Second hand sales soar in credit crunch

With the global credit crunch still affecting most household finances many people have been looking for inventive ways to boost their income, and according to a recent report many have started selling their unused items to try and bring in a little extra cash. Read more

Tags: high chairs, household finances, need, industry officials, charity shops, second hand goods, area, global credit crunch

Be Wary of Christmas Clubs

Christmas Clubs are advertised as a way of saving money for the expenses you incur during the Christmas season. You invest an amount of money each month during the year and get your money back in December just in time to buy your Christmas presents. Actually you don’t receive cash that you can spend wherever you wish, but you get the money back in the form of cash vouchers that you can only use in specific stores.

Budgeting for Christmas is something that everyone should start doing in January of each year. By setting aside an amount of money each month, you will have the money you need for the season to cover the expenses of extra groceries and decorations as well as gifts for family and friends. In this way, you can avoid the headache of having bills coming due in January for the purchases you made on your credit cards during December and for which you have to spend the rest of the year making payments to bring down your outstanding balance.

When the Fairfax savings club collapsed just before Christmas in 2006 there were about 15,000 families who never saw any of the money they had paid into the club during the year. As a result, they incurred a lot of extra expenses for Christmas that year.

The Christmas Prepayment Association has reduced the possibilities of such a fiasco happening in the future. This is a regulatory body that has been established to oversee the operations of such savings clubs as Country Christmas, Family Christmas, Park Christmas, Variety Christmas and Post Office Christmas.

The regulations in place will ensure that if any of these clubs do encounter financial difficulties and have to declare bankruptcy, those who do have savings with them will get the cash vouchers they were promised.

One of the main problems with using such a club as a way of saving money for Christmas is that you can only take out the money in December. If you have an emergency at any other time of the year, you will not have access to the cash you have saved because it cannot be withdrawn during the year. Thus if you lose your job, as is the case with many UK families during the recession, you cannot get back what you have paid in to tide you over.

Another disadvantage of the savings club idea is that although you do get all the money back that you paid into the scheme you don’t make any money on the savings. The club does not pay any interest. Even though the amount of interest paid on savings accounts by banks is very low at the present time, at least you do earn some money.

When you want to save money for Christmas, it is better to open a savings account. There are many such accounts available in which you can make deposits of any amounts during the year from £10 to £250, such as that offered by Skipton Building Society Christmas Savers Account. You earn about 3.23 % interest on your money, but like the other Christmas clubs, you can only withdraw the money after November 25 of each year.

Tags: christmas clubs, outstanding balance, need, saving for christmas, family and friends

Buy High End Clothes at Rock Bottom Prices

Have you noticed an increase in the adverts in newspapers for designer products at bargain prices? If so, you are not alone. The analysts at Gumtree.com have also noticed this increase in recent months. Read more

Tags: splash, gumtree, classifieds, livelihood, advertising

PM – financial system needs to be regulated through five core principles

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has recently explained why there is such a dire need to look at how the financial industry is regulated in the UK, and to address the issue of stricter regulation not just in Britain but also in other countries so that the needs of the future can be met. Read more

Tags: bank, financial system, fact, bank industry, International Monetary Fund, global economy, shadow, need

People ‘to spend less on insurance’

Consumers are hoping to reduce their spending on insurance products, research suggests.

Among consumers who buy insurance through price comparison sites, 26 per cent are looking to reduce their insurance spending, according to the survey commissioned by business advisory firm Deloitte.

One-fifth of those who hope to reduce their spending on insurance aim to cut their payments on payment protection insurance (PPI), which provides coverage if the borrower is unable to make repayments on products like loans, mortgages and credit cards in the event of ill-health, unemployment or death.

David Rush, insurance partner at Deloitte, said: “At a time when households have less disposable income, it is understandable that many will look at how they can reduce their spending.

“However, consumers should think carefully about which types of insurance they most need in a down-turn.”

Mr Rush suggested that people are most likely to need PPI cover if the economy enters a difficult period.

In related news, Sainsbury’s Bank has suggested that consumers should check with their car insurance provider before they drive abroad to ensure that they are fully covered.

Tags: need, comparison, credit, Credit Cards, car insurance, One-fifth, insurance aim

Lenders urged to tighten checks

Although consumers need to take responsibility for their borrowing, lenders must tighten their credit checking measures, an expert has urged.

Simeon Linstead, head of personal finance at price comparison website uSwitch.com, made his comments following research which showed 84 per cent of people who successfully applied for credit cards over the last 12 months did not have to provide proof of income.

