Citizens Advice is calling for new volunteers to get in touch as the recession pushes more people into
financial difficulties, putting greater demand on the charity.
Citizens Advice, which relies heavily on volunteers, is asking everyone from young school leavers and students to retired CEOs and back-to-work Mums to get in touch if they are ...
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Complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service – the independent organisation that settles disputes between consumers and financial companies – has reached record levels, with 127,471 new complaints and 789,877 consumer enquiries in 2008/9.
The report revealed that consumer complaints were upheld in the majority of cases, with 113,949 disputes resolved, resulting in compensation for consumers in ...
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British shoppers are cutting out luxuries such as new clothes, meals out and alcohol in favour of mini-treats such as books and magazine, according to new research from moneysupermarket.com.
The study, which looked at the spending habits of over 5,000 Brits, found that 53% are cutting back on clothes and fashion accessories, while just ...
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Many young people believe that the standard of living in the UK won’t recover for a decade, according to a new report from Post Office Financial Services.
The research was conducted online by T-Poll on behalf of the Post Office People’s Panel during late March 2009, using a nationally representative sample of 1,541 consumers.
According to the report, almost a quarter (24%) of 18-24 year-olds believe that ...
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The latest report on consumer confidence from research firm GfK NOP shows that confidence in the economy held steady in May. The GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index stayed level at -27, two points higher than the level seen this time last year.
Confidence in personal finances over the next 12 months rose two points in May to -1, two points higher than in April and three ...
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- Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 10:29
- Featured, Household Finances, Loans
With credit more difficult to secure than pre-crunch, consumers are turning to in-store credit to help fund purchases, according to the latest figures from the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA).
In-store credit is commonly used to pay for items such as
household electrical goods and soft furnishings and typically requires shoppers to pay the sum ...
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- Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 12:59
- Household Finances
Consumer agencies have warned Brits to be on their guard against the dangers posed by rogue traders.
Between April and September last year, Consumer Direct, the Office of Fair Trading's advice service, received 2,384 complaints about cold callers offering home maintenance services. This figure is 15% higher than in the six month covering the autumn and ...
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- Thursday, May 21, 2009, 15:02
- Household Finances
Private tenants are being badly let down by a lack of regulation of letting agents, according to a new report from Citizens Advice.
The report entitled ‘Let down: CAB evidence on letting agents and their charges’ claims that the current system allows letting agents to “operate completely unchecked, routinely ripping off tenants by imposing unjustified and ...
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- Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 14:28
- Household Finances, Interest Rates
The Retail Prices Index fell 1.2% in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The RPI includes housing costs such as rent and mortgage payments. The low base rate of interest set by the Bank of England has driven mortgage payments down, which is partly why the RPI has fallen. However, the fall was ...
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- Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 14:26
- Household Finances, Interest Rates
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to keep the base rate of interest at 0.5%, according to the MPC meeting minutes released today.
The announcement pleased tracker
mortgage holders but disappointed many
savers. With little room for further cuts, the MPC announced that a further £50 billion will be used to ...
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