Vince Cable blasts lenders over delays in payouts to small businesses mis-sold interest rate swap products

Payouts: RBS appears to be dragging its heels more than most, having made just 21 offers of compensation

Vince Cable slammed banks for delaying compensation payments to small businesses mis-sold insurance, describing the scandal as a ‘catastrophe’ for many firms. The Business Secretary’s comments echo those made by City watchdogs as they revealed just 32 offers of compensation totalling £2million had been accepted by companies lured into taking out interest rate swaps alongside loans.

Bank boss Ross McEwan may need five years to get RBS fully on its feet again

Ross McEwan

He is expected to set out his plans to overhaul the bank in order to improve its customer service early next year.

'Get off your backsides' HMRC chief urges as deadline looms for thousands who could be caught out by child benefits changes

Mum and Baby

Parents have been told by the head of Revenue and Customs to 'get off their backsides' and register for tax self-assessment.

'Our bakeries have been left 20k out of pocket': NatWest refuses liability after 'sophisticated' online banking fraud

Out of pocket: Owner of Truffles Bakery chain, Peter Tompsett

Cyber criminals managed to swipe £19.6k from a small bakery business after hijacking its NatWest online banking system. But to the horror of the business owner, the bank is blaming it for the fraud and will not refund the cash.

Now pay into the nanny's pension: Middle-class parents face £600 bill a year under new rules

Squeezed middle: The cost of childcare could rise by as much as £600 a year for a family paying for a nanny as they are auto-enrolled in the new scheme

Under the Government scheme, families have to fund pension contributions for cleaners, gardeners and home helps whose pay exceeds £9,440 a year.

What should you know before buying a fund? A DIY guide to researching investments

DIY investing guide: A financial expert explains which bits of a KIID document are actually important, the parts investors are free to skim, and what important information they leave out

Investment companies have to produce a checklist of important details like charges and performance for each of their funds - but what do they leave out?

£7bn Twitter is ready to float on Wall Street as documents reveal company has never made a profit

Floatation: Twitter is expected to be valued at £7 billion despite never making a profit

Some 300 billion tweets have been sent since its launch, but last year Twitter still made a loss of £50 million.

Investor demand for Royal Mail sell off means shares 'now expected to reach more than £3 each'

Sell-off: Around 30 per cent of the shares on offer are expected to go to members of the public

The sale of the postal service, which potentially values it at up to £3.3billion, is now expected to price between 300 and 330p per share.

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MARKET REPORT: Rightmove shares are hot property again as house prices rise

Rightmove

Rightmove’s shares were hot property again when analysts waxed lyrical about the online estate agency’s prospects as UK house prices rise at their fastest rate for three years. They surged 29p further to 2367p, valuing the group at £2.4billion compared with £306million when it was floated at £3 in March 2006. Top US broker Morgan Stanley began coverage with an overweight rating and target price of £30.

BEN GRIFFITHS: How can we inspire our youth to consider an engineering career as demand for talent continues to outstrip supply?

BEN GRIFFITHS

Where will Britain’s next generation of engineers come from? It is a question many manufacturing businesses are being forced to address.

Carpetright founder Lord Harris of Peckham goes back to the flooring empire after Shapland's shock resignation

At the helm: Yet another profits warning has forced Lord Harris of Peckham out of retirement

The 71-year-old was appointed executive chairman of the company following the shock resignation of Darren Shapland after just 18 months as chief executive.

Investors in collapsed Yellow Pages firm Hibu ask Vince Cable and City watchdog to investigate

Torn: Yellow Pages-owner Hibu collapsed under the weight of its debts

Shareholders in collapsed firm Hibu have questioned the record of boss Mike Pocock, citing his sale of camera firm Polaroid to Ponzi scheme fraudster Thomas Petters.

INVESTMENT EXTRA: Banking on TSB as a good buy

Back to the future: Boss Paul Pester has overseen the relaunch of TSB

As owner Lloyds Banking Group primes TSB for a stock market flotation next year, it is worth taking a closer look at the new bank and assessing its prospects.

Network Rail boss Rick Haythornthwaite to replace Sir Roger Carr as Centrica chairman

New Centrica chariman: Rick Haythornthwaite will replace Sir Roger Carr from January 1

Rick Haythornthwaite will take up the new post from January 1 replacing Sir Roger Carr, who leaves to become the next chairman of BAE Systems.

We're moving into a new rental property but our landlord refuses to change the locks on the back and front door - is this legal?

Landlocked: We want our new landlord to change the locks - is it an unreasonable request?

I'm set to move into a new rental house and want the landlord to change the locks in case previous tenants still have keys and want to burgle us or trash the place. Is this an unreasonable request?

