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Money Box

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The latest news from the world of personal finance

The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.

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Money Box: 17/03/2012

17/03/2012

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box, 17/03/2012

With Paul Lewis. No buildings insurance: a cautionary tale of two cottages.

No buildings insurance - a cautionary tale of two cottages. Plus, why most high street banks no longer offer safe deposit boxes. With Paul Lewis.

More than a million homes have no buildings insurance. So, what happens if you're one of them and your house is burnt down, through no fault of your own? Money Box has a cautionary tale of two cottages. Paul Lewis visits listener, Violet, who used to live in a semi-detached thatched cottage in Hertfordshire, until last month, when it was totally destroyed by fire. He talks to Malcolm Tarling from the Association of British Insurers and Laura Checkley, property litigation solicitor at Pemberton Greenish.

Will better-off families lose their child benefit? After months of wrangling, that question will finally be settled when the Chancellor, George Osborne, delivers his budget on Wednesday. As it stands, from January next year any parent earning more than £42,475 will lose the benefit altogether. But the Government is under considerable pressure - not least from within its own ranks - to rethink its plans. Paul Lewis discusses the issue with Lindsay Judge from the Child Poverty Action Group and Claudia Wood, deputy director of the left-leaning think tank, Demos. 

Where should you store your valuables? Money Box listener, Keith, paid for a safe deposit box at his local branch of Lloyds bank in Somerset last year to store a family legacy. But now his bank is changing the service. In future, it will cost more and the items will be stored by a private company hundreds of miles away in Scotland. Keith may be unhappy with the new service on offer, but he is lucky to have a bank safe deposit box at all. If you are a new customer, it is now impossible to store valuables in a safe deposit box at any of the major high street banks. Paul Lewis speaks to Keith and to Asian Network reporter, Catrin Nye, who's been investigating the issue 

What should you do if an urgent, official-looking letter addressed to a previous resident drops through your door? Especially one that's threatening the bailiffs. Should you return to sender - or open it and deal with the consequences? Paul Lewis speaks to Money Box listener, Annie and gets advice from Susan Marks from the Citizens Advice Bureau 





Presented by Paul Lewis
Produced by Sally Abrahams.

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