2006 Archive

New year, new money plans

One Briton in three is planning to make new year's resolutions about planning their finances better.

Online banking overtakes telephone

More people are now using online banking than telephone banking, new figures reveal.

Health kick costs £600

Millions of Britons are shelling out an average of £600 a year on gym membership, new figures reveal.

Savings accounts 0.58% higher, for now

Britons are getting interest rates 0.58 per cent higher than they should, as providers compete to secure their business.

Britons saving more than ever

More Brits have become savers than ever before with 58 per cent of the population now regularly saving, new figures reveal.

Mortgage lending hits all time high

Mortgage lending hit an all time high in November of £33.1 billion, beating last August's record, new figures reveal today.

Scams cost Britons £3.5bn a year

Britons are being conned out of £3.5 billion a year - with the average scam seeing someone lose £850.

Half of workers cannot afford to lose income

Half of the country's workforce faces financial ruin if an accident, illness or unemployment left them without their income.

600 new free cash machines for poor areas

Plans to install 600 new free-to-use cash machines in the poorest areas of the UK have been unveiled today.

Bank charges should cost £4.50 or less

Banks should charge customers no more than £4.50 for bounced cheques or exceeding their overdraft limits.

Children saving for themselves

Child savings accounts are booming as kids save more than they spend, Halifax reveals.

RBS launches Christmas savings bond

Lloyds TSB current accounts welcomes Polish customers

Lloyds TSB has announced plans to make it easier than ever for Polish immigrants to open bank accounts.

Bradford and Bingley: New bond at 6.8%

Bradford & Bingley is launching a new fixed-rate bond.

Halifax unveils Ultimate Reward current account

In an effort to break into the packaged current account market Halifax has unveiled its Ultimate Reward current account.

Brits in the mood to save not spend this Xmas

Despite the orgy of shopping that is the festive season, Britons are decidedly unenthusiastic about spending their cash this Christmas.

Clamour grows for ISA limit changes

More and more firms are calling for increases to the annual ISA limit.

Save money when you buy with Lloyds TSB

Lloyds TSB has launched a new "Save the Change" scheme, letting people save money automatically when they buy things with their debit card.

Foreign banks offer best savings rates

Foreign banks are currently offering some of the best savings rates available on the market - and challenging UK institutions to raise their game to compete.

Get 9% on savings with offset mortgages

People can effectively earn more than nine per cent interest on their savings by using an offset mortgage.

Horoscopes influence financial habits

Capricorns are the most capricious with cash and Libras do not balance their credit cards very well, but what does your star sign say about you?

Alliance & Leicester ups savings interest rates

Alliance and Leicester has increased the interest rates it pays on a string of savings products

Direct debit blamed for bad bank accounts

Britons are sticking with bad bank accounts because of the perceived hassle of moving all their direct debits and standing orders.

ISAs get flexible with cash and shares

Britons will soon be able to use their ISA savings in a far more flexible way, it has been revealed.

Wave goodbye to counting out change

A new credit card system from Visa will let Britons pay for small transactions with the wave of a wallet.