Money Saving News for December 2009
- Mortgage lenders reflect on stamp duty holiday trends - 31st December, 2009

Home buyers in the north of England have benefitted most from the stamp duty holiday, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has suggested today (December 31st).
The tax break, which was originally announced in September 2008, saw the nil rate threshold for stamp duty temporarily increased to £175,000... - Campaign launched to promote home contents insurance - 31st December, 2009

Home contents insurance customers are the target of a new campaign launched by the Home Office, it was confirmed yesterday (December 29th).
The government has announced that it will embark on an eight-week marketing drive to publicise how households can avoid becoming victims of domestic burglaries... - AXA launches auto insurance iPhone app - 29th December, 2009

Auto insurance customers have received a boost after AXA confirmed that it has launched a new iPhone app to provide support in the event of a car accident.
The insurer conducted research which found that a worryingly high 66 per cent of drivers are unsure about what action to take if they are involved in a collision with another vehicle... - Auto insurance claims '40 per cent higher in December' - 24th December, 2009

Auto insurance customers have been warned that 40 per cent more claims occur during December than in other months.
A study by leading firm AA Insurance found that the sizeable rise in the cases it witnesses can largely be explained by the hazardous conditions brought about by snow and black ice... - Car insurance consequences of drinking and driving highlighted by moneysupermarket.com - 23rd December, 2009

Motorists looking to maintain their cheap car insurance in the future have been told to avoid the temptation to drink and drive over the Christmas period.
According to moneysupermarket.com, male motorists are the most likely to have suffered a drink-driving conviction, with those aged between 31 and 40 in London coming top of the tree... - Britons given key Xmas home insurance information - 21st December, 2009

Homeowners must ensure that their properties are fully covered to prevent this year's Christmas celebrations turning into a disaster, it was claimed today (December 21st).
MORETH>N Home Insurance revealed that it witnessed a substantial increase in the number of fire incidents reported by its customers on Christmas Day in 2008... - Mortgage lenders see fewer Britons in arrears in Q3 - 18th December, 2009

Britons made a concerted effort to get on track with their mortgage repayments during the third quarter of 2009, according to new figures.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) confirmed that an average of 395,000 mortgage holders found themselves in arrears between July and September - a decline of two per cent from Q2... - Take advantage of cheap bargains on Christmas movie deals - 18th December, 2009

Families hoping to get into the Christmas spirit by settling down in front of a classic festive film should make sure they get a cheap bargain on movie packages through their TV service provider.
According to uSwitch.com, 91 per cent of Brits are looking forward to getting the popcorn out with a film this season, with 28 per cent claiming that "Christmas would not be Christmas" without their favourite movie... - Mortgage lenders' borrowing levels decrease - 18th December, 2009

New figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) show that the amount of money offered to those looking to purchase a new home or remortgage a current property has dropped in November, compared to the previous month.
Some £12 billion of home mortgages were made available last month, although this is ten per cent down from the £13.3 billion of lending in October and 14 per cent lower than September's £13.9 billion... - Utility bill customers in credit with energy companies - 17th December, 2009

Nearly five million householders in the UK are owed money by their gas company because their direct debit payments have not been updated to reflect lower utility bill prices, according to new research by moneysupermarket.com.
Some £454 million is owed to consumers from energy suppliers – equivalent to £89 each – and even when the £280 million of customer debt is taken into account, gas giants are still in credit by £174 million...