Desperate families are finding themselves forced to borrow from illegal loan sharks as a consequence of getting into severe debt due to the high costs of paying for the funerals of loved ones, according to research by Funeralexperts.com. The data revealed that around 32,400 people (3%) of the 1.08 million people who were forced to…
Read moreHampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has announced that it has strengthened its Development Finance team with the appointment of Jake Sweeney as Lending Director, alongside a series of senior promotions as it continues to invest in experienced decision-making across its development finance proposition. Sweeney joined the bank in January 2026, moving from Goldentree Financial Services PLC,…
Read moreThe Building Societies Association’s (BSA) latest Property Tracker survey, conducted in January 2026, shows that the barriers preventing would-be homebuyers from achieving their aspiration remain financial – raising a deposit (64%), affording monthly mortgage repayments (50%) and access to a large enough mortgage (45%) – rather than attitudinal. With the main obstacles tightly clustered around…
Read moreThe Government has announced that around six million low-income households will continue to receive £150 off their winter energy bills with the Warm Home Discount scheme extended by five more years. The Government’s expansion of the Warm Home Discount last year added 2.7 million families to the scheme, bringing the total number of eligible households…
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