News Articles

The months of summer are the busiest times for moving home, according to a new survey. Nationwide Building Society says that more people move home during the summer than at any other time of year. In doing so, they should...

Premiums of businesses and individuals living in flood-prone areas are likely to rise, it has emerged. According to Reuters, business insurance costs are likely to rise following the recent episodes of flooding across parts of northern England and the Midlands....

Research by the European Commission shows that the burgeoning late payment culture in the UK is killing small businesses. Late payment costs the UK economy about £20 billion a year and a third of small businesses admit to it being...

The latest figures by Nationwide Building Society show that in June average house prices rose by 1.1%, the highest increase since December. This is in spite of the unseasonal weather conditions. The average price of a property in the UK...

Research from Corgi suggests that landlords should be more vigilant when it comes to carbon dioxide dangers in their properties. Carbon dioxide related deaths totalled 50 in 2006 but there were also 218 people who suffered injuries as a result...

A study by the London Schools of Economics has put Britain behind France, Germany and the US for its business productivity. Poor management is said to be behind the lacklustre performance. According to the study, output per hour working in...

Retail growth in June is at its lowest level since November 2006, according to a survey from The Confederation of British Industry. In the survey 37% of retailers said that their year-on-year sales were up and 20% said sales were...

Forthcoming regulations from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) are likely to reduce insurance claims, it has been suggested. According to the Times, although the forthcoming Solicitor's Code of Conduct 2007 regulations may add compliance issues to small to medium-sized firms,...

In the event of a flood, business contents insurance could be vital, it has been claimed. According to Ambiental, a risk management consultancy firm, business contents insurance could prevent a small to medium-sized enterprise from being "wiped out" should a...

Lending in the UK mortgage market strengthened in May, it has emerged. According to figures published by the British Bankers Association (BBA), total gross mortgage lending in May 2007 was eight per cent higher than for the same period the...

Businesses in the North and South West of England are once again counting the cost of severe flooding due to unseasonally bad weather conditions. Insurance companies are estimating the cost of repairs and related business claims is running into the...

An individual's job title could affect their vehicle insurance, it has been claimed. According to the results of new data released by Confused.com, depending upon an individual's profession, insurance premiums could be affected by as much as 33 per cent....

Lloyds TSB Insurance has announced that it is preparing the implementation of its catastrophe plan, following recent flooding in England and Wales. The insurance provider has announced its decision following an increase of 800 per cent in the number of...

The smoking ban effective from 1st July is unlikely to reduce business insurance premiums, according to Ken Watson of Marsh risk trading. Mr Watson suggests: “I expect that the ban on smoking will do little to the costs of a...

Borrowers have been urged to obtain a fixed-rate mortgage before interest rates rise again next month, it has emerged. According to moneysupermarket.com, the country's leading ten lenders have increased their interest rates since the last base rate rise in May,...

Offset mortgages are becoming increasingly popular, new data suggests. According to figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), the number of borrowers opting for an offset mortgage last year resulted in the taking out of 170,000 offset products....

A majority of Britain's small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are failing to reap the benefits of connecting to the internet, it has been claimed. According to the results of a study by internet service provider UK online, out of a...

Those taking out a mortgage should remember the valuation fee, an expert has claimed. According to Julia Harris, a mortgage analyst from Moneyfacts.co.uk, would-be mortgage holders should be aware of any deals offering a free valuation - an offer that...

Small businesses considering installing facilities to accept debit and credit card transactions should make sure they consider all of the costs and benefits, according to one expert. Simon Bennett, spokesperson for UK payments association Apacs, said that while firms might...

Premium costs for professional indemnity insurance have been falling over the last two years, according to one expert. James Dieppe, a financial services analyst for research firm Datamonitor, said that premiums have dropped by up to 15 per cent since...

The current chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown has been called upon to give more help to homebuyers when he takes over from Tony Blair, it has emerged. According to Nationwide Building Society, homebuyers would find a revision of stamp...

New data suggests that mortgage lending in the UK is continuing to show strength. According to data released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), last month gross lending grew by 12 per cent to £30.6 billion, when compared with...

A majority of employees believe that career success is obtained through hard work, a new survey has found. According to the results of a survey by recruitment site Monster, 70 per cent of respondents confirmed their belief in being rewarded...

Britain's small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are being targeted by cyber-criminals, it has been reported. According to the results of a study by the government group Get Safe Online, 40 per cent of Britain's SMEs have confirmed that they have...

The progressive consumerisation of information technology could threaten Britain's businesses, it has emerged. According to Gartner, the security of British firms could become compromised by the progressive use of technology such as personal email services, instant messaging technology and VoIP....

The UK's HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office has issued a warning over increases in fraudulent correspondence that purports to originate from itself, it has emerged. According to the HMRC, since December 2006, the number of fraudulent attacks - which...

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has urged the government not to immediately legislate on matters relating to flexible working, it has emerged. In the wake of a recent report by the Equal Opportunities Commission into the matter, the BCC...

The cost of shop premises has been affected by recent interest rate rises, according to the results of a study by Colliers CRE. Ever since the interest rates started rising in summer 2006, prices in some locations have fallen at...

Banks are creating uncertainty with their fixed-rate mortgages and the market is becoming unsettled, it has been claimed. According to Lisa Taylor from Moneyfacts.co.uk, Britain's mortgage lenders are opting to either withdraw their current fixed-rate mortgage deals without offering replacements,...

Britain's small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are better-equipped to implement practices for flexible working, it has been claimed. According to the results of new research conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in partnership with the British Chambers...

The condition of a next-door-neighbour's property may affect the decision of a would-be homebuyer, it has emerged. According to the results of a study by Legal & General Insurance, 89 per cent of respondents confirmed that the visible condition...

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would benefit from owning their own commercial property, it has been claimed. According to Stuart Woodward, a business consultant from White Rose Finance, although renting commercial property may benefit SMEs in the short-term, over...

Further interest rate rises should be expected, according to the governor of the Bank of England. Mervyn King, the Bank's governor, suggested that markets could legitimately anticipate future interest rises up to six per cent before the end of the...

Most small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a strong relationship with their accountants, new data has revealed. According to the results of a survey by Venture Finance, 84 per cent of SMEs felt the relationship with their accountant was a...

Emails encouraging users to download fake patches for Microsoft Windows could pose a threat to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it has emerged. According to reports, fake security bulletins are being emailed which urge users to download a "cumulative security...

Britain's housing market has finally started to slow, an expert has claimed. According to comments made by David Stubbs, a senior economist with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, on the latest property price figures by Communities and Local Government...

The government has conducted one of its largest consultation projects to date, in order to look thoroughly at the rental market and how it can be regulated more closely to benefit both landlord and tenant. The three areas they have...

Buy-to-let property investors are showing signs of confidence and stability despite declining rents and rising interest rates, with many landlords looking to the longer term rather than focusing on current pressures. The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) reports that...

The Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) has today decided to keep interest rates on hold, it has emerged. In line with expectations, the Bank's MPC voted to keep interest rates static at 5.5 per cent for at...

An expert has called for new thinking for first-time home buyers. According to a representative from Peopleschampion.com, there is a need to create a range of new lending options which incorporate a number of elements, including mortgages, student loans and...

Britain's interest rates are likely to rise further before the end of 2007, a new survey has revealed. According to the results of new study of 58 economists by Reuters, a majority (51) are of the opinion that interest rates...