A recent debate on banking conducted by consumer organization Which? has revealed an almost total lack of trust in banks, with 96% of people agreeing the banks act more in their own interests than those of their customers.

One consumer summed up many people's views by saying: "Banks don't value customers. They view us as cash cows."

At the Big Banking Debate in London last week, many said the banks won't learn their lesson from the financial crisis, after benefiting from taxpayer-backed bailouts. People also slammed irresponsible lending, especially to those who are most vulnerable.

Not the kind of money news you were expecting? It's certainly not the kind of money news I thought I'd be writing about, but it's true, honest!

Urban music performer Tinchy Stryder has been at a school talking to children about investing wisely. The star has been encouraging kids in London to get into the saving habit as part of a new scheme contributed to by the government to start teaching personal finance in schools.

Believe it or not, the 22 year-old partly funded his first album from selling clothes, so is no stranger to the importance of saving.

If you are a parent-to-be, once the initial joy of having a baby has passed, you will probably start wondering how you're going to pay for it.

Amid all the excitement of pregnancy, it is easy to ignore the financial aspect of having a child. But don't leave your financial planning too late.

First babies are always more expensive than subsequent babies because you need to make big purchases like cots, high chairs and prams and may even have to find a new flat or change your car.

How do you make ends meet when your little bundle arrives? And how do you save money for your child later on?

Banks have been forced to come up with all sorts of new wheezes in the last couple of years. In an effort to balance the books a little more effectively, they have had to attract savings from customers before they are able to start lending money a bit more freely. It's a back-to-basics kind of approach: the sort of thing they used to have to do before they hit on the clever notion of inventing money.

However, with savings rates looking decidedly miserable, and everyone struggling to find cash to start a savings account or investment, they are having to be a bit clever about it.

So they have increasingly been bringing in products with strings attached. Santander will join the host of companies offering it next week. So what's the catch, and is it worth it?

For most people the idea of saving anything is enough to raise a wry smile. How are we supposed to be able to afford to put anything away when we are struggling with unemployment in the family, or pay freezes, and rising costs?

But however short of cash you are right now, there's a very good chance that at some point in the future you're going to hit an even rougher patch, and if you don't have any cash to fall back on, it could sink you.

There is always a way to cut back just a little on expenses, whether it's walking instead of taking the bus, or drinking tea rather than fizzy drinks. It may seem like penny pinching, but that's the whole point. Pinch less than £1 a day from your budget and after a year you could be sitting on savings of £350 or more.

Once you have the money, there's the whole question of what to do with it, but I was speaking to a bloke from HSBC the other week, and he told me of a great way to make things simple.

We're all guilty of it - thinking we'll get organised and give our finances an overhaul - and then putting it of for as long as humanly possible.

It's easy to get bills and leave them unopened and ominous - I do it all the time. I genuinely knuckled down yesterday though, opened all my bills and my bank statements and had a good sort out of my accounts. Nothing was as bad as I thought, and I honestly can't tell you what a relief it is to have done it - it's a weight off my mind.

So, if you're going to brave spring cleaning your finances, here's a bit of help to make it just that bit easier.

A new survey has revealed that there is strong demand to reform the banking system. The survey, commissioned by the Better Banking Campaign found that 70% of believed access to basic services is a right.

An unbelievable amount of people - between five and seven million - have no access to mainstream credit and nearly two million don't even have access to basic bank accounts.

So can the campaign really work, and what changes is it aiming to implement?

The average British household would run out of money in less than 14 days if a wage earner fell critically ill or died, according to new research.

Insurance firm Aviva says one in four Britons could access only £100 of disposable cash within a week if they lost their income due to death or a critical illness. Yet nearly two-thirds (63%) of British households have no critical illness cover or life insurance.

So how should Brits prepare for a rainy day?

Earning money is so overrated. You get much more sense of achievement when you just sit back and let someone else do all the hard work, then plonk £100 in your bank account for nothing.

Luckily, you can do just this with a number of bank accounts which are offering you cash just for the effort of opening them and transferring your salary, standing orders and direct debits.

First Direct 1st Account
The phone-and-internet bank First Direct is giving away £100 with its current account. If you deposit £1,500 per month for the first three months, £100 finds its way onto your balance sheet. But if you open the account and neither put the £1,500 per month into the account nor maintain an average balance of £1,500, you will be charged £10 per month. At least you get a free £250 overdraft.

If you don't like the account and switch away within 6-12 months of opening it, you get another £100. Bonus.

If you're in the market for a new credit card, or a new mortgage, it can be hard to know where to start looking. Knowing which kind or mortgage or credit card will suit you best is half the battle, and then knowing where to get is the other.

Find out how you can make at least one step in this process a whole lot easier.