Investors wary of Latin lover
Abbey National's decision to recommend an £8 billion bid from Spanish banking group BSCH (Banco Santander Central Hispano) has gone down like a lead balloon with man...
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We don't like Stamp Duty
The rate of tax over £250,000 (now 3%) has risen four times since 1997 which to a degree is controlling house prices around these levels.
Since 1993 there has been...
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Britain is living in a bit of a fool's paradise
Robert Barrie
Chief UK economist at Credit Suisse First Boston
"Just because it's a big number, that doesn't mean it's a problem. It's part of a big balance sheet, and ...
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Borrowers unfazed as lending rises
The amount borrowed on mortgages, credit cards, personal loans and overdrafts continued to rise in June, the British Bankers Association (BBA) said today.
The highest a...
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HSBC cuts to the core
HSBC is planning an aggressive assault on the high street with a range of simpler banking, savings and insurance products that will be priced to rank in the top five of t...
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Council tax rethink still on the horizon
Council tax is likely to stay in its present form for at least another two years while the government rethinks its approach to funding local authorities. Last week the go...
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Don't leave it all to the Chancellor
An estimated 2.4 million homeowners could now be liable for inheritance tax because of the value of their properties, according to statistics released last week by Halifa...
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The trouble with HBOS
Why don't people want to invest in HBOS? It is one of the biggest and most profitable of our high street banks and mortgage lenders, and yet it commands a poor rating on ...
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Recognise the danger signals
Anyone who has made money on a house financed by a mortgage knows that debt does not need to be a dirty word. Many economists believe that even though we now owe £1 ...
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Is the repo man coming for you?
Rising interest rates and a slowing housing market can be a disastrous combination for overstretched homeowners. In the last housing market slump, in the early 1990s, rec...
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