This means 4.8 million people did not have to prove the details they gave in their forms, while 14 per cent of successful applicants claim they were not asked about their income and outgoings at all.

Mr Linstead remarked: “It is too early to say if the amendments to the Banking Code are resolving these problems but there is clearly an urgent need for watertight measures to be put in place to ensure that the banks are lending responsibly.”

At the end of March, various amendments were made to the Banking Code, designed to ensure new commitments to responsible lending are made by credit providers.

Tags: credit checking, outgoings, Banking, need, Financial institutions, comparison

Prepaid currency cards “more competitive” than credit cards

Holidaymakers are likely to favour prepaid currency cards over traditional travellers’ cheques, according to industry experts.

The currency cards are on offer from the Post Office, Barclay’s and Lloyds TSB and allow travellers to withdraw cash abroad. Travellers load the currency they need on to the card before setting off on their holiday.

Moneysupermarket.com explains that currency cards have the edge on credit cards because there are no fees for transactions. They can also be used by individuals who have difficulties acquiring credit.

Steve Willey, of Moneysupermarket.com, said: “In terms of their use, effectively they’re a traveller’s cheque replacement.

“Once people have got comfortable with the concept and realise that there are savings to be made, then I think this will become just ‘the way to do things’.”

Travellers are also protected against fraud because the card is frozen if it is stolen and the balance and card holder’s details remain protected.

Last year statistics from APACs revealed an increase of 77 per cent of fraud associated with cards stolen abroad.

Tags: experts.The currency cards, need, post office, year, statistics, way

Brits choose ’stability’ when renewing mortgages

Millions of Brits would opt to fix their mortgage rate for five or more years if they needed to renew it, it has emerged.

Recent research by Abbey Mortgages has revealed that one in three (5.1 million) homeowners would choose a fixed rate of interest, with the need to know monthly outgoings the main reason for doing so.

The number of people wanting to opt for a five year fixed rate was greater even that the once favourite two-year fixes.

Head of mortgages at Abbey, Nici Audhlam-Gardiner, commented: “You never know what’s going to happen in the future, but at least if you’ve committed to a long term fixed deal, you know where you are going to stand with your repayments.

“Borrowers need to be sure however that the deal they take out is right for them and that they understand the different types of mortgages available before signing up to anything.”

Meanwhile, the number of homeowners choosing tracker mortgages was up to 12 per cent, although around eight per cent of respondents said they prefer to fix as they do not fully understand how tracker mortgages work.

Tags: emerged.Recent research, Gardiner, borrowers, need, Brits, Business Finance, deal, 1 million

Bedroom most insurable area of the home

As new research reveals that Britons consider the bedroom the most important room in the home, experts have urged consumers to ensure their contents are properly insured.

Figures from a recent Abbey study claim that 25 per cent of domestic residents think that the bedroom is the most crucial room in the house.

And with the average bedroom containing £4,000 worth of goods, it has been argued, that the need for full cover has never been greater.

Prasad Shastri, head of insurance marketing at Abbey, said: “We spend almost one-third of our lives in our bedrooms so it makes sense that Britons are prepared to fork out to create a comfortable and relaxing space.

“Sometimes it is hard to gauge the replacement cost of the contents you have in the home, but if you think carefully about every item it quickly adds up.

“One of the simplest ways to help avoid under-insurance is to make sure that your policy has an unlimited sum insured.”

According to the research 1.26 million people claim that the bedroom contents is worth more than £10,000.

Tags: new research, simplest ways, britons, Financial economics, need, head of insurance marketing, Shastri

Public liability ‘number one reason’ for wedding insurance purchases

Couples looking to take out wedding cover should try to apply for the policy well before booking venues, M&S Money advised yesterday.

The provider said that many marriage venues now demand public liability insurance before they allow bookings.

Public liability covers the venues for injuries to wedding guests as well as any property damage that might occur.

Media relations manager at M&S Money Liz Neild said that the growth of the wedding insurance industry was “primarily” due to the fact that “far more venues are insisting on public liability cover”.

Everybody used to get married at the local church or registry office, but now you can have it in a castle or on a boat or god knows where”, she commented.

“Major venues are insisting that anyone who books a wedding is actually covered by public liability insurance. That’s the number one reason.”

The insurer also revealed that other main occurrences that people need cover for range from damage, to the wedding cake to the possible need for photographs having to be re-taken, to the cancellation of the whole event.

Tags: M&S Money, need, Cover version, bookings.Public liability, public liability insurance, major venues

Financial fraud on the rise

Financial fraud in the UK is growing with new statistics showing that the problem is far from going away.

