http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com Copyright (c) 2011 Alison Withers Yet again retailers have blamed the weather for stagnant sales, only this time it was a couple of weeks of unexpected sunshine in September rather than the three weeks of snow that were blamed for dire pre-Christmas sa... http://www.articlealley.com/http://aliwithers.articlealley.com/retailers-and-politicians-are-still-in-denial-while-they-focus-on-window-dressing-2402381.html 04th January 2012 UK bankers have scored another spectacular own goal with their failed attempt to overturn rules governing the mis-selling of PPI. PPI stands for Payment Protection Insurance, a financial product commonly sold by banks, card issuers and other lenders to cu... http://www.articlealley.com/http://charlottemooney.articlealley.com/uk-bankers-score-spectacular-own-goal-over-ppi-misselling-row-2222148.html 11th May 2011 The British Bankers' Association (BBA) has launched a judicial review over new rules on how complaints about payment protection insurance (PPI) should be handled. PPI is supposed to cover the cost of repayments if a customer becomes ill or unemployed ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://kevinfielder2.articlealley.com/is-reclaiming-ppi-still-possible-2183222.html 13th April 2011 A small business owner needs more than just enthusiasm to be successful, so budding entrepreneurs should be aware of a few handy dos and don’ts in the art of starting a business. What better time to start up a new business than in the New Year? It’s tr... http://www.articlealley.com/http://smallbizmattersuk.articlealley.com/new-years-resolution-start-your-own-startup-2006237.html 04th February 2011 At Gerard Associates Ltd we continue our daily look at factors affecting markets and currencies allowing some insight into conditions affecting exchange rates. Cash and income timing from a UK Pension or QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Sche... http://www.articlealley.com/http://russelmori.articlealley.com/sterling-takes-a-hike-pound-slumped-to-a-week-low-1874063.html 29th November 2010 The fair trading regulator is looking to make a super-complaint about the current state of the UK Individual Savings Accounts (Isas) market.According to watchdog Consumer Focus, around 15 million savers make use of a cash ISA, however potential ISA holder... http://www.articlealley.com/http://samuelgooch.articlealley.com/what-is-an-isa-and-how-can-it-benefit-you-1712470.html 19th August 2010 In the wake of tough economic scenario, anything that goes up is pleasing the members of UK's lending fraternity. The same thing happened recently when the number of approvals for the cheap homeowner loans rose after a long time. Yes, reports publishe... http://www.articlealley.com/http://gracy.articlealley.com/surging-cheap-homeowner-loans-levels-leave-uk-lending-industry-smiling-1579623.html 02nd June 2010 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has revealed that UK banks are considering making it easier for customers to opt out of access to unauthorised overdrafts.By choosing to opt out, customers would see payments blocked to avoid paying high overdraft fees on ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://samuelgooch.articlealley.com/banks-consider-optout-option-on-current-account-overdrafts-1498996.html 13th April 2010 There are 11 million more credit cards in the UK than there are people* and when used in the right way our flexible friends can be brilliant financial tools. But fall into the traps set by providers at your peril, because if you don't know how to use y... http://www.articlealley.com/http://robertpalmer.articlealley.com/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-credit-cards-1479128.html 30th March 2010 The British Bankers' Association (BBA) has said that the number of mortgages approved for home buyers by the UK's biggest banks "fell sharply" throughout January.The BBA said this was largely due to an influx in buyers looking to borrow in December in ord... http://www.articlealley.com/http://samgooch.articlealley.com/january-sees-significant-fall-in-approved-mortgages-1433887.html 05th March 2010 According to the latest figures from the major UK banks, The number of mortgages approved for house purchases rose at the end of 2009.But on the whole last year, mortgage approvals were down 27% compared to 2008 and at their lowest since British Bankers' ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://samgooch.articlealley.com/rise-in-mortgage-approvals-backs-recent-recovery-1377852.html 05th February 2010 The Bank of England has reported a significant rise in the amount of money that banks have written off as bad debts on their credit cards.The Bank figures show that the total value of the write-offs doubled to £1.6bn in the third quarter of 2009.In the f... http://www.articlealley.com/http://samuelgooch.articlealley.com/bank-writeoffs-double-for-bad-credit-card-debt-1366481.html 27th January 2010 Rising Loan Prices Could Make Debt Consolidation-'A only Solution For Debts' According to the new figures released by the British Bankers Association, customers who were looking for a loan at every minute are now stuck with their existing spiraling deb... http://www.articlealley.com/http://gracy.articlealley.com/head-off-a-confrontation-of-spiraling-debts-with-debt-consolidation-1304953.html 18th December 2009 The new Lending Code, which replaces the credit and financial difficulties sections of the defunct Banking Code, is due to come into effect on November 1. Some nineteen short days away. There is to be no public sight of these changes, nor any consult... http://www.articlealley.com/http://josephharris.articlealley.com/lending-code-secrecy-is-a-disgrace-1175122.html 15th October 2009 The amount of approved home-loans hit a 17-month high last month, which has sparked new claims that the housing market is emerging from recession. Figures from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) showed that in July, banks approved 38,181 