Vicky Shaw

Some £51 million in additional funding has been announced by the Treasury so that HM Revenue and Customs staff can answer more calls and help more people on the phone (picture posed by model/Yui Mok/PA)
Money
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£51m announced in additional funding to help HMRC answer more calls

The decision was made after HMRC halted plans to close its self-assessment phonelines over the summer.
By Vicky Shaw
13 May 2024
The number of new homes being registered fell by a fifth annually in the first quarter of 2024, amid poor weather conditions, skills shortages and economic challenges, according to the National House Building Council (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Money

Wet weather and economic challenges ‘dampened house building in early 2024’

Some 21,967 new homes were registered to be built in the first quarter of 2024, down by 20% compared with the first quarter of 2023, new figures show.
By Vicky Shaw
13 May 2024
Cash transactions at Post Office branches totalled a record £3.48 billion in April (Rui Vieira/PA)
Money

Record £3.48bn in withdrawals and deposits at Post Office branches in April

The Post Office recently partnered with Monzo to expand its everyday banking services.
By Vicky Shaw
13 May 2024
Younger home buyers are being forced to gamble with their retirement prospects by taking on ultra-long mortgages, according to former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb (Joe Giddens/PA)
Money

‘Shocking’ number of ultra-long mortgages due to run past state pension age

Putting retirement savings towards clearing a mortgage could leave some people at risk in old age, former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb said.
By Vicky Shaw
13 May 2024
A fifth of people said they had a lot on their mind when they were scammed, according to Take Five to Stop Fraud (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Money

Afternoon and midweek are common times to be scammed, survey finds

Criminals take advantage when people are busy or preoccupied, Take Five to Stop Fraud is warning.
By Vicky Shaw
13 May 2024
The Post Office looked at the typical costs of various city breaks for holidaymakers, with Vilnius ranked as the least expensive (Peter Byrne/PA)
Money

Vilnius tops locations for a bargain city break, according to study

Typical costs in 37 European cities were analysed for the Post Office research.
By Vicky Shaw
11 May 2024
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Property News

Which period properties are most desirable for house hunters?

Homes from the Victorian era are mot desired due to their historic charm, solid construction, and spacious interiors, according to a new report.

By Vicky Shaw
10 May 2024
The 50th banking hub has opened, according to Cash Access UK, an organisation set up to help protect access to cash (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Money

Company committed to maintaining access to cash opens its 50th banking hub

The latest hub opened in Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders.
By Vicky Shaw
10 May 2024
There have been delays to the proposed pensions dashboards programme (PA)
Money

£54m jump in costs behind pensions dashboards programme

A lack of digital skills and ineffective governance contributed to the programme being delayed, the National Audit Office said.
By Vicky Shaw
10 May 2024
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Money

Mortgage holders hoping for relief on their payments dealt a blow, say experts

Around 1.6 million fixed-rate mortgages are due to end or have already ended at some point in 2024.

By Vicky Shaw
9 May 2024
The number of homeowner-mortgaged properties being repossessed jumped by more than a third in the first quarter of this year compared with the previous three months, UK Finance said (Joe Giddens/PA)
Money

Home repossessions jump as households ‘remain under pressure’ from higher rates

The increase in home repossessions is largely due to older cases working through the court system, UK Finance said.
By Vicky Shaw
9 May 2024
A net balance of 23% of professionals noted an increase in new instructions to sell during April (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Money

Home buyer inquiries flatlined in April amid affordability challenge – surveyors

The market seems to have been impacted by mortgage rates edging up over the past few weeks, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said.
By Vicky Shaw
9 May 2024
The average home insurance premium jumped by 19% annually in the first quarter of 2024, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers (Peter Byrne/PA)
Money

19% annual jump in average home insurance premiums

Last year was marked by bad weather, with weather-related home insurance claims totalling £573 million, the Association of British Insurers said.
By Vicky Shaw
9 May 2024
The window for filing self-assessment returns for the 2023-24 tax year is April 6 2024 to January 31 2025 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Money

Nearly 300,000 self-assessment returns filed in first week of new tax year

Some 67,870 returns were received by HMRC on April 6 as the new tax year got under way.
By Vicky Shaw
8 May 2024
Yorkshire Building Society has re-named some savings accounts to make them more ‘customer friendly’ (Mike Egerton/PA)
Money

Yorkshire Building Society gives savings accounts ‘customer friendly’ names

The new names aim to make it easier and clearer for savers when choosing a suitable account, the Society said.
By Vicky Shaw
8 May 2024
Waspi chair Angela Madden, pictured in March, gave evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee on Tuesday (Victoria Jones/PA)
Money

‘Speedy compensation needed’ for women affected by state pension communications

Compensation needs to be simple, clear and fair, Waspi campaigners told the Work and Pensions Committee.
By Vicky Shaw
7 May 2024
The average UK house price rose by 0.1% in April month-on-month, after a fall of 0.9% in March, according to Halifax (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Money

UK house prices expected to rise modestly over 2024, says Halifax

Affordability constraints are a significant challenge, the bank said, as its index showed the average property value rose by 0.1% month-on-month.
By Vicky Shaw
7 May 2024
Baby Reindeer stars Jessica Gunning and Richard Gadd (Lucy North/PA)
Money

Baby Reindeer success comes amid jump in subscription spending – Barclays

Popular shows, along with higher subscription fees and stricter rules around password sharing, have helped boost subscription spending, Barclays said.
By Vicky Shaw
7 May 2024
A house price growth forecast by property firm Savills has been revised upwards, based on an improved economic outlook (Peter Byrne/PA)
Money

Average house price could be £61,500 higher by end of 2028, forecast suggests

Property values are expected to have increased by just over a fifth (21.6%) on average by the end of 2028, Savills said.
By Vicky Shaw
7 May 2024
First Direct chief executive Chris Pitt said the £175 offer ‘will only be around for a limited time only’ (Tim Goode/PA)
Money

First Direct relaunches its offer of £175 to switch current account

The offer will be around for a limited time only, the bank said.
By Vicky Shaw
7 May 2024
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Tech

Insurers warn about fake and manipulated images being used in claims

People are using technology to try to make claims for incidents that may never have happened, insurers said.

By Vicky Shaw
3 May 2024
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