Thrifty Loans

Britons debts continue to rise

As the Bank of England struggles to get inflation back to down to 2% from its June level of 2.4%, the British are beginning to feel the weight of their own debts. According to recent research by debt consultancy firm Thomas Charles, eight million Britons now have unsecured debts of more than £10,000. The proportion [...]

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English Heritage voice HIP concerns

It was interesting to watch how the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) developed. Originally scheduled for an implementation date of 1 June, the Government has to postpone their introduction owing to the lack of qualified energy assessors – the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) being the most controversial element of the packs. At that time [...]

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Mortgage brokers fined

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has taken action against three mortgage brokers that may have resulted in clients taking out home loans that weren’t suitable for them. Lawrence Scoffield Mortgages of Ripon and Council Homebuyers (Midlands and North) have both been fined £10,500 each by the financial services watchdog. The FSA said that neither firm [...]

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With-Profits: good news or bad news?

It is pleasing to find some good news about with-profits funds. There has been precious little around in recent years. Yesterday Standard Life announced its with-profits bonus, saying there were, “Year-on-year increases on payouts on all types of policies.” Sadly, when you look into the actual facts, things may not be as wonderful they would [...]

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