Are building societies safer than banks?

By Rebecca Atkinson    Update: Tue, 28/10/2008 - 16:03

As savers increasingly look for the safest home for their cash, some experts are recommending building societies over banks. Rebecca Atkinson asks: are mutuals really safer than banks? Read more

Offshore savers exposed by 'gap' in protection scheme

Update: Wed, 08/10/2008 - 09:53

Billions of pounds of British savers’ money in offshore accounts is potentially at risk if a bank goes under as no deposit protection schemes exists in Channel Islands Jersey and Guernsey. Read more

Alliance & Leicester in record £7 million fine

Update: Tue, 07/10/2008 - 11:10

Alliance and Leicester has been fined a record £7 million by the City watchdog for putting pressure on loan borrowers to take out payment protection insurance. Read more

Is this the end for single premium PPI?

Update: Tue, 30/09/2008 - 15:40

The financial watchdog is urging banks to stop selling single premium payment protection insurance alongside personal loans as part of its plans to beef up the regulation of this controversial protection product. Read more

Mortgage lender fined £1.12 million

Update: Thu, 25/09/2008 - 10:57

Sub-prime mortgage lender GE Money Home Lending has been fined a whopping £1.12 million by the financial regulator for leaving nearly 700 borrowers at a financial loss. Read more

Firm fined over bad PPI sales

Wed, 30/07/2008 - 10:23

Mutual society Liverpool Victoria has been fined £840,000 for pressurising people to take out PPI over the phone. Read more

House-buying fun part three - it's all over and I live to tell the tale

Well at long last we have moved into our new home and what a delight it is. It was a long and tortuous journey to reach this point largely due to the incompetence of the banks, solicitors and estate agents involved. So what lessons could be learnt from the saga? For a start the country’s largest mortgage lender certainly needs to tighten up its systems and training. Also, solicitors need to learn to communicate with each other, and their clients, more efficiently. As for estate agents, well it's best left unsaid...

Price comparison sites to be probed over confusion fears

Update: Wed, 20/08/2008 - 13:18

Price comparison websites are to be investigated by the financial watchdog amid fears that consumers find them confusing and mis-leading. Read more

HSBC subsidiary fined £1 million for PPI failings

Update: Fri, 06/06/2008 - 14:06

A subsidiary of HSBC has been fined over £1 million by the Financial Services Authority for the way it sold payment protection insurance to customers. Read more