Financial news

• Hundreds of Santander customers in UK hit by banking problems

  06-03-2025 20:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Bank says it has fixed mobile and telephone service outages after people unable to make paymentsSantander has fixed the problems affecting its banking services after many customers were left unable to access their accounts.The bank apologised for any “inconvenience caused” and said no customers would “be left out of pocket” as a result of the outages. Continue reading...
  
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• Council tax in Scotland to reach record high with 15% rise in some areas

  06-03-2025 19:09 via theguardian.com
  Levies on tourists and cruise ships considered by some local authorities in attempt to plug funding gapsCouncil tax costs in Scotland will hit record levels next month after local authorities agreed to raise rates by up to 15%, with some planning new levies on tourists and cruise ships.All of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have announced council tax increases from April of at least 6%, with the majority raising them by about 10%, after years of successive cuts to their grant funding. Cont
  
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• Tell us: are you buying a house ahead of the stamp duty deadline?

  06-03-2025 18:20
  
  We would like to hear from people who are currently in the process of buying a property and hope to complete before the 31 March deadline As the 31 March stamp duty deadline looms, we would like to hear from people who are currently in the process of buying a property. The current stamp duty thresholds, which had been temporarily increased in September 2022, are due to fall back after the deadline, which means some buyers could end up paying thousands of pounds more in tax.Do you expect to compl
  
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• Tell us: how you have been impacted by the change to US student loan repayments?

  06-03-2025 16:00
  
  We would like to hear from those whose income-driven repayment options have changed recently due to TrumpThe online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans, such as income-driven repayment plans (IDR), have been taken down by the Donald Trump administration.Applications for IDRs, which cap what borrowers must pay each month at a percent of their earnings, are unavailable on the US Department of Education website. Continue reading...
  
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• Tell us: have you seen a scam online advert promoting fake crypto schemes?

  06-03-2025 12:22 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian would like your help to find out more about fake adverts or news articles that promote fraudulent crypto schemes on platforms like Facebook and Google A Guardian investigation has shown how a single group of call centres in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, scammed savers out of $35m. Victims were lured with fake adverts and news articles, often featuring celebrities, including the radio DJ Zoe Ball and the adventurer Ben Fogle, which they saw on sites like Facebook and Google.The ad
  
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• Bank and building society users hit by 33 days of outages in two years, say MPs

  06-03-2025 10:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Treasury committee finds disruption a result of 158 IT incidents affecting millions of customersCustomers at Britain’s major banks and building societies suffered the equivalent of more than one month’s worth of IT failures in the last two years, MPs have said.Enquiries by the House of Commons’ Treasury committee have found that nine of the top banks and building societies operating in the UK accumulated a total of at least 803 hours, the equivalent of more than 33 days, of unp
  
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• Crap jobs, fewer homes, less money, toxic politics. And peak happiness eludes the young: who knew? | Zoe Williams

  06-03-2025 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Given recent history and the state of the world now, perhaps the thing that makes older people happiest is not being under 45So there are two studies, one commissioned by Weetabix, one by the UN, but we don’t need to decide which one is likely to be the more reliable because, praise be, they both say the same thing: 45 is now the age of peak happiness. A massive 77% are more content with their lives after they hit 40, with two-thirds saying they no longer cared what other people thought, a
  
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• 'I worked for the DWP - everyone on PIP should take these five crucial steps'

  06-03-2025 07:47 via express.co.uk
  
  The number of people claiming disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment continues to reach record-breaking highs across the UK
  
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• Nationwide defends credit card rate hike amid allegations of 'rampant profiteering'

  06-03-2025 04:17 via express.co.uk
  
  Customers on lower-rate deals will see their interest jump
  
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• Exposed: listening in on a $35m phone scam – podcast

  06-03-2025 04:00 via theguardian.com
  
  What can a major leak teach us about how call-centre fraudsters work? Simon Goodley reports“I’d quite like to just try and get a deposit together, to buy a house and stuff.”After Mark* saw an advert for a financial trading website, he signed up to what he believed was access to an adviser who called herself Lilliana. Continue reading...
  
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• Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays, HSBC savers warned 'your rates will drop'

  06-03-2025 02:03 via express.co.uk
  
  Savers have been encouraged to read up on the rules before switching accounts
  
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• River campaigners to sue Ofwat over water bill rises

  06-03-2025 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Group claims regulator signed off on ‘broken system’ making customers pay for industry’s neglect An environmental group is to take legal action against Ofwat, the water regulator, accusing it of unlawfully making customers pay for decades of neglect by the water industry.River Action will file the legal claim this month, arguing that bill rises for customers that have been approved by the regulator could be used to fix infrastructure failures that should have been addressed yea
  
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