Borrowers were granted a reprieve from overdraft rates of nearly 40 per cent at the start of April as banks were ordered by the regulator to keep costs low as the coronavirus struck. But last week the Financial Conduct Authority reopened the door to sky high overdraft charges when it said it was not extending … Read more
Zopa to offer lower credit card interest rates to careful spenders who have better credit ratings Zopa will launch a credit card with interest rates as low as 9.9% The better the borrower’s credit score, the lower the rate they would be charged By Helen Cahill For The Mail On Sunday Published: 22:31 BST, 4 … Read more
The NHS has launched an ‘urgent’ review after figures showed death rates of people with learning disabilities and autism have doubled during the Covid-19 crisis. The dramatic U-turn comes after it had previously reassured the deaths of people in this group had been ‘within expected range’. Analysis of data by two separate organisations showed that in … Read more
Death rate for men and women was falling again last year before coronavirus hit, official figures show England and Wales death figures covering 2019 show falls in mortality rates Mortality rates ‘significantly’ reduced for men and women after flattening out Sharp fall in number of women dying meant figures nearly the same as for men … Read more
Savers pounce on NS&I after it ditched plans to slash rates, while other banks continue to cut theirs By Sylvia Morris and Fiona Parker For The Daily Mail Published: 22:01 BST, 30 June 2020 | Updated: 22:01 BST, 30 June 2020 Hard-pressed savers have flooded National Savings & Investments (NS&I) after its accounts topped best-buy … Read more
It has not been the easiest few months for savers. Rates were already languishing before the coronavirus pandemic, but now they are racing quickly to to the bottom. Two Bank of England base rate cuts and an economic shutdown, along with people piling money into the safe haven of savings accounts, has resulted in the … Read more
Lockdown, as we all know, has had its stressful and unseemly moments: brawls in the supermarkets, face-offs in the pharmacies. In short, it’s been a dog-eat-dog world out there. And nowhere has that phrase had a sharper resonance than in the market for puppies. As thousands of people have been desperate to get a canine … Read more
Anxiety rates have doubled among young people during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study. University of Bristol experts analysed data from more than 3,000 Britons and found a quarter of people under the age of 28 had suspected anxiety disorder during the crisis, compared to 13 per cent pre-pandemic. The scientists believe the ‘uncertainty and … Read more
Three months of brutal cuts to savings rates means the best cash Isa with no strings attached pays just £130 interest a year on the full £20,000 tax-free allowance. And falls in tax-free rates mean the best Isa available anywhere at the moment – a two-year fix – pays less interest than the best easy-access … Read more
More than 600 savings deals now match or beat inflation after prices rose by their lowest level in May since the 2016 Brexit referendum, but with rates at record lows the news will bittersweet for savers. The consumer prices index measure of inflation stood at 0.5 per cent in May, a four-year low and the … Read more