Whilst credit conditions have been particularly difficult over the past couple of years, since the onset of the global credit crunch, it has been reported recently that some lenders have been relaxing their loan terms, enabling consumers to enjoy easier access to loans and greater affordability.

In a recent report an equity firm in the UK has warned that many pensioners may actually be paying over the odds when they release cash from their homes.

It has been reported recently that the secured loans market in the UK is somewhat doomed, with the availability of secured loans becoming more and more rare as a result of falling house prices.

According to a recent report whilst loan rates in the UK may have increased recently there are still some decent deals available for a number of consumers.

Whilst it is clear that the ongoing recession is affecting most people in one way or another, particularly in terms of their financial situations and job security, a recent report has said that people that have damaged credit histories and low credit ratings are amongst the groups that will be hardest hit by the recession. [...]

After the recent Monetary Policy Committee meeting earlier this month the Bank of England announced that the base interest rate was to be left on hold at 0.5 percent.

It has been revealed recently that an industry watchdog is going to be keeping a closer than usual eye on loan advertisements and financial comparison sites in order to try and provide consumers with increased protection during the recession.

It has been revealed that many banks are cracking down on overdraft facilities and limits in a bid to try and reign in credit. Some banks are now conducting regular reviews on overdraft limits, and are giving consumes just one month in which to repay the money after slashing their overdraft limit.

According to recent reports the PPI ban that has recently been announced by authorities will result in further spikes to loan rates, which many industry officials have said are already spiralling despite the all time low base interest rates, which stands at just 0.5 percent.

According to industry official the decline of house prices across England and Wales continued in March, but was at its slowest level in the space of a year. In addition to this there was also an increase in sales levels, which picked up from record lows.

A number of economists have predicted that the governments plan to try quantitative easing in order to boost the economy will prove successful.

According to a recent report lenders have said that there is a good chance that credit will become more readily available for businesses and consumers over the coming months, although demand for credit is likely to remain subdued for some time to come.

Later this year the Financial Ombudsman Service is set to announce individual figures for banks and financial institutions with regards to the level of complaints each ash received about PPI or Payment Protection Insurance.

Official figures that have been released by the Financial Ombudsman Service have shown that the level of complaints relating to loan insurance in the UK have been shooting up.

According to recently released reports the interest rates being charged on personal loans in the UK are continuing to rise despite the fact that the base interest rate has plummeted.

Industry experts have predicted that the fees and charges associated with loans and mortgages from banks could soar in the future as a result of sweeping reforms planned by the government to stop a future financial crisis similar to the one that the nation has been plunged into now.

Lenders and PPI providers have been told by regulators that they will have to stop selling the highly controversial single premium PPI, or payment protection insurance, over the coming months, and providers have now been given a deadline by which they must have ceased selling this type of insurance cover.

Officials from the Competition Commission have recently confirmed that the sale of the controversial insurance cover known as Payment Protection Insurance or PPI is to be banned in 2010.

A leading house builder in the UK has revealed that revenues have fallen by almost 60 percent as the mortgage crisis in the UK continues. In the last twelve months house builder Redrow has seen revenues plunge by more than half with a drop of 58 percent.

According to a recent report some consumers are finding that in the current difficult financial climate they are able to access loans at better rates from a loans website, Zopa.com, which is aimed at matching borrowers up with appropriate lenders based on their needs and circumstances.

The shadow housing minister, Grant Schapps, has recently expressed concern over the interest rates that are being charged on some payday loans, describing the rates as ‘obscene’.

A recent report claims that millions of borrowers could be entitled to sue lenders and claim back a percentage of their loans, and this is because of alleged mistakes that some lenders have made with their loan contracts. Banks could be left facing whopping bills at a time when their financial situation is already facing [...]

According to recent reports many cash strapped consumers are paying higher than average rates of interest on personal loans, and amongst those being stung by these higher rates are pensioners and those that have a damaged credit rating – groups who are often struggling financially and can therefore ill afford to be paying higher rates [...]

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell, have been accused of acting like a couple of loan sharks after proposing the introduction of crippling interest rates on vital loans that are designed to help the poor to cope with unforeseen emergencies.

The National Consumer Council, which was recently renamed Consumer Focus following a merger, has reported that it is not part of a relatively new website that was set up to help consumers find the cheapest doorstep lenders. The reports indicate that the consumer watchdog is trying to distance itself from the website, which was set [...]

Consumers are being warned that over the past few months the interest rates charges on personal loans have rocketed, and rates are now well over double the official base rate of 2 percent, with more than a 5 percent margin between the base rate and the average rate of interest charged on these loans. In [...]

Since the onset of the global credit crunch consumers in the UK have been affected in many ways, with the cost of borrowing rocketing and with availability of finance in all sectors becoming more restricted and difficult. Many consumers have found that whilst they were able to get finance with relative ease a year or [...]

According to a recent report lending amongst UK banks is getting even more difficult, and many of the banks and building societies in the UK are set to cut their lending level even more than they have over the past year, since the onset of the global credit crunch. This data comes from a report [...]

PPI or Payment Protection Insurance has been at the centre of controversy for some time, with investigations revealing that in many cases this costly insurance cover was being mis-sold to consumers who did not want it, did not need it, and could not even benefit from it in some cases. PPI is a type of [...]

Although the subject of loan insurance, otherwise known as Payment Protection Insurance or PPI, has been at the centre of heated controversy for some time, this product still continues to attract complaints from customers and concerns from a variety of industry professionals. In fact, the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority, and the Financial [...]