Author Archive: whatfinance
Our in house editor who has many years financial services experience, and writes most of the journal entries you read on this site.
Defaqto, an independent researcher of financial products, has launched new Life Assurance Star Ratings for whole of life policies to help advisers and consumers identify where products sit in the market in terms of the overall quality they offer. This further enhances Defaqto’s ratings in the life assurance space, adding to the Star Ratings for […]
Nearly two-thirds of people borrow Just 1 in 10 feel ‘relaxed’ about borrowing Women twice as likely as men to be scared of borrowing Nearly one in 20 people in the UK admit they could not live without borrowing money. New research conducted on behalf of alternative account provider thinkmoney.co.uk reveals that 4.3% of adults […]
Aviva, the UK’s largest insurer, detected over £110 million worth of insurance fraud in 2013 – a 19% increase compared with 2012. Aviva detects over 45 fraudulent claims per day worth more than a total of £300,000.* Aviva’s figures show that insurance fraud is a diverse crime and can range from exaggerating genuine claims or […]
From today, new rules from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) come into force which will put common sense at the heart of the mortgage market and prevent borrowers ending up with a mortgage they cannot afford. The key changes, which are the outcome of the FCA’s mortgage market review (MMR), mean that most people will […]
New mortgage lending rules, developed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) following its mortgage market review, will take effect from Saturday 26 April, and will see prospective homebuyers and movers facing more scrutiny of their outgoings when applying for a mortgage. Matt Sanders, Gocompare.com’s mortgage spokesman, said: “For some time now lenders have been requiring […]
Three million (six per cent) Britons have a second job to boost their income One in three (36 per cent) people supplement their primary monthly income, pocketing £2,536 a year each People warned they may not be covered by their existing insurance policy if they are earning money from home to top up their monthly […]
Despite falling accident rates, compensation claims for whiplash and other personal injuries have hit epidemic proportions. British insurers now receive 1,500 claims for whiplash every day and it is estimated that up to 60% of these claims are exaggerated or fraudulent. Research with accident victims reveals that almost a third (29%) of those who have […]
Evidence from Citizens Advice found payday lenders are not keeping to their own promises including checking if people can afford to pay back loans, freezing interest rates and charges for those struggling to repay and not pressuring people into extending loans. Paul Blomfield MP is now introducing a Private Members Bill to protect people from […]
Over one million British pensioners live abroad and claim UK state pension Average monthly pension for Brits has dropped by over €145.20 since 2007 Pensioners in South Africa get best return on state pensions Pensioners in Switzerland fair the worst British pensioners living overseas have potentially lost out on over £10.6 billion of their income […]
The interest rates across LV=’s lifetime mortgage have been cut by 20 basis points. For customers up to 80 years old the interest rate is now 5.79% AER, with those between 81 and 85 years old receiving a rate of 5.99% AER. See table below for full list of new rates. Lifetime mortgage (lump […]