01 Dec
The stubborn refusal of lenders to turn on the mortgage tap means hundreds of thousands of borrowers are stuck on unaffordably high rates.
And nothing Alistair Darling said last week will make any difference.
Until May, Lee Tibbenham and his partner Melissa Smith, who have a one-year-old son Joseph, were on a fixed-rate mortgage of 5.85% [...]
Posted in Fortune, Management, Markets, World Markets by: Garry Olman
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28 Nov
If this is permissible then what legalities are involved and would the seller or buyer be responsible for legal costs? Julie, Ascot, Berkshire
Louise Cuming, head of mortgage and protection services at Moneysupermarket.com, replies: This does seem a logical proposal, but unfortunately life, or certainly property conveyance, is not [...]
Posted in Economy, Fortune, Markets, Personal Finance, World Markets by: Garry Olman
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27 Nov
Why did it go bust?
The historic high street name, which opened its first store in Liverpool in 1909, has been under increasing pressure in recent years as customers have turned to supermarkets or the internet to gain better value.
The group last month reported pre-tax losses of almost £100m for the six months to [...]
Posted in Fortune, Markets, Personal Finance, Small Business, Taxes, World Markets by: Garry Olman
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27 Nov
Inflation eroded retirees' purchasing power, but deflation could be very bad news for some annuity holders.
There is now a growing risk of deflation, say experts. Prices are falling, leading to the measure of inflation to which annuities are related, the retail prices Index (RPI) doing likewise.
The Bank of England, governor, [...]
Posted in Currencies, Fortune, Investing, News, Personal Finance, Retirement by: Garry Olman
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26 Nov
In the last two weeks, sellers have finally faced up to the 'new reality' of the depressed London market after months of denial, figures reveal today.
They show that hundreds of asking prices have been dramatically cut in the past fortnight with reductions in the two most expensive boroughs averaging more than £100,000.
- Blog: The [...]
Posted in Fortune, Markets, Personal Finance, Real Estate, World Markets by: Garry Olman
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24 Nov
It will be the first long-haul scheduled budget service from the British capital since Sir Freddie Laker's Skytrain to New York in the Seventies.
AirAsia X, backed by Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, starts taking bookings this afternoon for the five-timesaweek direct flight from Stansted to the Malaysian capital. It could slash the cost of [...]
Posted in Companies, Fortune, Markets, Most Popular, World Markets by: Garry Olman
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24 Nov
But her son Don, 73, had another reason to raise a glass at the party last month. A few weeks earlier, Don, who has power of attorney over his mother's affairs, received a cheque on her behalf, refunding £8,600 in excess fees, after a six-month struggle with the local council.
Confusion over the rules setting [...]
Posted in Bonds, Fortune, Funds, Investing, Management, Personal Finance, Retirement by: Garry Olman
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21 Nov
Try to get a meeting with the chief executive of most UK banks and it would be in the splendour of their central London head office, surrounded by the expensive trappings of their position.
PR consultants and formality would be the order of the day as you are led into their expansive corner office, [...]
Posted in College, Companies, Currencies, Fortune, Investing, Markets, Personal Finance, Portfolio, Small Business, World Markets by: Garry Olman
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17 Nov
I unfortunately went along with this advice as I trusted the bank. In the past few months I have lost about £16,000. How do I approach this complaint and to whom? F.B.R., Cambridge
Simon Moon from This is Money replies: What matters here is not that the investments underperformed, but whether you fully [...]
Posted in Fortune, Investing, Personal Finance by: Garry Olman
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16 Nov
The cash handout plan, which has been driven personally by the Prime Minister in the face of resistance from the Treasury, will be targeted at low-income groups.
Mr Brown, speaking at a Washington summit on the global financial crisis, said the measures - to be announced in the Chancellor's Pre-Budget Report later this month - [...]
Posted in College, Economy, Fortune, International, Personal Finance, Taxes by: Garry Olman
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