Santander is back in the best buy race with a two-year fixed rate mortgage at 1.89%

Rate race: Jessica Ennis-Hill is being used to promote Samtander's refreshed mortgage range

It marks a return to form for Santander after dropping from the second to the fifth largest mortgage provider last year.

Fixed rate mortgages look like they have already hit the bottom, so should you lock in? What next for mortgage rates?

In luck: Borrowers have seen the best fixed rates fall to new record lows - but they should beware big fees.

Mortgage lenders have offered some astonishingly low rates over the past year to those with big deposits, but it now looks as if these are starting to inch up.

A glass of wine with that fish?: Fishmonger with a twist reveals the secrets to starting up and standing out from the crowd

spt_rick 1.jpg

The golden rule for successful start-ups is to find a niche in the market - a concept that certainly resonates with Rick Toogood and his business Prawn On The Lawn, a former butchers-turned fishmonger and seafood bar.

Best month for new car sales in more than five years as new '63' plates and PPI windfalls drive demand

Top ten: Ford lead the way with new car sales so far this year, shifting nearly 250k motors. The blue shows sales in 2013, the red line sales in 2012 for each manufacturer

More than 400k motors were sold in September, a figure almost 50k higher than the same period last year and the largest monthly total for more than five years.

Barclays manages 95% take-up of its £6bn rights issue as it moves to plug £12.8bn capital shortfall

Rights issue: Barclays managed to sell almost 2.9billion of just over 3billion shares on offer

In its biggest ever rights issue the bank managed to sell almost 2.9billion of just over 3billion shares on offer.

Coventry BS launches best buy four-year cash Isa at 2.75% - but you have to put in exactly a year's Isa allowance!

New offer: Coventry BS has launched a new cash Isa fixed for almost four years - how does it compare to other deals?

Coventry Building Society has today launched a new cash Isa firing it into the independent This is Money best buy tables.

My dad lent his neighbour £60k. A year has gone by but he still hasn't paid back a penny - what can we do?

Out of Pocket: If your neighbour refuses to pay back the loan you may have to go through the courts to get your money back

My dad's neighbour has now moved away and is claiming that he has no money to repay the loan, and won't be able to for a while. It has now been a year and not a single penny has been repaid. How can we get the money back?

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Has your teenager flown the nest? Renting out their room for a tax-free £4,250 should cheer you up

Spare room: Des and Sue Figueiredo rent theirs out

Are you struggling to adjust (or leaping for joy!) following the recent departure of a son or daughter to university for the start of term? How about renting out their room for the prospect of a tax-free £4,250 to put a smile back on your face? Des and Sue Figueiredo are getting up to £850 per month.

UK thriving again with bosses taking on staff at fastest rate for six years and third quarter growth of 1.3% predicted

Rate forecast: Recent services figures are likely to add to growing conviction on markets that the Bank of England will raise the historically low 0.5 per cent interest rate by early 2015

The success of Britain's dominant sector in the third quarter of this year prompted predictions that growth could be as high as 1.3 per cent.

'Mission-critical': IMF ups pressure on rowing US congress amid warnings default would trigger a global crisis to rival 2008

Budget showdown: President Obama has called on the Republican House of Representatives to pass a budget and raise the debt ceiling, but opponent John Boehner wants concessions on Obamacare

Christine Lagarde said the stalemate over approving the US budget is at risk of spreading to the upcoming vote on raising the country's debt ceiling.

Santander and Nationwide win from bank switching surge as customers rush to join - so what's luring them all in?

Luring customers: Santander and Nationwide offered new current accounts last year - and have benefited from it

With new easier current account switching rules coming into force last month, many more customers may now be inclined to switch bank. But there are always going to be winners and losers amongst the banks and building societies. Specialist research firm TNS has today released the findings from its current account switching index and has crowned Santander and Nationwide as the real winners in the last 12 months.

There is a housing bubble but if we build more we can stop it, says leading property boss

Undersupply: Guy Grainger says Britain is in desperate need of new housing developments

Guy Grainger is the UK boss of the world’s second largest property agents, Jones Lang LaSalle – and has no qualms about saying there is a bubble.

Bank of England official urges borrowers to avoid big mortgages but sees no housing bubble

Mortgage bubble: Paul Fisher executive director at the The Bank of England warned mortgage borrowers against the risk of borrowing too much

Paul Fisher, executive director for markets and a member of the rate-setting monetary policy committee, said the housing market ‘is clearly gathering momentum’.

SIMON LAMBERT: Will you be taking a punt on Royal Mail shares?

Racing ahead: Investors will be hoping that Royal Mail shares bounce once the float has happened and they are traded on the stock market.

Despite the lack of a Tell Pat promotion to rival the old British Gas campaign, the chance of a flutter on the post seems to have captured the public’s imagination. Under normal circumstances, I’d tend to wholeheartedly agree with the expert view that many would be better off with a decent fund - but this isn't normal circumstances.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary pledges to be nicer to passengers to take on booming easyJet

The two no-frills airlines have been cruising at remarkably different altitudes

Where Ryanair has warned of lower profits, easyJet upgraded its own earnings expectations yesterday, pencilling in a range of £470million to £480million.