mortgages,... http://www.articlealley.com/http://samgooch.articlealley.com/increase-in-mortgages-indicates-end-of-recession-for-housing-market-1071894.html 07th September 2009 The credit card industry has seen many changes throughout the last quarter of 2008 to present, largely due to the credit crunch. Although providers have become more selective over who they will approve credit to, the market has seen an increase in com... http://www.articlealley.com/http://samuelgooch.articlealley.com/credit-cards-trends-alter-amid-financial-crisis-1053527.html 28th August 2009 Since the credit crunch, the mortgage market has been left suffering from a great freeze after more and more lenders became increasingly reluctant to lend. As a result, a number of mortgage products such as the 100 per cent mortgage became extinct. Fir... http://www.articlealley.com/http://arti.articlealley.com/is-the-mortgage-market-back-on-track-1035655.html 15th August 2009 It is widely believed that it is the small and medium sized (SME) businesses community that will provide the drive and momentum that will eventually lead the country out of the current recessionary period. For that reason it is pleasing to see some positi... http://www.articlealley.com/http://graemeknights.articlealley.com/doing-the-business-987398.html 18th July 2009 While there have been suggestions from some quarters that the recession may be coming to an end and the stock markets have become relatively stable, it appears many are still unwilling to take serious risks when it comes to investment. The FTSE 100 Ind... http://www.articlealley.com/http://graemeknights.articlealley.com/investors-playing-it-safe-in-the-money-markets-954376.html 28th June 2009 Figures show that the downturn in Britain's mortgage market is crippling homeowners who are trying to get a new loan deal. The number of people succeeding in re-mortgaging has fallen by almost 50 per cent. The most severe drop since the credit crunch bega... http://www.articlealley.com/http://michaelchalliner.articlealley.com/mortgage-approvals-fall-by-60-per-cent-in-one-year-to-reach-record-low-913827.html 04th June 2009 What's in Store for 2009 & Beyond? At the end of 2008, the industry consensus was that housing prices would fall by a total of 30% from the peak achieved in the autumn of 2007. Figures released by the Halifax in January 2009 revealed that the cost of t... http://www.articlealley.com/http://pjl.articlealley.com/housing-market-not-set-to-recover-soon-893601.html 15th May 2009 In the past year, the property market has suffered a big blow as a result of the current financial crisis as lenders became more reluctant to approve mortgages. According to Benjamin Williamson, of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, lendin... http://www.articlealley.com/http://arti.articlealley.com/is-the-property-market-improving-888781.html 12th May 2009 In February, those with their eye on the UK housing market would have noticed the confusing and conflicting data given by two of the leading house price indices, Halifax HPI and Nationwide HPI. At that time, whilst the latter had published a recent drop ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://marked.articlealley.com/watching-the-market-turn-where-uk-landlords-should-really-be-looking-885095.html 11th May 2009 The appeal by eight banks against the decision of the High Court regarding whether or not the OFT have the authority to deal with the fairness of bank charges has been thrown out. The judges also told the banks that they could not take the case to the ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://bankrebate.articlealley.com/appeal-court-rules-that-the-office-of-fair-trading-does-have-the-power-to-investigate-bank-charges-2-810879.html 06th March 2009 There has been a reduction of almost 40% in the number of new loans for home buying being agreed in the last 12 months. Figures which the British Bankers Association refers to show that from 65,000 in April last year, the total of loans issued in April th... http://www.articlealley.com/http://michaelchalliner.articlealley.com/volume-of-home-loans-falls-to-new-low-734132.html 04th January 2009 The economy will be helped to recover by the Bank of England's interest rate cut, it has been claimed. Vicky Redwood from Capital Economics stated that last week's base rate cut will increase confidence within financial markets, adding that rates are "pro... http://www.articlealley.com/http://marked.articlealley.com/uk-economy-should-recover-after-interest-rate-cut-701884.html 01st December 2008 Ever wondered how busy the UK's banks really are when it comes to processing the number of transactions you make on your current and other bank accounts? There are over 60 million people in the UK, of which approximately 90% are estimated to have a ba... http://www.articlealley.com/http://vickycochrane.articlealley.com/banking-facts-and-figures-what-happens-every-ten-minutes-in-the-uk-659279.html 07th October 2008 Recent research from the British Bankers Association revealed that mortgage approvals hit their lowest level since their records began in 1997, with less than 28,000 mortgages for homebuyers approved in May 2008 - a figure nearly 60 per cent lower than th... http://www.articlealley.com/http://danielcollins.articlealley.com/mortgage-approvals-slump-to-all-time-low-578957.html 17th July 2008 Large banks in Britain such as HSBC, Barclays and Nat West approved less mortgages in May since the same time in 1997. The cause of this is reluctant buyers, high asking prices and increasing household outgoings. The British Bankers Association said that ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://linseysummers.articlealley.com/the-mortgage-crisis-576807.html 15th July 2008 March 2008 saw the lowest ever number of people taking out mortgages to buy homes with the amount falling by 46 per cent over a year to 35,417 house buyers wanting loans. At there peak, banks were handing out over 3,000 mortgages a day; however that nu... http://www.articlealley.com/http://phil2.articlealley.com/loans-slump-helps-trigger-rescue-plan-from-the-bank-of-england-574223.html 