Halifax What was Halifax’s response? Did it review the premium and reduce it to reflect the prices that other people were paying in the market? Oh no. What Halifax appears to have done is reopen her former mortgage account with the bank, then charge the insurance premiums to that account. Halifax then continued jacking up the price every year, to a vastly inflated £800 at the time of her death – a figure her son says is around six times the going rate. The final insult was that Halifax charged interest on the unpaid premiums, making ever more profit out of its elderly, loyal and vulnerable customer. Full Article Nationwide The case of a retired London professor, John Stanworth, is among the most egregious. He lectured on business ethics and social responsibility, one reason he stayed with member-owned Nationwide for 40 years. Nationwide’s home insurance is provided by Direct Line, which in recent years raised Prof Stanworth’s premium to £1,100 for cover he could find elsewhere for about £300. Worse, when he made a £3,850 claim for flood damage, the loss adjusters reimbursed £400. Full Article Rias So how did RIAS repay Burton’s trust? Anyone who has been reading my recent columns about the rapacious behaviour of home insurance companies when it comes to loyal, older customers, won’t be in the slightest bit surprised to hear what RIAS did. In the early years it shoved up the premium by around 15% a year, then by 30% between 2014 and 2015. Yet throughout the period Burton had not made a single claim. Indeed, he is an almost perfect customer for an insurer, having not made a claim since 1977. Yet in the space of five years RIAS doubled his premium to £345 Full Article Saga It came out of nowhere. With no clear explanation, a retired academic saw the insurance premium on his second home leap by 56% – even though he has made no claims and the house is in a sleepy countryside village. When Philip Jones* called Saga, which insures both his London home and the holiday home, to pay his premium for this year, he was told the cost had jumped from £280 to £436. His experience echoes that of other Guardian Money readers, and reflects an ongoing problem in the industry whereby some insurers have been accused of taking advantage of loyal customers by bumping up their premiums, sometimes via automatic renewals. Full Article Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Millions of people should enjoy cheaper insurance after the City regulator announced measures to tackle the problem of companies bumping up the premiums of loyal policyholders. The rule change will mean that all renewal letters relating to motor, home, medical, travel and pet insurance will have to clearly flag up the amount the customer paid the previous year alongside their quote for the coming 12 months. Full Article Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Consumers who pay for car or home insurance in monthly instalments are being charged interest as high as 75%, according to the Financial Conduct Authority in a highly critical report on the £18bn-a-year industry. Nearly half of all households in Britain pay for their insurance in monthly instalments, but many are not told the high cost when buying online. The FCA tested 43 insurance and broker websites, including the major comparison sites, and found that 19 did not tell the buyer in full about the additional cost until they had to enter their payment details. In four cases, the interest charges were not displayed at all. Full Article

Contemplating the rain pouring down the windows I mentioned that I'd be soaked before I got half way to the supermarket, so Hubby volunteered to go on his own. This is not something he does as a rule, grocery shopping is one of the things that is usually done whilst he's at work or only under very close supervision. By the time I'd written a detailed list, explained why I wanted that particular brand or size and explained where everything is, I could have been there and back, have everything put away and be sat with my feet up and a nice coffee. When he did eventually return, he had dozens of things I didn't ask for as well apparently assuming that someone who does this twice a week can't possibly know better than he does on such topics as how much milk we get through ... I know he genuinely wanted to help, but if I didn't know him better I'd swear it was a ploy to ensure he's never sent to the supermarket again!

Hi, I am a new member and this is my first post. There is something that is bugging me for few days. I am studying in London Middlesex University, and free parking is very limited. There are only 3 short streets half a mile away from the university, which are unmarked. As the parking space is limited, sometimes many park outside the pavement, on the grass and the platform I marked in the street view outputs below. 2 days ago when i was looking for a parking, I saw a guy with an unmarked vehicle writing ticket to all the vehicles in the platform and the grass. But ignored the vehicle parked on the pavement. Also I saw a no parking sign on the wall,which was not there before. I can understand that the platform can be a private land (which I doubt), but can a company issue a private ticket to vehicles parked on the grass. Isn't the grass a council land? Would you be able to advice me whether it is unlawful or not, as every day tens of students are getting ticket at this area. I have uploaded and marked the points in question. As i am a new member, I cannot upload links, but you can see the exact location on Google map by copying and pasting the following coordinates: 51°35'07.3N 0°13'21.0"W Thanks for your time spend. Kind Regards

I am on ESA and HB. I do a sponsored walk for a local charity annually and this year the charity want to do a piece on me for the local paper including name and photo. I am on ESA for anxiety and depression so if this would to get back to people at DWP etc would I get in to trouble for 'socialising' and doing this event when I am on ESA and 'ill'? I know how the minds of DWP work - if he is well enough to do this and socialise and walk a long distance he is well enough to work - let's get him and sanction him then put him back on JSA! Silly question but would you decline the offer or am I safe to go ahead without risking benefit sanction? Thanks

This is a brilliant video that everyone should see if they can spare the time, especially the wealthy in the country. Im reminded of Nigel Evans the Tory MP who wanted his legal Fees paid after the legal aid cuts politicians should be ordinary people they never feel the pain of there policies nor have the experience of hardship to shape them. A brilliant quote from the video "How would you feel if we voted on making every MP get there electricity and there gas cut off, there fridges emptied, and said to work for 4 months and get there food from a food bank, how would you feel about that? You should realize how your policies effect people" Im recently a victim myself, these last 3 months havent been the best, i guess you could argue other countries have it harder, but we have the resources to make it easy for the majority not the minority. *(Please move it if it is)

Hi back in 2007 I took a loan from Egg for 25k I was paying it up to mid 2009 when I lost my job and I defaulted on it, after few months Egg appointed Collect Direct to recover, but it was a nightmare with them so after few letters they changed it for ARC, in 2011 Egg decided to sell the debt to ARROW GLOBAL and on my credit score I got a second default for the same loan from ARROW, now today (10/04/13) I've been informed that my debt has been sold again to another company - Cabot Financial 1. Can I default on the same credit agreement (loan) more than once? 2. How can I check what they got on me and what are the items that I should request? 3. What are the requirements of a loan contract to be lawful? (Does it need to be sign with my name or a tick in the box on the internet counts instead of it) 4. Is there a minimum payment that I have to offer to a recovery company for it to be accepted?

... and they may be in contempt Oh dear, oh dear oh dearVehicle Cntrl v Ibbotson.pdf