Woolwich is introducing a new 75% tier on its fixed and tracker range for the first time in more than a year.

US equities finished higher in fairly quiet trading on Monday, with the S&P 500 closing up (+2.2%) for a sixth straight session.

Recent figures show Britain is still not out of recession and how long an economic recovery might take will continue to spark debate for many months to come.

Both the industry and the regulator are responsible for the financial crisis and its impact on the UK, according to the FSA's chief executive, Hector Sants.

Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group have been accused of forcing cash-strapped firms to use their investment banking services as a condition of lending, according to Reuters.

Advisers could face regulatory repercussions if they fail to warn their income drawdown clients about the potential pitfalls of taking their tax free cash early.

The number of intermediary mortgage products rose by 7% from 2,063 in September to 2,203 in October, according to the November Trigold Product Index.

Interest rates have been held at 0.5% by the Bank of England for the eighth consecutive month.

RBS may need more taxpayer funds to nurse the state-controlled lender back to health, Alistair Darling said yesterday hours after announcing a £33.5bn bailout package for the bank — the biggest of its kind in the world.

Aviva's UK life and pension sales fell 25% in the first nine months of 2009, but the insurer says it has made significant improvements to its capital position.