According to Footfall, which counts people going into shops, there was an 8.9 per cent decline in high street shoppers when compared to the same period last year, with Thomas Cook reporting a 13 per cent decline in winter holiday…

Skipton Building Society claims that for people making the purchases on plastic, the fact that interest on the credit card debt can cost more than the original purchase is a “ridiculous situation”. John Goodfellow, chief executive of the building society,…

According to the firm, over a fifth of lenders do not charge early redemption fees, meaning that consumers clear debt early will not pay a penalty for doing while saving on interest repayments. Sean Gardner, chief executive of MoneyExpert.com, said:…

That is according to moneysupermarket.com, which claims that through management and transfers of credit card debt, loans, insurance, utility bills and other products, consumers can put on pounds in the new year. Stuart Glendinning, managing director of the website, said:…

According to Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, 80 per cent of British consumers expect interest rates to be higher this time next year than they are currently, meaning that people should start saving now. Consumers also felt that prices had risen…

Brian Capon, spokesman for the BBA, said that people tend to take out loans during the Christmas season, or add to their credit card debt. “People do tend to perhaps borrow more over the Christmas period and use credit cards.…

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said that a business called Paid Surveys is sending out bogus cheques for £350 for people to engage in consumer research – with the first assignment being to ‘test’ a money transfer agency. With…

Saying that for many this is season is “Stressmas”, Dr John Sentamu quoted figures from Credit Action which indicate that UK spending will reach £51.6 billion over Christmas, with debit and credit card debt as much as £31.8 billion. “Little…