http://www.consumer-help.co.uk Free advice and latest news on all consumer matters in the UK Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:49:25 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en FSA proposals to always check borrowers' income will slow mortgage applications – but aim to reduce repayment problems Mortgage borrowers will find it takes longer to process their application and the self-employed could struggle to get a loan if proposals announced by the Financial Services Authority are implemented. The regulator has published a consultation ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/uncategorized/fsa-to-ban-fast-track-and-self-certified-mortgages/ A sub-prime mortgage company has been hit with a whopping £630,000 fine by the City watchdog for treating customers in arrears unfairly. Redstone Mortgages Limited overcharged customers a combined £500,000 in arrears fees between January 2007 and August 2009 and must pay that sum in addition to the fine. The Financial Services ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/uncategorized/mortgage-firm-to-pay-500000-compensation-for-unfair-fees/ Lloyds Banking Group has stopped selling the controversial payment protection insurance (PPI) across all of its brands, which include Halifax and the Bank of Scotland. PPI covers the repayments on financial products if the borrower is unable to make them due to accident, sickness, unemployment or death. More than 90% of PPI ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/finance/lloyds-banking-group-stops-ppi-sales/ Thousands of mortgage holders are facing rises in their monthly repayments because of a banking error. The Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank group, owned by National Australia Bank, said it had miscalculated repayments for 18,000 customers who will now have to pay as much as £300 a month extra, to make up the ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/finance/clydesdale-and-yorkshire-mortgage-error-consumer-stories/ The East Midlands town Newstead celebrated a £400,000 cash injection of lottery money to help revive the area. Former mining town Newstead has been awarded money through a project called Village SOS. The scheme is ran by the Big Lottery Fund and the BBC. The money will be put towards ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/miners-claims/lottery-dream-comes-true-for-former-mining-town/ Tory Prime Ministers and coal mines seldom make for a story ending with the words "happily ever after". And as if on cue, David Cameron was settling in at No10 as the last shifts ended at Welbeck Colliery. In the 80s it was arrogant Conservative policies that destroyed swathes of British industry ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/miners-claims/as-the-tories-regain-power-after-13-years-one-of-the-last-pits-closes/ Gravitas held its first roadshow at Bold Miners welfare Club (St Helens),the turnout was better then expected and all formers miners left satisfied with the advice given. Gravitas Laws legal team advised miners on Undersettling of Vibration White Finger Claims and also on Miners Knee Claims Via the DWP and information ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/miners-claims/miners-knee-and-osteoarthritis/gravitas-law-holds-miners-meeting-at-bold-miners-welfare-friday-23rd-april-2010/ The multibillion-pound compensation scheme for Vibration white finger claims and Miners knee claims was set up by the Government in 1999 and has paid out to tens of thousands of miners suffering from chronic lung disease and vibration white finger. The probe centred on the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM) which ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/miners-claims/police-investigation-into-miners-settlements/ Reading the tax sections of various forums such as MoneySavingExpert and moneysupermarket reveals the amount of bad advice that’s given out on them. A lot of misconceptions relate to auto technicians and mechanics looking for advice on tax rebates for tools bought for their work. The advice given often means that they ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/mechanics-tax-rebates/mechanics-tax-rebates-don%e2%80%99t-believe-all-you-read%e2%80%a6/ The simple answer is yes. If you wear specialist clothing or a uniform for work then you could be entitled to a tax rebate going back six years and an adjustment to your tax code for future years, bringing down the amount of tax you pay each year. Occupations that could be ... http://www.consumer-help.co.uk/claim-tax-back/can-you-claim-tax-back-for-supplying-or-washing-your-uniform/