March 2009 - Product Reviews

Bank Accounts - Saving in the Bank, or under the Bed?

Saving in the Bank, or under the Bed? Introduction The financial crisis, although far from being solely a British problem has, nevertheless, had a profound effect on the British financial services industry. Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money has been spent on recapitalising the likes of ... More

Reclaim Charges - Can I Claim Back Charges From Credit Card Providers?

Can I Claim Back Charges From Credit Card Providers? With all the publicity that has surrounded the returning of thousands of bank penalty charges to customers, the same rush to demand refunds for credit card charges is yet to occur. The principles for challenging credit card charges are the ... More

Remortgage - Mortgage Rates: How Low Will They Go?

Mortgage Rates: How Low Will They Go? Introduction The United Kingdom officially entered recession in the final quarter of 2008, and the Bank of England has been forced to make cumulative cuts in the Bank Rate – from 5.0% in October 2008, to just 0.5% in March 2009 – in an effort to arrest ... More

Insurance - Do Price Comparison Sites Really Work?

Do Price Comparison Sites Really Work? As the internet has evolved our online shopping prowess has become savvier and most of us are able to locate the exact products and services we are looking for in a relatively short space of time through the most popular search engines. Searching for ... More

My Credit Report - How Do I Obtain My Credit Report?

How Do I Obtain My Credit Report? What is a Credit Report? A credit report is, as the name suggests, a record of your credit activities. It also contains information, taken from the electoral roll, which can be used to identify you to a lender as living at a certain address, and with whom. ... More

Debt Consolidation - Government Debt Advice – What are the Guidelines?

Government Debt Advice – What are the Guidelines? Introduction One of the unfortunate side effects of debt is that it induces stress and, when stressed, we have a tendency to make irrational, spur of the moment decisions, or worse still, to do nothing at all and hope that the problem will go... More

Debt Consolidation - Debt Advice on Consolidation Credit Cards

Debt Advice on Consolidation Credit Cards Introduction Social and economic factors – not least recession, which the United Kingdom is experiencing for the first time since the early Nineties – mean that debt, and the management of debt, is a fact of life for many British consumers. In fact, ... More

Reclaim Charges - Can I Claim Back PPI From My Loans?

Can I Claim Back PPI From My Loans? Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) is a policy that is sold alongside a loan to provide financial compensation in the event that you are either made redundant, fall ill or otherwise lose your source of income and with it the ability to keep up your loan ... More

Debt Consolidation - Credit Card Debt, Who Can Help?

Credit Card Debt, Who Can Help? Credit cards are a valuable and easy to use source for short term credit. They also provide valuable backup warranty and liability protection when buying goods or services in excess of £100. However, they are designed as short term credit products and the ... More

Unsecured Loans - What is Reasonable Lending?

What is Reasonable Lending? Reasonableness can, to a certain extent, be in the eye of the beholder. What may seem reasonable to one may be seen as either a bargain or extortionate to another. The acid test is to review the circumstances and try to determine what is commercially fair and morally... More

Debt Consolidation - Debt Consolidation Loan Help

Debt Consolidation Loan Help Introduction The concept of a debt consolidation loan is simple; you take out a loan for an amount large enough to pay off all your existing borrowing – on credit cards, personal loans, etc. – including the interest on that borrowing, and you are left with a ... More

Unsecured Loans - Unsecured Loans with Bad Credit

Unsecured Loans with Bad Credit Introduction An unsecured loan is a loan for which no security, or collateral, is required. The loan is backed only by the creditworthiness of a borrower, and his or her, promise to repay the loan amount. As such, it is seen by lenders as a high risk form of ... More

Unsecured Loans - How To Find The Best Loans?

How To Find The Best Loans? Before you go hunting for the best loan, it helps if you have a clear idea of what you can afford to repay on a monthly basis and over what period you would like to repay it. This will give you some idea of the amount that you can afford to borrow and that, in turn, ... More

Unsecured Loans - Personal Loans, What APR Can I Expect?

Personal Loans, What APR Can I Expect? The Consumer Credit Act 1985 laid down the basic ground rules for how all forms of personal credit should be advertised, negotiated, documented, administered and settled. One of the key aspects of the legislation was that it introduced a standardised way ... More

Unsecured Loans - Bad Credit Loans, Are They Still Available?

Bad Credit Loans, Are They Still Available? Not a homeowner or have negative equity? Got a poor or broken credit history littered with CCJ's? Then getting an application for a new mortgage or loan considered could be difficult but is by no means impossible. Despite the current credit crunch ... More

Debt Consolidation - Debt Management, Can This Really Help With Debts?

Debt Management, Can This Really Help With Debts? Times of recession are particularly hard on families where incomes have reduced. What was once a comfortable lifestyle may be turned on its head by the reduction in income due to reduced working hours, voluntary wage cuts or loss of a job. It ... More

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