Financial news

• NatWest close branches after housing-benefit protests

  24-11-2018 19:34 via theguardian.com
  Protests sparked by clause in bank’s buy-to-let mortgage agreement forbidding landlords renting to ‘DSS’ tenantsHousing activists have forced NatWest branches across the country to close as part of wider actions attended by hundreds protesting against the bank’s policy of discriminating against renters claiming housing benefit.A clause in NatWest’s buy-to-let mortgage agreement with landlords forbids renting to DSS tenants, a reference to the now-defunct Department
  
  Read more

• Giveaway budget leaves low-paid women worse off

  24-11-2018 13:32 via theguardian.com
  Study by IPPR finds combination of tax cuts and benefits freeze has widened inequalityMillions of women in low-paid, part-time work will be among the main losers from tax and benefit changes that will come into effect in April, despite repeated government promises to help them, a new study of the chancellor’s recent budget has shown.Analysis of the latest changes, carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), has also found that income for the top 10% of households will i
  
  Read more

• BDO set to become UK's fifth-largest accountancy firm - Financial Times

  24-11-2018 12:56
  Financial Times
  BDO set to become UK's fifth-largest accountancy firm
  Financial Times
  BDO has set its sights on auditing the biggest listed clients in the UK after merging with UK competitor Moore Stephens in a transformative deal that will shake up the competitive landscape in Britain's audit market. The merger means BDO will leapfrog ...
  
  Read more

• New mortgage deal offers a massive six times income

  24-11-2018 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Darlington launches loan aimed at professionals in wake of Clydesdale’s ‘monster’ offerYou might have thought jumbo-sized home loans were a thing of the past, but this week saw the launch of a mortgage that lets people borrow up to six times their income.The Professionals Mortgage has been launched by Darlington building society and is aimed at “workers in specified industries with a clearly defined earning potential”. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Conveyancing: now movers can compare prices and cut costs

  24-11-2018 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Green light for home buyers to get a better deal as solicitors are forced to publish feesSolicitors in England and Wales will be forced to publish their fees for conveyancing on their websites from next month, in a move to help home movers shop around and cut costs.It typically costs about £1,000 in legal fees to sell the average home, and around £1,200 when buying, with stamp duty on top, so the total comes in at about £2,200. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• 'They said I can't get fast broadband as I'm too near the exchange'

  24-11-2018 10:00 via theguardian.com
  A couple in rural Scotland were amazed by Openreach’s excuse for not upgrading their serviceFor years people living in rural areas were told they couldn’t get fast broadband because they lived too far from their telephone exchange. However, Openreach has turned that on its head by telling a Scottish couple they can’t have it because they’re too close.Scott McFarlane, who lives with his wife in Oldmeldrum, a village 17 miles from Aberdeen, says he was staggered to be told
  
  Read more

• Amazon Echo or Google Home: which should I buy?

  24-11-2018 09:30 via theguardian.com
  I’m thinking of getting a smart speaker for a present, but wonder if the novelty will wear offEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.I’m thinking about buying one of those Amazon Echo or Google Home speakers as a gift for my partner at Christmas. My worry is that it might be fun at first but then you stop using it. How have other readers g
  
  Read more

• Bitcoin price: Cryptocurrency expert says bitcoin still has HUGE value despite price slump

  24-11-2018 09:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  BITCOIN price has slumped as investors are reeling from a 44 percent loss in 12 months - but a cryptocurrency expert has claimed this dip is temporary and bitcoin is still the “greatest store value”.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• ‘I work night shifts until 8am and start university at 9am’

  24-11-2018 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Micheal Olorode, 21, on how he has funded his way through university without a loanName Micheal Olorode
  Age 21
  Income £12,000
  Occupation Studying to become NHS physiotherapistI’m a student in my fourth year of a biomedical science degree at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, but I also work 38 hours a week at Sainsbury’s to make ends meet. I do three night shifts a week, plus overtime if I can get it. Monday is the most hectic day for me – I work from 10pm until 8am on
  
  Read more

• The truth about investing: women do it better than men

  24-11-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Men are too emotional, they don’t focus, they buy on trend and they’re just too riskyThe vast majority of fund managers are male. Nearly all the bosses of the big banks are male. About 26,000 of the 31,000 individuals regulated to give financial advice are male. Yet the reality is that men, in general, are not that good at investing.Why? Because men are too emotional. They don’t focus. They buy the latest trend. Above all, they are inclined to be just too darn risky. Continue r
  
  Read more

• The smartphone apps that will change the way you bank

  24-11-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  As N26 makes its UK debut, we look at what you can expect from the new breed of servicesThe march of the smartphone-based “challenger banks” continues, with the German-based N26 the latest to launch in the UK.It joins other app-based banks, such as Monzo and Starling, that are shaking up the banking industry. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Opinion today: The UK's quiet online betting queen - Financial Times

  24-11-2018 07:02
  Financial Times
  Opinion today: The UK's quiet online betting queen
  Financial Times
  This article is from today's FT Opinion email. Sign up to receive a daily digest of the big issues straight to your inbox. Denise Coates, the chief executive of UK online gambling group Bet365, has never been one to seek the limelight. Though she ...en meer »
  
  Read more

Follow @financialnwsUK on Twitter!