Posts Tagged ‘level’


Many consumers destined for soaring debt

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

It has been claimed in a recent report that many workers in the low and middle classes in the UK may be destined to struggle with debt for the next few years. The report claims that many low and middle class workers will not see any sign of a pay rise until at least 2015, which means that they will be stuck on the salary that they are currently on – or may even have their salary reduced – for at least the next three years or so.

In the meantime, the cost of living continues to soar, which means that whilst these workers have to cope with the same level of pay they are having to pay more for everything from the cost of energy usage to the cost of running a car, putting food on the table, and paying their bills. In addition to this, when the base interest rate increases from its all time low of 0.5 percent, many will be tipped over the financial edge, as their mortgage repayments rocket.

The report was released by the think tank Resolution Foundation, with officials from the group stating that it would be around 2015 before people in these classes saw any improvement with their pay scales. The report said that this was down to the effects of the recession and government cutbacks and could cause serious problems for those that see their outgoings steadily increasing whilst their income remains static.

James Plunkett, who authored the report, said: “We all know that the recession has hit living standards hard. But something deeper has changed in our economy — even during the so-called boom years, ordinary workers weren’t seeing their living standards rise. The big question now is what will happen when growth resumes — will ordinary workers reap any of the benefits? This report suggests that is far from certain.”

Tags: something, recent report, food, cost, outgoings, level, Resolution Foundation

Complaints about estate agents soar

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

It is a standing joke that estate agents in the UK have something of a poor reputation and are amongst the most disliked in terms of profession. However, a recent report has shown that people really do seem to be taking objection to estate agents, with the level of complaints made against this group having soared.

Figures have been released recently by the Property Ombudsman, which have shown just how much the level of complaints against estate agents has soared in the UK. The previous high when it came to estate agent complaints was reached in 2008 when the UK was still in the throes of the financial crisis and recession. However, the level of complaints has now topped this by a massive 28 percent.

According to the Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, the level of complaints has now reached its highest since records began twenty years ago. The number of complaints is said to be 40 percent higher than predictions for the year. He also expressed concern that the rising level of complaints have come despite the lower transaction numbers in the property market, which would means that people are having less to do with estate agents that they have in the past.

Hamer said that complaints were ‘unacceptably high’ with the figure for last year coming in at 1338. Many of these complaints related to lack of communication between the estate agent and the consumers, with others relating to marketing and advertising or the way in which complaints had been handled. The highest number of complaints were made against estate agents in the South East according to the figures.

Hamer said: “People are less ready to be satisfied in times of economic stress to accept less than perfect service, especially when they are spending a lot of money.”

Tags: Business Finance, communication, level, something, profession, Money, throes

Debt problems could get worse in UK

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

It was recently reported that there had been a drop in insolvency levels in the UK, with levels dropping again following the record level of insolvencies that was seen last year. However, whilst the news will have been welcomed in many industry sectors there are concerns that it could just be a temporary reprieve, and that the situation could quickly get out of control again.

One UK debt charity has stated that personal debt levels in the UK are set to increase, and whilst the recent figures have shown a drop in insolvency levels this is a situation that could go into reverse as a result of rising unemployment. Officials from the Debt Advice Foundation have said that it is likely that personal debt levels and insolvency numbers will rise again as more and more people in the public sector start losing their jobs.

The prediction follows recent announcements from the coalition government with regards to the security of jobs within the public sector. As part of the cutbacks planned by the government it is thought that around half a million people in the public sector will lose their jobs by 2014. The debt charity described the recent insolvency figures as ‘the calm before the storm’ and said that the government’s Spending Review could see the number of insolvencies soar by 20 percent.

David Rodger from the Debt Advice Foundation said: “Although 2010 has seen a reduction in the number of people becoming insolvent, the prospect of half a million public sector jobs being cut with little hope of the private sector picking up the slack, unfortunately means that the worst could be yet to come.” He added: “Although insolvency volumes are the product of a number of contributory factors, unemployment, particularly new unemployment, is a key determinant. If the predicted spending cuts go ahead we could see insolvencies rise to in excess of 40,000 per quarter, which is 20% higher than present levels.”

Tags: level, Debt Advice Foundation, Public sector, personal debt, reprieve, Foundation

Should those in debt protect their income?

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Most people hate the uncertainty that they feel about their futures, and there are many things that we simply cannot take for granted, such as our health, our relationships, and our jobs. Uncertainty about the latter has been particularly affected in the last few years due to the financial climate, and many people would seriously struggle if they were unable to work due to sickness, injury, or redundancy.

When you think about how much you rely on your income to pay bills, settle debts, put food on the table, and put a roof over your head, you realise just how difficult things would be if you suddenly lost that income. Every year many people find themselves suddenly unable to work due to sickness, injury, or redundancy, and the loss of that income can cause serious problems.

In today’s climate in particular losing an income can be very difficult because not only do people have bills and mortgage or rent to deal with but also debts that they might have accrued over recent years. This would put those losing their income in a particularly difficult position, as it means that they would not be able to deal with their debts as well as not being able to deal with their living costs.

One thing that workers can do protect themselves and ensure that they can continue to meet their financial commitments and pay their living costs is to take out income protection insurance, and this is available from a number of providers. With income protection cover you can protect yourself against losing your income through sickness, injury, or redundancy, and for a specified period you will continue to receive the sum of money that you have covered yourself for if you lose your job or you are unable to work.

You will generally find that with income protection cover you can cover up to 75 percent of your monthly income, although this does vary from one provider to another. The time over which you can receive benefits will also vary, and choices often include six months, a year, two years, and five years. Again, the choices will vary based on the provider.

The cost of cover will vary based on the provider you go through, the level of cover that you choose, and the period over which you want to receive the benefit if you have to make a claim.

Tags: relationships, income protection cover, insurance, level, debt, roof, cost

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