to befriend UK regulators as it expands its cross-border payment capabilities.
Tesco axes fresh meat, fish and deli counters in 317 stores January 31, 2022 The supermarket giant said it will shut counters across 317 of its supermarkets where it has seen “lowest demand” amid changes in customer habits. It is understood the move will impact hundreds of workers, although the retailer did not disclose the total number of affected staff. It added that it will shut seven of its [...]
Even at seven times their income, single homebuyers are priced out of the market by £24,000 January 31, 2022 Despite many lenders relaxing their loan to income criteria, the average UK homebuyer is still priced out of the market unless purchasing with a partner. The current average loan to value, or the multiple of salary that a lender will loan to a buyer, has increased from 3.87 to 4.12 in the last ten years [...]
Nine out of ten Londoners can no longer afford the rent as demand for rooms goes through the roof January 31, 2022 Insurance giant Admiral has warned that nearly nine out of ten Londoners can no longer afford the average cost of rent in the capital. The demand for rooms to rent is much higher than the available supply, thereby leading to such increases that most Londoners cannot keep up with, the company cited as the main [...]
Households braced for mortgage shock ahead of rates hike as cost of living crisis deepens January 31, 2022 Fresh warnings over the cost of living have been issued as millions of households could face a huge mortgage shock. Trade body UK Finance has said one in four mortgage borrowers on variable rate deals will be affected by an anticipated rates rise, The Telegraph first reported. The Bank of England is anticipated to hike [...]
