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Archive for May, 2009

Treat your Dad to a free meal at Ha Ha this Father’s Day

Friday, May 29th, 2009

pestoTreat your Dad to a slap-up meal this Father’s Day with a two-for-one offer at Ha Ha Bar and Grill.

Buy one main meal at Ha Ha Bar and Grill on Sunday 21st June when you visit with your Dad and receive a second one free. Simply visit your nearest restaurant this Father’s Day and take your Dad along to claim the offer. The full menu can be found here.

You and a friend can also treat yourself to a bottle of Hardy’s wine when you spend £20 or more on a meal between Monday and Friday. To receive your complimentary bottle of wine, download the voucher here. The free bottle of wine offer is valid until 12th June 2009. One voucher is permitted per visit, subject to availability.

Low-paid workers less likely to have private pension

Friday, May 29th, 2009

low-paid-workersLow-paid workers in the UK are less likely to belong to a pension scheme than their higher-paid colleagues, a report has found.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 21% of men and 32% of women earning less than £300 a week were in employer pension schemes. 1.7 million men are in full time jobs which pay less than £300 a week, compared to 1.9 million women.

One reason that a higher proportion of low-paid women contribute to a company pension scheme than men is that more women work in the public sector, where membership of pension schemes is higher.

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50% of UK adults have no pension provision

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

retirementA survey has found that half of British adults between 20 and 60 years of age are not setting aside any money for their pension.

Of the 1,358 people surveys, under-30s fared the worst, with only one in three putting anything in a scheme. This figure rose to 55% of 41 to 60-year-olds.

The most common barrier for young people is affordability, with many saying they want to pay off debts before enrolling on a scheme. Others felt that retirement was too far away to be worth planning for. Those in the 41 plus age bracket gave a variety of reasons for not putting away money in a pension scheme, including being made redundant and leaving full-time work to have and care for children.

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Last minute travel insurance ‘expensive option’

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

maltaDisorganised holidaymakers could be missing out on the best deals in travel insurance because they book it at the last minute, according to the AA.

Research by the insurer found that over half of respondents purchased their single-trip travel insurance within three days of going abroad, with some booking insurance within hours of their flight.

However, customers who book their travel insurance at the last minute could be missing out on some of the best deals, says Christian Young, director of AA Travel Insurance.

“People who leave things to the last minute are inevitably going to have less time to be well organised and insurance tends to be back of mind until it’s too late,” he explained.

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Santander to rename High Street banks

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

santanderSpanish banking giant Santander has said it will rename all of its major UK banks - Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley - in a move that will mark the end of three historic banking brands on Britain’s high street.

A total of 1,300 UK branches will have their names changed to Santander by the end of 2010. Customers of Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley will be able to make transactions in any of the new Santander branches.

Abbey, which was snapped up by Santander in 2004, and Bradford & Bingley’s savings business, which the Spanish bank took over in 2008, will be the first to be rebranded, between January and March next year. Alliance & Leicester will follow later in 2010, according to Santander, which is now the second biggest banking business in the world after HSBC.

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Complaints about savings accounts double in a year

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

savings-accountComplaints about savings accounts have almost doubled in a year, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

FOS figures show that the number of complaints by customers rose from around 2,700 in the tax year ending 2008 to almost 5,200 the following year. In 2004 the number of complaints about savings accounts totalled just 800. The FOS blamed put the increase down to administrative delays in processing cash ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts).

Accountholders also complained about the safety of savings institutions, with many finding themselves locked into long term savings plans which savers regard as far riskier than they had initially been led to believe from the product literature.

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FSA steps up mortgage fraud crackdown

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

red-doorFines levied by the Financial Services Authority against individuals for mortgage fraud have already overtaken the level of fines issued in the whole of 2008.

Fines handed out by the mortgage industry watchdog totalled £302,445 for the first few month of this year. In addition the FSA has banned nine individuals and brokers from operating within the mortgage industry.

The most common form of mortgage fraud made by mortgage advisors involves inflating the applicant’s income so they can qualify for a particular mortgage. This is sometimes done with the customer’s consent, and sometimes not. Often mortgage advisors will ‘boost’ an applicant’s alleged income by including overtime money, forging payslips or pretending the individual has another part time job.

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Insurer warns of ’sharp increase’ in vet fees

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

cute-kittensAs an increasing number of pet owners consider cutting back on pet insurance during the recession, Sainsbury’s Finance has warned that veterinary fees have “risen sharply” over the last few years. Pet owners who fail to insure their animal could face some hefty bills in the coming year, the insurer said.

Joanne Mallon, manager of Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance highlighted the sharp rise in vet fees in recent years. However, research from the firm shows that almost 500,000 people have cancelled their pet insurance policies to save money during the financial downturn. Ms Mallon said that these customers were “leaving themselves exposed to some very large bills”.

Rival insurer More Than also highlighted the expense of sending pets to the vet in a report released last month. According to the firm’s research, the average cost of keeping a medium-size dog healthy throughout its life is £10,039. This figure does not include unplanned trips to the vet.

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Over-50s face “recession double whammy”

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

over-50sWorkers over the age of 50 are facing a “recession double whammy”, with fears of redundancy coupled with uncertainty about how much their pensions will be worth, two charities have warned.

A survey by Age Concern and Help the Aged has revealed that 28% of over 50’s fear that they could be made redundant because of their age, as cost-cutting employers take on younger and cheaper workers. The two charities said that these concerns are backed by government figures which show that the number of unemployed people over 50 has risen by almost 50% in a year.

Nearly half of those surveyed said that they were less confident that their pension and savings would be sufficient to live comfortably during retirement than this time six months ago, while 60% were considering postponing retirement because of financial worries.

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UK’s poor economic outlook could spell end to cheap borrowing

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

george-osborneBritain stands to lose its AAA credit rating that provides access to cheap borrowing on international markets after the international credit ratings provider Standard and Poor’s downgraded its estimation of the country’s economic outlook yesterday.

The agency expressed concern about the UK’s massive budget deficit and changed its outlook from “stable” to “negative”, prompting more calls from the Conservatives for an immediate general election.

S&P said that there was a “one in three” chance that it would remove the UK’s current AAA credit rating on its sovereign debt. A lower credit rating makes borrowing more expensive.

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