Bank of England

SALES OF tax-efficient individual savings accounts (ISAs) fell by 10% during 2005, despite net retail sales of funds outside the tax wrapper rising by 73% over the same period, reports The Scotsman .

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted eight to one to maintain interest rates at their current level of 4.5% when it last met at the beginning of this month.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has announced the UK base interest rate should be maintained at 4.5%.

Voca, the organisation formerly known as Bacs, which processes some 90% of UK salary payments to bank accounts, says latest figures on average earnings growth in the private sector argue strongly against the Bank of England cutting rates tomorrow.

The Bank of England should cut interest rates to avoid the threat of lower growth, higher unemployment and real problems for the manufacturing sector, claims a new report from the Trade Union Congress.

NATIONWIDE MUTUAL, the American owner of fund manager Gartmore, has decided against selling the whole of the asset management business but is instead looking to sell its UK operations, reports The Telegraph .

Net lending to individuals rose to £9.6bn in November from £8.9bn in October and was £0.8bn higher than the previous six month average, according to the latest Bank of England figures.

THIS MORNING'S papers report that a year of natural disasters has left Britain's consumers at their least optimistic about the economy since the Iraq war.

The minutes of the latest Monetary Policy Committee meeting show just one of the nine members of the committee voted to reduce the interest rate when they met at the beginning of December.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has once again voted to hold interest rates at their current level of 4.5%.