News Articles

UK first-time buyers are borrowing increasingly more to finance their home purchase, it has been claimed. According to figures released by Abbey, 53 per cent of first-time buyers are now opting to undertake the responsibility of a mortgage above £150,000,...

Employees are motivated by more than just higher salaries, it has been claimed. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), although small to medium-sized enterprises may offer lower salaries than larger organisations, employees can find them attractive...

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should make use of their brand when sourcing new employees, it has been suggested. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), in addition to brand utilisation SMEs should be making the most...

A majority of consumers expect further interest rate increases over the coming months, according to a new study. According to the results of a study by Lloyds TSB, 79 per cent of respondents made the prediction that interest rates would...

The majority of borrowers would not consider opting for a 25-year fixed-rate mortgage, new data has revealed. According to research by Abbey, a recent study of 1,000 respondents has found that 54 per cent would be unwilling to opt for...

Since the most recent floods in central and southern England, insurance firms are now said to be dealing with more than 50,000 flood-related claims. According to data released by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), as a result of this...

Graduate first-time buyers are still facing a number of difficulties in gaining a place on the property ladder, a study has revealed. According to the results of a survey by Scottish Widows Bank, 19 per cent of would-be graduate first-time...

A number of young adults are happy to forgo financial protection to secure a larger mortgage, it has emerged. According to the results of a survey by Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society, 30 per cent of young adults would be willing...

This year's wet summer has been bad news for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the ice cream sector, it has been claimed. According to the Ice Cream Alliance, with ice cream sales affected by the poor weather, additional side-effects...

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may have difficulty complying with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), it has been claimed. According to Alasdair Warwood, a member of the Data Protection Forum (DPF), although SMEs may have difficulty...

Britain's buy-to-let mortgage market is still strong in the south-west of England, it has been claimed. According to Barrett Homes, in spite of the recent speculation over a slowdown, the buy-to-let market remains buoyant and investors are attracted to newly...

Would-be borrowers will increasingly move away from fixed-rate mortgage products, it has been claimed. According to lender GMAC-RFC, tracker or discounted variable rate mortgages are likely to become more popular as short-term fixed-rate mortgages are becoming increasingly expensive. "Now is...

Insurance claims following the recent flooding across parts of the UK are likely to cost well over £100 million, it has been claimed. According to the Financial Times, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has estimated the total cost would...

In news which may be of interest to purchasers of business insurance, it now becoming easier to declare bankruptcy, it has been claimed. According to Belgravia Insurance Consultants, following a change in bankruptcy legislation in April 2004, bankruptcy declarations have...

The UK-based Forum of Private Business (FPB) has sought to refute any suggestions that small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are more stressful places to work. According to comments made by the FPB, staff in smaller organisations tend to be happier...

In news which may be of interest to users of van insurance, Direct Line is a more expensive motor insurance provider for most customers, it has been claimed. According to website Confused.com, the results of the recently published Deloitte Quarterly...

Blackpool's market for buy-to-let investment is improving, it has been claimed. According to Mark Fletcher of McDonald & Company estate agents, although the popularity of Blackpool as a holiday hotspot has entered a period of decline, it is a popular...

Scotland's buy-to-let property market is enjoying returns that currently outperform other areas of the UK, it has been revealed. According to figures released by the Bank of Scotland, buy-to-let returns are currently reaching an average in excess of 16 per...

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), British consumers will "struggle" to cope with higher repayments, as interest rate rises lead to a "crunch" in the property market in 2008, reports the Times. "There will be some, particularly first-time...

Buy-to-let investment returns have increased when compared with 2006, it has emerged. According to research released by Birmingham Midshires, over a 12 month period to June 2007, buy-to-let investors have generated average returns of 13 per cent. However, as a...

New homes and buildings must be constructed to be more resilient against extreme weather conditions, one expert suggests. Stephen Haddrill, director-general of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), says that any planned batch of new buildings should not be built...

The Property Investor Show, scheduled to take place between September 21st and 23rd, will give property investors and potential landlords an opportunity to learn about all aspects of property. A total of 120 seminars, which cover subjects such as buying,...

The flooding in the north of England has impacted not only residents but also businesses and insurance companies. Businesses are now being warned to brace themselves for the financial fall out. Clement Booth, chairman of Allianz UK, suggests that the...

Business will welcome some the changes set out today in Gordon Brown's Energy Bill, according to Confederation of British Industry director-general Richard Lambert. "There are plenty of individual elements to this legislative programme that business will welcome, though there are...

