credit

Credit analysts are warning corporate and government bonds markets are seeing as much volatility as the equities market, and spreads are fluctuating to levels seen prior to the Asian and Russian crises.

The Funding Corporation is warning next year's traditional peak day for refinancing credit card debt - the first Friday in February - could see a sharp rise in the number of people rejected for credit by mainstream lenders.

The Liberal Democrats have launched a ten-point action plan to tackle household and consumer debt which, among other ideas, calls on the FSA to investigate mortgage payment protection insurance.

Shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin MP has published a consultation paper on savings taxation which suggests re-establishing the dividend tax credit for pension funds along with tax credits for offering financial advice could restore confidence in savings....

Adair Turner has repeated a warning that the current policy of means-testing certain benefits is putting people off savings for retirement.

DTI officials have backed off from plans to impose a ceiling on credit interest rates as research of overseas markets suggests a cap might exclude low income borrowers.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has renamed its money market fund and bond fund credit quality ratings as "Principal Stability" fund ratings and "Fund Credit Quality" ratings in the hope it will better reflect the meaning of associated investment classes....

The number of households receiving Pension Credit in April hit 2.45 million in April, which means the Department of Work and Pensions is now more than halfway towards its target of 4 million households.

Consumer borrowing still appears to be racing, according to the Bank of England's latest borrowing statistics.

The axe taken to the DWP by chancellor Gordon Brown in the Budget is a cause of great concern to staff at the Citizens Advice Bureaux as evidence suggests many people are already not getting the required levels of service from the DWP.