Scotland

Retirement Plus has launched its Property Plan equity release product in Scotland it was announced today.

The Financial Services Authority is funding three development officers to help build up financial education resources in Scotland and meet the needs of the new Scottish curriculum.

The average house price in the UK has passed the £200,000 level, according to the Department for Communities & Local Government.

Scottish Councils may have to refund £20m to pensioners who have been wrongly charged for assistance with meal preparation following legal advice on the free personal care legislation.

Residential property in London is now worth over 50% more than the average UK house price, and the value of UK property has continued to climb by another 2.1% in the last quarter, according to Nationwide's latest house price index.

Personal care in Scotland is free only where such care falls within a precise legal definition, which some local authorities find difficult to understand and charge unnecessarily as a result, according to Alison Bowes at the University of Sterling.

Annualised house price inflation has been cut in two over the past month after house prices fell nationally, according to latest figures from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Scottish Executive has unveiled a joint initiative between the government and industry to assess how to boost Scotland's position as a key financial services centre.

Average house prices rose in June to £173,756 compared with £170,719 in May, according to the lastest house price statistics from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (OPDM).

First-time buyers are likely to find it even tougher to get onto the property ladder at present as the latest house price inflation index from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister suggests property prices have grown 12.2% in the last 12 months.