Julia Kollewe
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It's official. We wouldn't trust banks as far as we could spit them into a hurricane
Filed under: Financial Crisis, Saving, Loans
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.
How much are you worth? What should you be paid?
Filed under: Work & Careers
Do you feel like you're working for peanuts? Or have you been offered a job and are not sure how good the offer is?Major Players, a recruitment website, has compiled a salary survey that tells you the going rates for all sorts of jobs, from receptionists to designers.
The survey covers account management & planning jobs, business services, creative & design, creative services, digital, marketing, PR & communications, research, insight & analysis and sponsorship & events.
So what is the going rate for your job? And should you consider a career change based on what you could be earning elsewhere?
Card fraud falls... but online banking fraud is up
Filed under: Credit Cards, Fraud
Card fraud fell last year for the first time since 2006 thanks to the introduction of chip and PIN and better fraud detection tools. But instead fraudsters are raiding people's bank accounts online. Criminals were less adept at skimming and cloning cards but managed to con people online or over the phone.
Losses from fraud on UK debit or credit cards dropped 28% last year to £440m, a decline of £170m, according to the UK Cards Association. Counterfeit card fraud - skimming and cloning – more than halved and cheque fraud was down 29%.
However, it's not time to start relaxing just yet.
Spicerhaart and Tesco offer to sell your home for just £999
Filed under: Property
You can sell your home for as little as £999 on a new property website run by estate agency group Spicerhaart in association with supermarket giant Tesco.This means you can save thousands of pounds in estate agency fees. The move comes after an Office of Fair Trading ruling that estate agency rules should be relaxed to allow more online competition. Google is rumoured to be eyeing up the market as well.
The iSold.com site describes itself as a halfway house between an online service and a traditional estate agent.
Mortgage availability for homebuyers improves, especially high LTV deals
Filed under: Mortgages, Property
More mortgage deals have become available over the past month, in particular higher loan-to-value mortgages, as lenders grow more confident about lending money again. Several have also cut their mortgage rates by between 0.1% and 0.5% in recent weeks.At the beginning of March there were 1,798 mortgage deals on the market that required deposits of between 0% and 40%, according to Moneyfacts. The number was up 6% from a month ago, and 68% higher than a year ago.
There are still very few mortgages available with just 0% or 5% deposits, but there are now 489 deals that ask for 10% or 15% down payments compared to just 258 a year ago - making things easier for first-time buyers.
Millions paying over the odds for fixed-rate energy deals
Filed under: House and Home, Budgeting & Planning
Millions of people are paying way over the odds for their gas and electricity because they signed up to fixed tariffs at the top of the market.Energyhelpline.com, a consumer website, says customers on some deals could be paying an extra £532 a year, as gas providers are now cutting their prices following steep falls in wholesale costs.
E.ON becomes latest supplier to cut gas prices - by £3.50 a month
Filed under: Economiser, House and Home, Budgeting & Planning
E.ON has become the latest gas supplier to cut its prices – but by just £3.50 a month. You can buy a pint of beer with the saving, but not much else. Gas bills will come down by 6% from the end of the month, which means the average annual household bill for those paying by direct debit will drop by £42.
However, the energy giant is not cutting its electricity bills. It admitted that of its 5.5 million customers in the UK, many won't benefit from the cuts as they either get only electricity or are on fixed-rate deals. This means only about 1.9 million E.ON customers will actually benefit from the price cut.
Britain's most picturesque street, do you agree?
Filed under: Weird and Wonderful
Guesss which is Britain's most picturesque street? The Shambles in York, a cobbled street dating back to the Middle Ages in the old city centre, took the top prize in the Google Street View Awards.
It is a narrow twisting street lined with shops in overhanging timber-framed buildings, some dating back to the fourteenth century - the sort of place that the shopping street in Harry Potter might have been modelled on.
The Shambles beat the Royal Crescent in Bath and Grey Street in Newcastle, which came second and third in the poll asking people to vote for the most picturesque street.
World's biggest companies miss out on female talent
Filed under: Work & Careers
The world's biggest companies are missing out on female talent, says the World Economic Forum. Plus ça change. On the day that Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win best director at the Oscars for her Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker, it emerged that there are still precious few women in senior management or on company boards. The US led the way with the highest proportion of female employees (52%), while India had the lowest (23%).
"The findings of The Corporate Gender Gap Report are an alarm bell on International Women's Day that the corporate world is not doing enough to achieve gender equality" said Saadia Zahidi, who co-wrote the WEF's report.
Have we been brainwashed by Ryanair and easyJet?
Filed under: Travel, Budgeting & Planning
Who would have thought a few years ago that one day a quarter of us would find it acceptable to pay extra just to be checked in?Have we all been brainwashed by the budget airlines?
And do you know how these additional charges add up?
