Financial news

• Lloyds apologises after customers hit by online banking glitch

  11-02-2019 19:31 via theguardian.com
  Lender’s problem comes as IT outages in the sector come under increased scrutinyLloyds Banking Group has apologised to customers for problems with its online banking service that lasted about 24 hours.The bank said on Monday it was aware of customers having intermittent problems logging on to their online bank accounts. It only affected Lloyds customers, rather than the group’s Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands, and has not affected app logins. Continue reading...
  
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• The trade war with China is top strand in the White House soap | Larry Elliott

  11-02-2019 19:30
  Donald Trump may be a ham actor but he’s got the whole world on tenterhooks nowArt is supposed to hold a mirror up to society butfor Donald Trump the opposite is the case. Current events in the White House increasingly mirror the soap opera of the West Wing only with a rightwing nationalist rather than a social democratic globalist at the helm.As with the TV series, there are a number of interwoven plots. Is Trump involved in an attempt to smear the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos? W
  
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• Britain's Brexit slump will be quietly cheered in some quarters | Larry Elliott

  11-02-2019 18:44
  Those hoping to push through May’s deal can use the excuse, but the truth runs deeperBritain’s economy underperformed already low expectations for the final three months of 2018 and there will be plenty of government ministers who will be quietly pleased about that. Related: Manufacturing slump puts UK economy into reverse as Brexit loomsContinue reading...
  
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• Biggest offshore windfarm to start UK supply this week

  11-02-2019 17:55
  High hopes for Hornsea One as developer says its output could fill the gap left by nuclearAn offshore windfarm on the Yorkshire coast that will dwarf the world’s largest when completed is to supply its first power to the UK electricity grid this week.The Danish developer Ørsted, which will be installing the first of 174 turbines at Hornsea One, said it was ready to step up its plans and fill the gap left by failed nuclear power schemes. Continue reading...
  
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• Four-day working week: share your experiences and views

  11-02-2019 14:00 via theguardian.com
  We would like to explore the idea from your perspective, whether you are an employee, employer or policy expert
  Moving to a four day week: is it the ideal way to achieve a better work-life balance or simply a luxury incompatible with the modern world? We’re looking to explore questions around the idea and gather your perspectives for an upcoming article.In September, the head of the TUC said advances in technology mean that a four-day week working week is a realistic goal for most people b
  
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• E.ON is first big six firm to raise energy bills after Ofgem cap change

  11-02-2019 13:07 via theguardian.com
  Rise comes days after regulator increased cap on default tariffs due to higher wholesale costsMillions of E.ON customers will have their energy bills increased by 10% from April, after the German company became the first of the big six suppliers to announce new tariffs in response to the government’s price cap being raised.The rise comes less than a week after the regulator Ofgem increased the cap on default tariffs to £1,254 a year for a typical household, because of higher wholesal
  
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• Manufacturing slump puts UK economy into reverse as Brexit looms

  11-02-2019 12:30
  GDP contracts by 0.4% in December in weakest year for growth since 2012The British economy plunged into reverse in December, with a broad-based slump in economic output completing the weakest year for growth since 2012.The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product contracted by 0.4% from the previous month, fuelled by a fall in spending on the high street over the key festive shopping period. Continue reading...
  
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• My parents have a 'lifetime mortgage' – what happens if my mother sells?

  11-02-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  She will need to go into a care home soon and we’re worried the lender will set the priceQ When my father died, my parents’ joint mortgage was put into the sole name of my mother. This was when we discovered that he had not been paying the mortgage for many years and had in fact changed it to a what the lender called a “lifetime mortgage” which I understand is some kind of equity release mortgage.My mother still pays no mortgage payments (she is 90 and not in a position t
  
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• Apple admits there’s a fault with my iPhone 7 but I still have to pay

  11-02-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  My new iPhone 7 is struck down with ‘loop disease’ but it will cost me £300-plus for a repairMy iPhone 7 is less than two years old but has developed what has been dubbed “loop disease” – it continually refuses to start up, and will only display the Apple logo. Apple sent me to a store (an hour away) and I have spent several hours on the phone trying to resolve this. Apple has accepted it is a manufacturing issue, but will not do anything about it. It says my
  
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• A 4.30am start and three-minute toilet breaks: are you ready for microscheduling?

  11-02-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  It’s easy to feel swamped by work and succumb to stress, so some people have decided the answer lies in scheduling their day, minute by minuteWork is one of the biggest sources of stress in our lives, second only to health problems, according to a survey for the Mental Health Foundation last year. What work and productivity coaches call “overwhelm” is widespread, as notifications, conversations, distractions and interruptions all get in the way of actually getting stuff done. A
  
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• Fire-risk fridges still on sale in UK, says Which?

  11-02-2019 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Retailers such as AO and Argos selling appliances with plastic backing that can be flammableHundreds of potentially dangerous fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers with plastic backings are still on sale at UK retailers despite them being shown to pose a fire risk, a consumer group has said.Tests by Which? have found that the plastic backing used on some fridges and freezers can be highly flammable and, in the event of a domestic fire, can accelerate the spread of flames. Which? is calling on re
  
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