Customers should not use the information to form an opinion about equity release in relation to their individual requirements.
Nationwide: Almost a quarter of people are not saving
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Figures from the latest Savings Index, published by Nationwide, have revealed that 21 per cent of Britons are not saving at all.This represents a decrease on the 25 per cent recorded in December 2009.However, Nationwide's Andy Hutchinson said it "will be interesting" to see if the savings trend can be ... read more
Pensions exposed by dividend decline
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Pension schemes in the UK could be left exposed by a decline in the amount British firms allocate to dividends, a new report has suggested.Figures from the latest dividend study by Capita Registrars UK have revealed that British companies cut dividends by £10 billion last year.According to the report, firms ... read more
HMRC mix-up may affect a number of pensioners
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Errors surrounding the input of data into HM Revenue & Customs' new tax code computer could see a "significant number" of pensioners issued the wrong tax code, the Low Income Tax Reform Group (LITRG) has claimed.According to the group, the errors, which could affect millions of tax codes, may not ... read more
Pension deficit still above £90bn
Friday, February 5th, 2010
The total accumulated deficit of pension schemes in the UK is still above £90 billion despite recent decreases, according to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).Figures from the organisation's latest monthly bulletin have revelled that despite a fall of £42.2 billion between November and December 2009, the deficit still stood at ... read more
Pension bail-out denied for Reader’s Digest
Friday, February 5th, 2010
UK staff at popular publication Readers Digest have had their futures thrown in to doubt after a plan to plug a hole in the company's pension scheme was thrown out.Around 135 employees are set to be affected by the decision after the magazine offered a solution, which involved a £10.9 ... read more
Value of property continues to rise
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Property prices in the UK continued to rise last month, according to a new report.Figures from the latest House Price Index from banking firm the Halifax, have revealed that house prices increased by 0.6 per cent last month.The figure represents an annual growth of 3.6 per cent and sees the ... read more
BoE maintains quantitative easing programme
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
An announcement from the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has revealed that the bank is to maintain is current historically low interest rate of 0.5 per cent.The MPC also said that the Bank's £200 billion quantitative easing (QE) programme will also be maintained.Joanne Segars, chief executive of the ... read more
Blunkett praises equity release market
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Equity release schemes have a future in helping the UK to combat the challenges surrounding its pension and longevity issues.This is the view of former home secretary David Blunkett, who said providers of equity release could play an important role in helping the UK's property owners to realise the potential ... read more
Defaqto: BoE decision is ‘bad news for savers’
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
The decision to maintain interest rates at 0.5 per cent, announced earlier today (February 4th) by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, is "bad news for Britain's hard pressed savers".This is the view of financial information provider Defaqto, which said the move will be a "severe blow" to the ... read more
Regulator to hold governance events
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
The Pensions Regulator has announced details of three special events intended to provide scheme organisers with advice on how best to govern their products.Workshops will be held in London, Manchester and Nottingham to "emphasise the importance of securing good governance through having the right people and processes".The poor handling of ... read more
