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Money Box: Savings teaser rates; Payday lenders; Care bugbears; iPad fraud alert

Savings teaser rates; Payday lenders; Care bugbears; iPad fraud alert

01/03/2014

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box, Savings teaser rates; Payday lenders; Care bugbears; iPad fraud alert

Getting tough on consumer credit, care bugbears, and an end to savings teaser rates?

Finance news with Paul Lewis. Two major savings firms act to end teaser rates; the City Regulator warns it will get tough on payday loans; residential care home fees bugbears.

On Money Box with Paul Lewis:

An end to savings teaser rate? Nationwide building society has ended teaser rates on savings accounts. But existing customers will stay on the old rates unless they ask to move. The loss-making RBS - which scrapped teaser rates on savings some time ago - is simplifying its range and moving customers into one of three new savings accounts. Some may end up worse off. Is this a trend?

From April 1st Britain's most powerful regulator - the Financial Conduct Authority - takes over responsibility from the OFT for all consumer credit firms. This week it revealed the new rules they will have to follow. Its boss, Martin Wheatley, has told the programme they will make credit harder to get as affordability checks will have to be more thorough. But will it really get tough and stamp out poor lending practises by payday lenders? 

With fees for residential care averaging more than £530 a week getting some or all of them paid by the local council is a valuable prize. No fees are paid if capital assets exceed £23,250 (£25,250 in Scotland and £23,750 in Wales). But elderly people who are tempted to give assets away to get the council to pay a contribution may be caught by the so-called 'deliberate deprivation' rules. And the council may be able to make the relative who got the money pay the fees. Money Box unpacks the complex rules.

Money Box has found that a major bank has allowed thieves to pay for Apple products using stolen identities because it did not apply a basic security check. One couple was pursued for months for a debt that was not theirs for i-Pads they had not bought. Hear their story in Bob Howard's report.

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Savings teaser rates; Payday lenders; Care bugbears; iPad fraud alert

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