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A tale of two housing markets: north vs south

Mon, 28 May 2012 09:09:01 GMT

The north-south divide in house prices is widening, according to figures for May published today. Rising property values in London helped push the latest national Hometrack house price index into positive territory, despite seven out of 10 regions posting falling or static prices.

House prices increase by 0.2% during May

Mon, 28 May 2012 06:58:33 GMT

House prices increased by 0.2% during this month, but the rise was only driven by London and the South, a study said today.

News in pictures

Sun, 27 May 2012 23:00:19 GMT

Our gallery of the best news photography

Cost of flooding could leave homes uninsurable

Sun, 27 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The annual cost of damage from flooding in England and Wales is set to reach £1bn for the first time this year, leaving some homeowners unable to insure their properties. That's according to property search firm SearchFlow, which claims the cost of individual major flooding events is also rising.

Travellers put on alert over high insurance excess

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Holidaymakers who have to claim on their travel insurance this summer have been warned that they could end up severely out of pocket because some policies have very high excess levels hidden in the small print.

Pension contributions 'may need to be made compulsory'

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The state will need to make saving for pensions compulsory if the industry does not radically reform by 2017, a think-tank with the Government's ear will warn next month.

Wealth Check: 'Debts are an obstacle to my business ambitions'

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The patient

Postcode lottery over holiday cash rates

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

There is a "postcode lottery" over foreign exchange, according to consumer group Which?.

Homeowner conundrum: To fix or not?

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

How low could Bank of England interest rates go? Sitting at a tiny 0.5 per cent for more than three years, the only way the Bank rate was set to go was up. But then last week the International Monetary Fund, in its latest assessment of the UK economy, floated the idea that the next move in base rate could be down to 0.25 per cent or even zero to wrest the economy from a eurozone-sparked recession.

Julian Knight: Be careful when you wish for free banking to end

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

'Free banking" is one of the most hackneyed phrases in the language.

Dangers lurk for investors in the old safe havens

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The financial world used to be a more straightforward place. With a little research investors and savers could sift out which products were safe. Money placed in a government bond for instance was a surefire way of protecting your capital while slowly accruing returns, while money in an emerging market fund was a seat-of-the-pants investment play: high risks but potentially high returns. But then came the financial crash in the West along with the developing euro crisis and the lines of what is safe and not so safe have become blurred at best, if not torn asunder.

Donald MacInnes: Being money-minded isn't child's play – well it wasn't for me

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

I suppose few of us are particularly financially organised when we are children, for the simple reason that there is no need for us to be a slave to interest rates while we still talk to our teddies. Especially if they answer us back. Actually, mine still do. Anyway, displaying early monetary acumen is not natural. If we were meant to be fiscally competent at an early age, Pampers would come in pinstripes.

The Bargain Hunter: Discounts in the bag at Debenhams

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Debenhams introduced a fantastic discount on Radley handbags and accessories this week, with 30 per cent off selected ranges online.

Free banking? No. You're just not aware of the cost

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Are you one of the millions that think they benefit from free banking? Not so, according to banking chief Andrew Bailey. The Bank of England director – who is set to be named boss of the new Prudential Regulatory Authority later this year – warned this week that the notion of free banking is a "myth".

Spotlight On: NS&I's Investment Account

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The deal

Simon Read: We must continue to keep a close eye on the high-cost lenders

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

There was a small victory this week in our continuing campaign to control the actions of unscrupulous payday lenders.

Questions Of Cash: Mobile thief dialled up £1,700 bill – and I've got to pay half

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Q. I lost my mobile phone on Sunday 11 March. I expected to find it, so only called Orange asking it to block calls on the Tuesday. I was then told the phone had been used by someone else to run up a bill of £1,700. Orange insists that I pay this because I had not reported the loss within 24 hours.

Derek Pain: Likely prospects in beers and Mears if Plus is saved by Icap

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Many small shareholders and around 150 companies should be delighted that a saviour has materialised for the fringe Plus share market. Mind you, the rescue is not complete with a number of hurdles to be overcome.

More turn to the Ombudsman as complaints soar

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The Financial Ombudsman Service is expecting aboom in complaints overthe next couple of years as more people, strapped for cash, examine their policies to find out whether they have been mis-sold.

In The Red: Being money-minded isn't child's play – well it wasn't for me

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Money Insider: First-time buyers need the help of 95% mortgages

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The latest figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders made grim reading this week, as it reported new lending was at its lowest for 12 months. It was estimated that £10.2bn was lent in April, almost 20 per cent lower than the March figures which were inflated due to first-time buyers trying to complete their purchases before the stamp duty concession came to an end.

Mark Dampier: High-flying financier is one to watch for future

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

I am always on the lookout for younger fund managers who might become the Nigel Thomas or Neil Woodford of tomorrow. Alex Savvides, manager of the JO Hambro UK Dynamic Fund, could be a contender. Few people will have of heard of him, yet he has been running this fund for four years with considerable success, returning around 27 per cent against about 7 per cent for the sector.

Five Questions About: The courier scam

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

What's that – a new daily paper?

Cashback no longer on the cards at Barclaycard

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Anyone who has been collecting Reward Money through Barclaycard's Freedom incentive programme has just two months to use their points.

Call to end free bank accounts

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:30:12 GMT

Banks must be told to stop offering free current accounts if Britain wants to stamp out mis-selling scandals, a senior regulator said today.