First time buyer age soaring

A recent study has shown how the average age of the first time buyer has soared over recent decades, with the younger people of today expecting to be around twelve years older than their parents were when they manage to purchase a property for the first time. The study was carried out by the Post Office and showed that the difficult economic and financial climate had really taken its toll on potential first time buyers.

Over the past few years, first time buyers have been hit hard by the problems in the mortgage and property markets. Many have been unable to afford to raise the huge deposits that lenders have been demanding and many others have been unable to get a mortgage at all due to increased restrictions and stringency from lenders, who have been exercising increased caution.

The study involved polling parents and younger people and showed that the average age of parents when they bought their first property was around twenty three whereas their kids expected to be around thirty five years of age on average by the time they managed to afford a property themselves. This would see the average age of the first time buyer soar by twelve years, with parents in the 1960s purchasing in their mid twenties and younger people today having to wait until their mid thirties. The average twenty-something of today earns around £21,000 in terms of salary, but with average property prices at £164,000 most would be unable to consider buying a property on their own.

One industry official stated: “Many would-be first-time buyers may have been put off trying to get onto the housing ladder by the size of deposits now needed. Some may be deterred by their perception of high mortgage repayments.”

Tags: Parent, would-be first-time buyers, recent study, post, GBP

Increased safety for money of Post Office savers

As a result of changes to the Irish banking system some savers in the UK, including those with Post Office savings accounts, will see their savings guarantee almost double compared to that of savers with other financial institutions. Post Office savers will be offered a safety net of up to almost £80,000 on their savings. Also included will be savers that have money with UK branches of Irish banks, such as Anglo-Irish Bank and the Bank of Ireland. Read more

Tags: savings, Anglo, Alistair Darling, post office, meantime, chancellor of the exchequer, post

Richest and poorest Brits hit by credit crunch

People at extreme ends of the wealth scale are being affected the most by the current economic turmoil, according to MGM Advantage.

The richest and poorest people in the UK are feeling the pinch from the credit crunch the most, the retirement income specialist has said.

According to research commissioned by the company, 20 per cent of people who are in debt and 25 per cent of those who have assets worth more than £1 million prefer to stash their cash at home rather than putting it in a savings account.

In the survey of more than 3,000 people round the country, it was found that women tend to be more likely to put their hard-earned cash in a savings account than men – 60 per cent of women said they used savings accounts compared to 48 per cent of men.

The Post Office recently reported that people who leave their money in accounts that pay a low level of interest are losing a total of about £8 billion every year.

Tags: cent, credit crunch, post office, GBP, money, uk, poorest people, post

Customers can save for Christmas with the Post Office

Over the last few years the Post Office in the UK has diversified into a variety of different areas, and in a recent announced the Post Office has stated that consumers will be able to start saving for Christmas 2008 with a Christmas savings club that is to be launched by the Post Office service.

The service will allow consumers to deposit their cash into any of the fourteen thousand branches of the Post Office, but they will not be able to access the money again until November of next year.

Once they have saved the money consumers will be able to spend it either by using vouchers or via a pre-paid debit card that will be accepted by over two hundred retailers. The account provided by the post office will be protected, and will only be accessible by the customer. Those wishing to save through this scheme will receive a Christmas Club card, which can be used to make deposits at Post Office counters.

There will be a minimum deposit level of £5.00 and a maximum level of £500. Savers will be able to put away a maximum amount of £1000 per club card. According to officials from the Post Office service there is a gap in the market for this type of scheme since the collapse of Farepak last year. Members that use this scheme will be able to access their funds from 1st November 2008.

One Post Office official stated: “As one of the UK’s most trusted brands with an unparalleled retail network, we are responding to the need for a safe and convenient way for people to put money aside for Christmas.”

Tom Smith
25th November 2007

Tags: save, interest, spend, redeem, post, office

Majority prefer printed bank statements

Managing your finances online may be a growing trend, but the vast majority of people still prefer to put their faith in the printed word and the postal service.

A new survey on consumer attitudes towards banking has found that almost nine out of ten people (88 per cent) still prefer to receive bank statements by mail, and that the post remains the favoured means of communicating about financial matters for 70 per cent.

Even amongst those who are keen on internet banking, 68 per cent still like to see a physical copy of their statements drop through the letterbox.

A similar proportion (67 per cent) find it easier to understand their bank statements in print than on screen.

The research has been carried out by the Henley Centre for Royal Mail.

Abi Wood, Head of Financial Marketing at Royal Mail commented on the findings, saying: “Internet banking has undeniably revolutionised modern financial services as more consumers want the accessibility it provides.

“However it is clear that traditional communication methods are still incredibly important to individuals of all age groups. Banks should continue to investigate the different and complementary roles that the different channels play for the modern consumer.”

Tags: Marketing, Banking, post, trend, Financial services, online, abi

Last minute getaways go uncovered

Holidaymakers may think they have bagged a bargain when they jet off on a last-minute break, but forgetting to organise travel insurance can leave them out of pocket.

Research carried out by Sainsbury’s Bank revealed that 18 per cent of British adults will take a last-minute holiday this summer – but 19 per cent won’t bother with travel cover.

Steve Johnson from Sainsbury’s Bank said that cheap late deals are good news for holidaymakers, but warned that “without appropriate insurance in place a holiday can soon turn into a nightmare if disaster strikes”.

He added: “The stress and cost involved in sorting out any potential problems could run into hundreds or thousands of pounds, surely cancelling out any money saved on a late deal.”

The report estimated that some three million people travel overseas each year without having arranged travel insurance.

The Post Office’s head of travel, John Howells, said that insurance can be sidelined when planning a break. “Our figures prove that travel insurance is all too often forgotten in the excitement of getting ready to go on holiday, or even worse, it is considered by some to be non-essential.”

Tags: British adults, Steve Johnson, travel insurance, PRWEB, post, travel insurance.the post, year, cost

Stamp tax just got easier

An update to the Stamp Taxes Online website could considerably speed up the process of buying a house for many.

Those wishing to submit stamp duty land tax (SDLT) returns online will now be able to receive their certificates electronically, rather than waiting for the paperwork to arrive in the post.

It means that the time between getting a mortgage and moving into a new home will be dramatically reduced.

Stamp Taxes Online was launched in August 2005 and has proved remarkably popular, with over 370,000 of us submitting our SDLT returns in this way.

HM Revenue & Customs says that doing SDLT returns electronically, homebuyers cut down on administration time and are assured greater accuracy.

“We know that Stamp Taxes Online has been incredibly popular to date, and this enhancement will speed-up processes considerably,” said Jim Ferguson, Stamp Taxes’ business director.

“Being able to receive SDLT certificates within a few moments of submitting returns, will be of enormous benefit to busy practitioners working in today’s booming property market.”

If you are in the process of buying a new home and need to submit your SDLT returns it may be worth trying to file them online, potentially saving you time and guaranteeing the accuracy of the information provided.

Tags: Public economics, business, house, Taxes Online, Rationing, SDLT certificates, post, date