Small businesses have a range of options they can turn to offer financial support in order to get operations off the ground. That is the view of leading financial experts at Lloyds TSB, who say the opportunities to borrow have...

Chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling has announced that the government hopes to make changes to how lenders provide and finance fixed-rate mortgages in the UK. By making it easier for lenders to provide longer-term mortgage products - through assisting...

Small businesses can find being environmentally-friendly is "cost effective", according to one industry figure. Charlotte High, a programme manager for SmartWorks, a support project run by charity Global Action Plan, said that small to medium-sized firms could find that "environmental...

A study by Bibby Financial Services has revealed that 56% of small business owners rely solely on their overdraft facilities and person savings to cope with late paying customers. In addition, only 8% of the respondents have bad debt insurance...

The EU tax commissioner, Laszlo Kovacs, has indicated he was drawing up plans to significantly lower the number of reduced VAT rates allowed in EU member countries. If he tries to push ahead with the plans he will face strong...

Interest rate increases are finally beginning to make themselves felt in the retail sector, according to a Grant Thornton survey of retail trading statements. A review of the statements issued on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) during Q2 revealed that...

Small businesses and consumers will soon have greater rights of redress over complaints against companies in the energy and postal services sector. According to The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, proposals on a powerful redress scheme guaranteeing complaint...

Research by Cisco suggests that while a business manager’s top concern is finding and retaining talented staff, around half of them do not allow remote or teleworking from home or locations other than the office. This apparent dislike of remote...

The recent floods across the UK are a "wake-up call" for the insurance business, according to German insurer Allianz. Furthermore, the firm suggests that it is still unclear as to how high the cost of commercial insurance will rise as...

Small businesses in the UK, including those with business insurance, are set to "benefit greatly" from the newly formed Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, according to one industry expert. John Walker, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) national policy...

Company insurance and commercial insurance claims made up some four per cent of all notifications to Zurich Professional, the firm has stated. However, the organisation also indicated that this is often "far outweighed" by the value of the claims that...

Independent financial research group Defaqto has created a new guide to help people choose their insurance. Dubbed Defaqto Compare, the portal allows people to best utilise price comparison sites to find the cheapest and most relevant company insurance policies, Easier...

Shares in some of the UK’s leading retailers continued their downward trend during the last week as stock market fears mount over the impact of the recent bad weather and ever-increasing interest rates. Share prices for retailers across the board...

New research from Grant Thornton, the business and financial advisors, has revealed that 35% of medium to large sized businesses are expecting higher selling prices for the remainder of the year. This reflects the increasing rate of inflation in the...

A recent survey by AccountAbility (a social and ethical research institute based in London) and the Brazilian business school Fundação Dom Cabral, has named the UK in fifth place in the responsible competitiveness index, behind Sweden (1), Denmark, Finland &...

The costs of floods that have affected northern and central Britain could reach as much as £175 million, Aviva has announced. The insurance business firm said the estimation was still uncertain as some more bad weather could hit the same...

A discussion paper on the Retail Distribution Review was released by Financial Services Authority (FSA) on June 27th. Key areas of the paper will be discussed at a conference gathering senior speakers from the FSA and industry and trade associations...

Half-million pound worth of assistance to businesses which have been affected by the floods that hit the country this week and last. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) will make some £500,000 available to businesses in the form of interest-free...

Interest rates rose one quarter-point further to 5.75 per cent today, the Bank of England has announced. It has been the fifth rise since last August, making rates reach their highest level since February 2001. The rate hike will mean...

Small businesses should establish a stress management policy, according to the employee relations advisor for the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD). Ben Willmott states that having a stress management policy is advised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)...

New businesses should be founded on a "practical proposition", according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Matthew Knowles, deputy head of public affairs at the organisation, said that once the business concept is established as a solid one, then...

Prime minister Gordon Brown has announced that communities minister John Healy will coordinate to the government's flood recovery response. Speaking after the announcement, Mr Healy said that he welcomed the appointment. "I have seen first hand the effects of...

New legislation requiring firms to provide recycling facilities for electronic goods could impact on smaller firms, according to a spokesperson from the National Association of Specialist Computer Retailers (NASCR). In news that could be of interest to those operating a...

According to a new study by accountancy software and services provider MYOB, 55% of businesses say the increase in complex tax laws is the biggest contributor to financial pressures. Many business owners undertake their own financial management, which for many...

A new housing market survey suggests that property prices may have peaked at last. According to the June Hometrack property report, average house prices rose by just 0.3 per cent last month - half the rate of increase for May....