Thousands of elderly being forced to sell their homes

A leading charity for the elderly has recently stated that thousands of elderly homeowners in the UK are being forced to sell their homes each year in order to cope with the cost of going into a care home. Read more

Tags: care, care home, Disability, Local Government, elderly finance troubles

Summer tennis may see ‘more home insurance claims’

Home insurance claims involving broken windows may increase in the run-up to the Wimbledon tennis championships, it is claimed.

The number of claims made in June last year for broken windows and other glass breakages was almost a fifth higher than the number of claims made in January of the same year, according to the Halifax.

People in Birmingham and Solihull made more home insurance claims in 2007 than anyone else for incidents involving broken glass, the data suggests.

Head of underwriting for Halifax Home Insurance David Rochester said that there is often an increase in these types of claims during the summer months.

He commented: “We’d advise any budding Murrays and Sharapovas to take care when playing ball sports close to home, and check they are insured for accidental damage should a mishap occur.”

Separate research revealed last week by Tesco personal finance suggests that messing around or horseplay results in damage worth £325 million to British homes each year.

Tags: summer, solihull, Insurance, tennis, care, personal finance, wimbledon, underwriting

Consumers ’should help prevent credit card fraud’

Consumers and financial institutions have a joint responsibility to prevent card fraud, claims one expert.

Although banks have a “definite responsibility” to protect consumers, individuals should also be more stringent with their financial information.

Danny Harrison, a fraud expert from life assistance company CPP, commented that people should be careful when using chip and pin because others could “look over their shoulder – fraudsters have been sold some devices that use cameras which can get the pin number”.

Other tips from CPP included people making sure that their post is secure and taking care that credit and debit cards do not leave their sight in restaurants and shops.

A potential problem can also be caused by writing down passwords and pin numbers.

Card Watch reported that in 2007, £535.2 million was lost as a result of credit card fraud.

However, CPP also found that almost three-quarters of those surveyed believe it is the sole responsibility of the banks or credit card companies if a problem arises through their products.

Although 74 per cent thought individuals should be responsible for minimising the risk of card fraud, 65 per cent also thought that responsibility lay with the banks.

Tags: sight, definite responsibility, use, banks, life assistance, care, CPP, shoulder

Young drivers offered premium break

A leading car insurance firm is offering young drivers a financial break if they sign up to its Safe Driving Agreement.

NFU Mutual is offering youngsters a £100 discount on premiums if they sign the document which requires them to take care on the roads.

As part of the deal, drivers will promise to adhere to the rules of the road, only drive at certain times and avoid eating and smoking at the wheel.

“They must promise to confirm their destination in advance, to drive only between agreed times of the day, to ensure they and their passengers always wear seat belts, never drink or take drugs and drive… not use a mobile phone whilst driving and avoid being distracted through fiddling with the stereo,” said NFU Mutual’s Laura Wood.

The deal has been drawn up in conjunction with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and follows a speech by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) which called for more action from the government.

Ms Wood added: “Young drivers are more likely to crash than older more experienced drivers, in part due to their lack of driving experience but also due to their attitude to the road and being unaware of potential dangers.”

Young drivers generally pay higher insurance premiums as they are deemed to be more likely to be involved in an accident.

Tags: care, Traffic collision, advance, document, whilst