Although the introduction of Chip and Pin has made life more difficult for fraudsters in Britain, overall card fraud losses have risen, new research has found.
Figures released by Apacs, the UK payments association, show that total losses caused by card fraud increased 14 per cent in the first six months of the year.
This could lead […]

House prices fell by 1.7 per cent in September, meaning that more people may be facing the prospect of negative equity, a new report has shown.
The average value of a home was £161,797 in the ninth month, compared to £164,654 in August, according to building society Nationwide.
Chief economist Fionnuala Earley said that the development […]

New measures designed to protect people who take up an equity release plan on their home have been unveiled.
Safe Home Income Plans (Ship) has made a change to its code of conduct meaning that any solicitor working on an equity release case must sign a certificate asserting their independence from the lender.
They must also confirm […]

More parents are funding children through university in an attempt to help them remain debt free, new research has suggested.
A study by Halifax has found that this year, the highest proportion of student funding came from parents, whereas last year the most popular form of finance was through a job.
Currently around 53 per cent of […]

The Office of Fair Trading is launching an awareness campaign to highlight new rules that come into force this week governing door-to-door salespeople.
It comes after concerns were raised by Citizens Advice about debt that could arise from people being pressured into buying goods and services from home canvassers.
These items can be quite expensive, such as […]

The internet can be a useful resource for people looking for debt advice, it has been claimed.
Steve Genders, the head of web at Norwich Union, said that it is important for people to develop their own knowledge online before seeking the advice of a professional.
“You’ve actually got all the information at your finger […]

Recent events surrounding the economic downturn have sent “shock waves” through the world, it has been claimed.
The severity of happenings from the past few weeks was discussed by Charles Davis, an expert from the Centre for Economic and Business Research.
He said that businesses have been forced to deal with the “fallout” from events such as […]

Households in the south-east are less likely to have high energy debts, a new report has suggested.
A study from the Fair Investment Company has found that while people in Yorkshire and Humberside pay an average of £59 a month on fuel bills, those in the south-east fork out only £46.
The research showed that the amount […]

Consumer debt and the rising cost of borrowing were among the topics discussed at a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference, held in Birmingham this week.
Mark Hoban, the shadow minister for the Treasury, gave a speech on the impact of the economic slowdown on ordinary consumers.
“The credit crunch is changing the face of […]

Despite spending hours researching financial products, most Brits are still unaware of where their money is going, a new report has suggested.
A survey from Norwich Union has revealed that although 53 pence in every pound is spent on financial basics such as mortgages and insurance, some people are clueless about what they are getting for […]