One of the unexpected blows that hit people after their divorce is the problems finding housing and the strike against their credit rating.  Few lenders consider maintenance payments from a former spouse as income, but it is an expense on the part of the one paying it.  This can make it impossible for both parties […]

An article on CashQuestions.com highlights seven products that consumers don’t really need and that prevent them from saving.  Top of the list is store cards, which get consumers to take them up by offering 20 per cent discounts. This may lead to big spending that consumers are unable to pay off, and the cards also […]

Independent financial comparison website MoneyExpert.com has released research which shows that the average price of a basic mortgage valuation is £189, with some lenders charging as much as £405. This is the basic valuation fee, with higher fees for customers borrowing larger amounts.
Some lenders are competing on the cost of valuations, with many lenders offering […]

There could be five times more Brits becoming insolvent by 2010, says the chief executive of debts.co.uk. The Guardian reports that Paul Carter has said that the number of individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) issued each year could grow from some 20,000 last year to more than 100,000 in the next four years. The Insolvency Service […]

New research from Halifax comparing house prices since recovery in February 1996 and today suggests that the long term outlook for the UK housing market is sound. The market is underpinned with an economy which has experienced the longest unbroken period of growth on record, at 56 consecutive quarters. High levels of employment should also […]

There are trends between the consumers who opt for bankruptcy and those who take an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) that may suggest the IVA companies are not acting in the consumer’s best interest when they advertise.
The younger families are being tempted by IVAs .  Statistics suggest that the IVA company leads them to believe the […]

Coventry Building Society has improved its credit impaired mortgage range. The building society moved into the credit impaired market in July. Changes to its product range include increasing loan to value to 90 per cent, ignoring all defaults, ignoring County Court Judgements over three years old. Customers will also be able to transfer to non […]

The British Bankers’ Association has released additional information on lending to individuals in September 2006, with some figures now revised. Net lending on loans and overdrafts rose by £0.2 billion compared with a similar increase in August and an average rise of £0.3 billion over the past six months. Underlying net lending on credit cards […]

The government made changes this month to the maternity leave rules.  Starting next year, mothers will be allowed to take an extra three months’ of maternity allowance.  The new rule will come into effect on April 2007.  It states that new mothers and people who adopt will be entitled to nine months of paid leave.  […]

The Times Online has reported on the increase in the mortgage market. There are now 127 lenders offering more than 10,000 deals. According to the Times, the number of two year fixed-rate mortgage deals has increased by more than 50 per cent in the last year, from 230 to 373. The situation is made more […]