As a customer of Barclays I can only comment on what I know although it may be the case that other banks have already put measures in place to placate the masses regarding bank charges.
Barclays have introduced a ‘reserve amount’ in addition to the pre-agreed overdraft limit to act as a buffer. Mine’s £250 in addition […]

I’ve just read an article on popular UK personal finance site www.thisismoney.co.uk with the headline ‘The House That Lost 40% in Four Months‘.
Sounds ominous doesn’t it.
The headline suggests that a house has decreased by 40% in value in just four months.
But it hasn’t!
Firstly, house prices you see in estate agents are not usually the prices buyers […]

PIN money’s great isn’t it? That surplus bit of money you have each month you know you could quite happily fritter away on needless expenses, just because you can.
As long as the bills are paid the rest is the hard earned cash that makes it all worth while and we use it to enjoy ourselves.
But sometimes, […]

I’m what is known as a ‘pescatarian’. I don’t eat meat apart from fish. I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan but I do try to only eat fish from sustainable resources or farms (if you shop at Waitrose, that’s all they sell…).
I don’t make a fuss when I go to friends BBQ’s and I don’t […]

More movement in the mortgage market sees more rates rise and some disappear (for the time being).
Newcastle Building Society has increased all fixed rate products by 0.3%
For each £100,000 borrowed that equates to an extra £25 per month in interest charged.
Lloyds TSB has increased all Buy-to-Let fixed rate mortgages by 0.3% increasing the amount of […]

Imagine deciding to pursue a career in the mortgage industry…. A few months of studying, revision and exams followed by several weeks of ‘feet-finding’ and ‘on the job’ learning.
Only to end up in an industry bearing the brunt of the now infamous ‘credit crunch’.
Why do these thing always happen to me!
OK, I know, there are lots […]

It’s nearly impossible at the moment to get a quote for things like mortgages, loans and insurance without being telephoned almost the second you hit the ‘Get Quote’ button.
Far too many sites that offer online quotes lead you to believe you WILL get a quote online when in fact they are just gathering your details to give you […]

Here’s an interesting tool I found while trying to find out which mortgage product reduced the overall debt by the most over a certain period.
Mortgage Balance Calculator
This calculator produces amortization tables for the mortgage which show the remaining balance at the end of each year.
The rate you input is used for the entire term but if […]

Squatters rights in the UK allow someone to apply for possessory title after 10 years and provided the registered owner does not object in the following 2 years the squatter effectively becomes the owner.
But what happens if a mortgage lender ‘delays’ repossession proceedings for 15 years?
Well, a High Court ruling has recently allowed Mr Djabar Babai of […]

Would you attempt to drive 1500 miles across Europe in 4 days in a car worth under £500?
If it was for charity, of course you would! Wouldn’t you?
Well that’s exactly what a couple of my friends are doing from April 3rd to 7th in a Nissan 100NX dressed up to look (a bit like) the car […]