CIFAS, the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service, has found that almost all types of financial fraud have increased in the country between 2006 and 2007.

Research by the organisation focuses on results from the first quarter of 2006 and the same period this year and it does not make for good reading.

According to CIFAS, application fraud, which sees people lying in order to obtain credit cards, loans, bank accounts or insurance, has increased by 21 per cent in the last 12 months.

Identity fraud is also on the rise, with cases increasing by 12 per cent and current address and previous address fraud are also growing.

“These quarterly figures show a worrying escalation in many types of financial fraud,” commented Peter Hurst, chief executive of CIFAS.

“The scale of fraudulent activity is alarming. It emphasises the need for businesses constantly to be alert when dealing with applications.”

Despite large growth in many areas, CIFAS says that it has been experiencing positive results in its bid to prevent fraud.

According to figures released by the organisation, fraud prevention activity saved organisations £94,000 per hour, compared to £74,000 per hour for the same period in 2006.

Tags: identity, current address, previous address fraud, need, application fraud, fraud prevention, reading, Deception

Brits unprepared for money crisis

Millions of us are not handling our banking very well, meaning that we are not prepared for a financial crisis.

According to Birmingham Midshires, a large majority of us are not putting money aside in preparation for a change in out circumstances.

The firm carried out research into the matter and found that a staggering 95 per cent of us fear we would be financially crippled if we had to care for an elderly relative in old age.

The unexpected birth of a child would also leave many of us struggling, with 86 per cent saying that they would not be able to afford to bring up a child.

Redundancy is another area of concern, with 80 per cent admitting to being financially unprepared should the worst happen.

London is the region that would be most affected by redundancy as 82 per cent claim that they could not support their family in the short-term without their regular wage.

“It is alarming that so many people could struggle if hit by a financial emergency or unforeseen cost,” warned Jason Robinson from Birmingham Midshires.

“We are concerned about people’s liquid wealth – the money that should be available to them in a financial emergency.

“Much is talked about the need for saving for the long-term, but without an accessible savings pot set aside for that rainy day, short-term financial costs can leave families with severe difficulties,” he added.

The best advice for building up your liquid finances is to put a little aside from each pay cheque and do not use it until necessary.

Tags: Birmingham, crisis, accessible savings pot, need, Business Finance

Comparing Motor Insurance Policies

Although it is a legal requirement in the UK that you maintain at least a minimum level of motor insurance if you want to drive on the roads, there is no such legal requirement that you have to chose a certain insurance provider. Read more

Tags: recovery, Insurance, motor insurance policies, motor insurance companies, internet, motor insurance policy, need

Casino to affect house prices

The news that Manchester has been chosen as the site for the UK’s first super-casino has led some industry experts to predict a rise in house prices in the city.

Nationwide Building Society described the award as a “vote of confidence” in Manchester and said the number of jobs created will affect house prices.

“This could be good news for house prices in Manchester,” said Fionnuala Earley from Nationwide.

“It will bring new jobs to the city and the decision clearly represents a vote of confidence in Manchester’s infrastructure and the city’s ability to support a new super-casino. New jobs will lead to an increased need for housing which will support local demand and house prices.”

The news is undoubtedly good for those who already own houses in Manchester as they will see the value of their property soar.

However, first-time buyers will struggle to purchase a property in the city as prices rise, while Ms Earley also says the casino may have a negative impact on the value of some homes.

“Depending on the location of the casino, there could still be some negative impact on local prices if factors, like noise, for example, become an issue,” she said.

House prices in Manchester have risen by three per cent in the last year and by 101 per cent in the last five years.

Tags: site, need, building society, rise, noise, year, cent

UK lending figures rise

Lending to individuals in the UK rose again in November, according to the Bank of England.

Figures show that there was an increase in all types of loans of £10.9 billion between October and November.

Credit cards, personal loans and overdrafts increased by £0.2 billion, while mortgages saw the biggest increases.

In total, November saw a £9.8 billion increase in mortgage lending compared to October, signalling a rise of 0.9 per cent.

“This is a very strong set of mortgage data. Mortgage approvals amounted to a near three-year high of 129,000 in November, while lending secured on dwellings amounted to a three-year high of £9.8 billion,” said Howard Archer of financial consultancy Global Insight.

Mr Archer said that unsecured borrowing “eased back” between October and November as consumers become more concerned abut their future financial situation.

“Elevated debt levels, higher interest rates, rising unemployment and increasing pension concerns mean that there is an increased need for many consumers to try and improve their finances,” he added.

He said that more and more people are switching to secured borrowing to finance their spending.

Tags: mortgage, consumers, overdrafts, november, need