Money Saving News for March 2009
- Credit card charges 'costing Brits £9bn a year' - 13th March, 2009
Credit card companies' charges are leaving Brits facing a total debt burden of around £9 billion a year, according to research published recently.
Abbey, the credit card provider which conducted the research, found that around 69 per cent of people in the UK have at least one credit card. These customers carry an average credit card debt of £3,256... - 'Saddos' face higher car insurance premiums - 13th March, 2009
Vehicle insurance premiums can become prohibitively expensive for a group of people known as saddos - meaning speeding and drink driving offenders - according to research conducted recently.
The study, published by moneysupermarket.com, found that drivers caught being drunk behind the wheel can expect their average annual motor car insurance premiums to rise by an average of 91 per cent... - Could Friday 13th really be unlucky? - 12th March, 2009
Home contents insurance provider Churchill has conducted a survey which reveals an increase in the number of accidental damage claims for certain items on Friday 13th, suggesting that the day really could be unlucky for some.
The number of claims for broken mirrors, sinks and bathroom fittings increased by 20 per cent on Friday 13th last month when compared with the previous two Fridays... - Capital investment offering launched by Scottish Widows - 12th March, 2009
Investment management firm Scottish Widows has announced the launch of a new capital investment scheme called the Capital Protected Fund (CPF) 10.
The new offering, which allows investments between February 4th and June 11th 2009 and matures in six year's time, follows on from the success of the previous issue of the CPF... - Top tips for maximising pension payments - 12th March, 2009
Pension advice and help is on the way from Standard Life, which has issued a list of top tips for people looking to maximise the amount they will be paid by their pension on retirement.
The top tips include depositing the maximum amount into pension schemes in each tax year to take advantage of the full annual allowance... - Basic bank account with LBS 'offers high interest' - 12th March, 2009
Basic bank account customers at Leeds Building Society (LBS) are benefitting from high interest rates, it has emerged.
Leeds Building Society has claimed that some of its basic bank accounts are currently offering highly competitive rates of interest because they have not been cut in line with the Bank of England's base rate reductions... - Abbey Savings 'paints portrait of UK savers' - 11th March, 2009
The 'typical' savings account holder in the UK has been identified in research by Abbey Savings.
Abbey conducted a survey of its UK savings account holders which revealed that the typical saver puts £163 per month into an ISA savings account, but is saving £54 less per month compared with the same period last year... - Capital investments survey shows stock market speculators holding back - 11th March, 2009
Capital investors in the UK are currently reluctant to invest their money in the stock market despite the fact that many consider now to be a good time to do so, according to a survey.
The poll, conducted by LV=, revealed that around 33 per cent of people in the UK expect to look back on March 2009 as a good time to invest capital in shares, as many of them are currently going cheap... - Alliance & Leicester urges Brits to switch personal bank accounts - 11th March, 2009
Basic bank accounts from different providers cater for different needs, according to Alliance & Leicester, which has urged Brits to consider the possibility of switching banks in order to find the account best suited to them.
According to research published by the bank, 67 per cent of people in the UK have not switched their basic bank account provider since 1999 and 61 per cent of Brits have no intention of doing so in the near future... - Home mortgage holders 'hold back on moving' - 11th March, 2009
Home mortgage holders in the Midlands may be suffering collectively from paraskavedekatriaphobia, or fear of Friday 13th, according to a survey conducted by The Nottingham.
The building society found that 13 per cent fewer new homeowners will be moving into their houses this Friday, due to the superstitious connotations the date carries...