CAA in middle of price war as its proposals on airport charges are branded either generous or miserly

Airport charges: Heathrow was told to raise prices in line with inflation between 2014 and 2018

Heathrow was told to raise prices in line with inflation between 2014 and 2018, having asked for a settlement of 4.6 per cent above inflation.

House prices hit highest level for five years as they jump 6.2% to add £10k to the cost of buying a home in 12 months

0 to 6.2%: Halifax's house price index has gone from reporting zero inflation at the turn of the year to 6.2 per cent in September.

Property values increased by 6.2 per cent in the three months to the end of September compared to the same three month period a year ago, the bank said. The rapid pick-up in property price inflation since the start of the year has driven fears of a new housing bubble emerging, as government support in the form of cheap mortgages and Help to Buy stokes demand.

Payday loan critics say watchdog's new rules do not go far enough to curb 'out of control' industry

Crackdown: Payday lenders will have to check their customers are credit-worthy under new rules

Labour MP and payday lending campaigner Stella Creasey is among those to hit out against proposed new rules for the industry from the City regulator.

Cigarette-style 'health warnings' and limited rollovers, but no price cap: Watchdog's plans for payday lenders

Changes afoot: The FCA will begin regulating the consumer credit industry from April 2014, and has put forward a series of proposals for consultation.

From April the FCA will take on the role of regulating the industry. This is Money's credit and loans expert Adam Uren has taken a closer look at what it is planning.

Investors cheer as Aviva makes £500m more from sale of its US life and pensions business

Deal: An improvement in the US arm's earnings since then has enabled Aviva to secure a better price

Investors were cheered by the news as the firm squeezed almost £500million more out of the deal than first expected. This drove shares up 5.6p to 413.1p. An initial £1.2billion deal with Athene Holdings, an insurance company majority-owned by US private equity giant Apollo, was announced in December. But an improvement in the US arm’s earnings since then has enabled Aviva to secure a better price.

EasyJet stokes anticipation for bumper profits as summer heatwave fails to soften demand for getaways

Take-off: EasyJet has scotched fears over a difficult summer for getaways due to the warm sunny weather

The Luton-based carrier said annual earnings would hit the top end of City expectations, after already suggesting in July it was in line to smash profit forecasts.

BP investors boosted after it saves billions as it wins Gulf of Mexico compensation claims battle

Ruling: The victory comes at a crucial stage in the oil giant's trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill

BP had demanded that its compensation settlement be clarified, to prevent billions in bogus claims being accepted without any rigorous challenge.

William Hill blames bad luck and a warm summer that kept punters out of its shops for profits warning

William Hill bookmaker blames Summer sun for profit crash

William Hill is the latest bookmaker to issue a profit warning as the hot summer months meant punters stayed away from its betting shops.

As Tesco's profits slide again... Is this it for Britain's biggest retailer or a chance for investors to buy shares on the cheap?

Good news ahead? Chief executive Philip Clarke said Tesco's UK business was improving

Since its profit warning nearly two years ago Tesco has been investing in a major turnaround to improve trading in the UK and rebalance its focus around the world. But is it ever going to work or is this the beginning of the end of Tesco's dominance?

Small businesses bear the brunt of HMRC crackdown on tax evasion as sum raked in jumps 31%

Bearing the brunt: Small businesses have come under extra scrutiny from HMRC

HMRC has turned up the heat on start-ups and small firms, resulting in a 31% hike in tax revenue compared to the previous financial year.

'I balance my small business with school': Is your town set to offer free market stalls for teenagers?

Arty: Lucy Shaw of Luca Artworks

The Teenage Market, a free initiative that enables youngsters to showcase their talents, has been given the go-ahead to roll out in cities nationwide.

ASK TONY: Hundreds were dying in Cairo but our travel agent said we had to go

Exceptional circumstances: But Voyages Jules Verne still refuses to refund the deposit

My wife and I booked a trip to Egypt with Voyages Jules Verne. We paid a £350 deposit, with the £3,010 balance due on August 18. With the growing unrest in the country, I inquired about getting my deposit back. On August 14, I received notification that the balance of £3,010 was due by August 18. I was told that if I did not pay this, I would lose my deposit.

Empty home loans to transform derelict properties into affordable housing 'swamped' with enquiries in first month

New life: The loans are designed to help revive decaying empty properties

A scheme designed to bring some of England’s 710k empty homes back into affordable use has been 'swamped' by owners looking to renovate their houses.

US shutdown: What it means for your investments - and will you get cheaper holiday cash?