11th July 2008 Very bad mortgage lending statistics and a profit warning Bradford & Bingley yesterday underlined the crisis facing the housing market as the credit crunch continues. The Bank of England said new mortgage approvals in April dropped to a record low, muc... http://www.articlealley.com/http://mildred.articlealley.com/home-loans-fall-record-low-570236.html 06th July 2008 Each month, a raft of facts and figures emerge relating to property, whether it is a house price index, investor confidence report or details on who is buying where. This data is then analyzed and absorbed by first-time buyers, existing homeowners and buy... http://www.articlealley.com/http://assetzuk.articlealley.com/property-investors-seek-better-deals-551270.html 05th June 2008 Bank customers getting assistance from 'no win no fee' lawyers because of overcharging has sparked debates on the necessity of legal help. Reports from banks show a large increase in customers attempting to claim back charges that were made for going o... http://www.articlealley.com/http://linseysummers.articlealley.com/no-win-no-fee--a-help-or-a-hindrance-545295.html 22nd May 2008 The act of re mortgaging one's house should never be taken lightly - after all, one is playing with the very roof over one's head. Never the less, it can be a useful tool in obtaining more capital with which to make investments, or to use to raise more ca... http://www.articlealley.com/http://jackharris.articlealley.com/keeping-afloat--re-mortgages-boost-market-540687.html 20th May 2008 Broadband speeds differ a tremendous amount throughout the UK, but if you're "out in the country", it's a fair bet that the speeds you're experiencing are far from what you would like. A study published by the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) has... http://www.articlealley.com/http://liamgerken.articlealley.com/broadband-a-cure-for-financial-isolation-456871.html 22nd January 2008 Fears over the state of the UK housing market are on the rise, prompted by the announcement from the British Bankers' Association that mortgage approvals for September fell 14% compared to August.Total mortgage approvals for the month of September 2007 fo... http://www.articlealley.com/http://pmcindoe.articlealley.com/mortgage-approvals-down-fuelling-housing-gloom-246402.html 14th November 2007 All loan providers should follow the banking sector's code for responsible lending, an industry expert has suggested. According to Angela Knight, chief executive of the British Bankers' Association (BBA), credit suppliers who exist outside of the indus... http://www.articlealley.com/http://arouse.articlealley.com/lenders-need-to-adhere-to-responsible-lending-guidelines-184771.html 11th July 2007 Despite recent reports of a fall in borrowing Britons are still set to experience debt problems, an industry expert has warned. According to James Falla, director of Thomas Charles, the announcement from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) that an i... http://www.articlealley.com/http://arouse.articlealley.com/borrowing-falling-but-brits-face-debt-legacy-183165.html 05th July 2007 With Britain's levels of credit card debt having exploded over the last decade, money experts and consumer bodies have begun to keep a closer eye on the patterns of credit card usage across each month. A recent study released by the British Bankers Associ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://elishaburberry.articlealley.com/will-seasonal-credit-card-spending-soon-become-obsolete-167374.html 31st May 2007 Over the last decade, the mortgage market in Britain has been transformed by a continually increasing demand for buy-to-let mortgages. Buy-to-let mortgages are usually taken out by people who already own a UK property, but are seeking to a buy a property ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://andrewregan.articlealley.com/demand-for-buytolet-mortgages-falls-in-march-2007-158659.html 11th May 2007 A recent study conducted by the British Bankers' Association (BBA) has concluded that consumers who wish to acquire a secured loan would be better off going to larger, merged banks as opposed to smaller ones. According to the BBA survey, larger banks o... http://www.articlealley.com/http://andrewregan.articlealley.com/consumers-advised-to-obtain-loans-from-larger-banks-152924.html 27th April 2007 Credit cards have become an increasingly integral part of our financial system over the last century. Types of credit cards and consumer credit choices have continued to flourish across the world and, while many credit card companies have come under fir... http://www.articlealley.com/http://martymac.articlealley.com/credit-card-technology-flourishes--but-so-does-fraud-110003.html 05th December 2006 There's no room for complacency when it comes to running a business, and running your account is no different. You should check your statements carefully, and have a periodic review of the market to make sure your account is still the best one for your ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://josephkenny.articlealley.com/business-banking--keeping-your-accounts-healthy-104447.html 17th November 2006 At one time, borrowing money from the bank would have involved getting out the best suit and grovelling to the manager. These days, banks ring customers at home and ask them if they want to take out a loan. In fact, they almost give you hard time if y... http://www.articlealley.com/http://michaelchalliner.articlealley.com/personal-loans-increase-but-at-what-cost-90862.html 02nd October 2006 It is a new rule that may have the banks running scared. As of May 31, money lenders are no longer allowed to charge sky-high penalties for late payments on credit cards, store cards, mortgages, loans and overdrafts. The most they are, in fact, allowed to... http://www.articlealley.com/http://michaelchalliner.articlealley.com/loans-and-credit-cards--claim-your-money-back-on-illegal-charges-81794.html 16th August 2006