US shutdown: The Empire State Building and national parks are among places that have been closed

The U.S. has shut down various departments, sending nearly a million government workers home. But how is this going to affect you?

First your flight's delayed and now so is your payout: Passengers stuck as regulator sends cases back to airlines

Delays: 20,000 people are expected to take an airline to the authority this year compared to just 3,200 last year

Under European Union law, if your journey is delayed by more than three hours you are entitled to up to €600 (£500) compensation. However, airlines are routinely rejecting claims. If your claim is rejected you can refer your complaint to the Civil Aviation Authority. But now the authority has informed passengers that their cases are being sent back to the airline for a second look. This means passengers are essentially back to square one.

RIP interest: Rates for savers dealt a death by more than 1,000 cuts this year alone

Rate cuts: There have been more than 1,000 cuts to interest rates

Savers are suffering after interest rates on savings accounts have been cut 1,117 times this year - and a record 182 times last month.

New protections mean you must see a solicitor before you release equity from your home to fund retirement

Lifetime mortgage: Equity release is a loan taken out against the value of your house, paid back with interest upon your death.

The Equity Release Council has revealed 'extra consumer protection' guidelines, including a requirement for people to take legal advice before buying a product.

'I got my estate agent to pay for me': Could you claw money back to get a sale through?

Paid in full: Olivia Greenway got her estate agent to fork out for a disputed amount.

Buying or selling can feel like you're doing all the legwork while your estate agent pockets a juicy fee, but those hit with unexpected costs can get agents to chip in. Olivia Greenway found her estate agent chipped in some of their fee when she sold her house after a dispute arose over a water softener staying or going.

JAMES CONEY: It's time bungling HMRC changed its attitude to complaints

James Coney

How much anxiety and misery does HMRC think is acceptable to dish out to innocent people before it dispenses justice?

Number of households switching energy firms plunges to an all-time low, despite fact many could still save

Worst-case scenario: Homes could face a 5 per cent to 10 per cent energy bill hike by the end of this year

Just 2  per cent of homes moved to a different energy and gas company in the second part of this year, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said.

Money Morals: Should I lend my daughter £10k to start up a business when I think she will fail?

Tough choices: The Apprentice sees hopefuls compete for Lord Alan Sugar to back their business, but what should you do if a relative asks you to do the same?

My daughter has decided that she wants to quit her job and set up her own business and has asked me for a loan of £10,000 to help get started. The money is not a problem and I would gladly lend it to her but for one small thing – I don’t think she will be successful.

Halifax nudges up rates on longer-term fixed-rate savings bonds and Isas, but best buy Britannia one-year fix falls away

Fixed-rates: Providers appear to be concentrating on longer-term fixed-rate products - but shorter terms, such as Britannia's previous one year best buy has been trimmed back

Halifax has boosted rates by up to 0.4% on some of its longer-term fixed-rate savings products, continuing a similar trend of slowly rising rates

'Barclays put my £25k in shares just as the market collapsed': Saver earns no interest - but bank pockets £875 commission

Let down: Beth Thomas hasn't made a penny from her investment

In November 2007, a Barclays bank adviser lured Beth Thomas into putting a £25k into an investment that would only make money if share prices went up.

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Get saving now: This is Money's five favourite best buy cash Isas for 2013

number 5

A new tax year means a fresh Isa allowance to save. We pick our five favourite cash Isas for savers, don't miss this essential Isa reading that is kept up-to-date throughout the year.

Top 20 most reliable investment trusts: Best performers over the last decade

Top of the league: AIC analysed investment trusts to find the 20 most reliable and strongly-performing contenders of the last decade

The Association of Investment Companies has analysed all investment trusts to find the 20 strongest and most consistent performers of the last decade. We reveal the full list.

When will interest rates rise? A first increase shifts back as market jitters ease

Easing: Inflation slipped back in August and the Bank will hope it has peaked for now.

The bank rate is at a rock bottom 0.5%, and one day it must rise. The big question is when? We explain the factors that will decide when interest rates rise and how quickly, including the latest forecasts from markets and economists. Forward guidance was meant to offer reassurance, but markets responded with a spike.The past two weeks have seen a drift back, however, so what next?

Ten tips for buy-to-let: the essential advice for property investors

Hand holding model house to let

For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Read our top ten buy-to-let tips

Fixed rate mortgages look like they have already hit the bottom, so should you lock in? What next for mortgage rates?

In luck: Borrowers have seen the best fixed rates fall to new record lows - but they should beware big fees.

Mortgage lenders have offered some astonishingly low rates over the past year to those with big deposits, but it now looks as if these are starting to inch up.

What next for house prices? Cheap mortgages and Help to Buy fuel a mini-boom, but can it continue?

Houses and bar charts

Having started the year still in slump mode, there are now fears that a new property bubble is being stoked. So what now for house prices?

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