Alternative gothic clothing

Alternative X is all about the “alternative” experience in terms of music, attitude, and clothing. At the Alternative X gothic website shop, you can browse the best in men’s and women’s alternative fashion, and be assured of competitive prices for quality goods – and a safe online shopping environment. Free delivery is an added bonus. Alternative X’s range of gothic clothing is a substantial one, with quality pieces picked out by our buyers (who, incidentally, are keen nightclub goers themselves). Whether you want an underbust or overbust corset, or a simple vest or shirt, there’s plenty of gothic clothing to like here. Women’s gothic tops are an Alternative X speciality, with a range of lace and netted tops, boleros, velvet blouses/basques, or long sleeved and short sleeved T-shirts. The latter include dragon, angel and fairy themed gothic tops. Alternative X promises free delivery to anywhere in the UK, so whatever the price displayed on the website, that’s the price you’ll pay for the item in question. There are no hidden shocks or surprises. More: http://www.cee.org.uk/clothing/

LED lighting

LED-Lights.co.uk is the stockist of a massive range of LED bulbs, and serves a diverse set of customer needs, from basic bulbs to colour changing bulbs, LED tubes and so forth. The LED bulbs on sale at LED-Lights.co.uk are top quality, competitively priced, and they’re used in hotels, and sold by select retailers such as John Lewis. When it comes to colour-change LED bulbs, one of the most popular in LED-lights.co.uk’s colour changing LEDs range is the Auraglow Remote Control Colour Changing LED Light Bulb. This inexpensive energy saving bulb comes with a small remote that lets you switch between a rainbow of colours, and it’s possible to select fading or strobing modes. LEDs-lights.co.uk also provides a range of LED tube lights, from 600mm to 1500mm in length, with some impressive quantity discounts for bulk buyers (buying 50 or more LED tubes gains you a £3.50 discount off each light). LEDs-lights.co.uk is also a trusted supplier of LED bulbs to businesses, which when given a large organisation’s lighting bills, can mean massive savings with LEDs-lights.co.uk’s bargain prices – and bulk buying discounts. More: http://www.savethemoorings.org.uk/Lights.htm

Telephones online

PMC Telecom is a telecom solution specialist which offers a vast range of corded and cordless phones, fax machines, headsets, answering machines and multi-line phone systems. PMC prides itself on its superb customer service, and deals directly with major telecoms distributors to ensure competitive prices on its quality merchandise. PMC Telecom offers an expansive range of cordless phones, including cordless phone and headset packages, and DECT phone repeaters (range expanders). And these excellent products are offered at very competitive prices. PMC also boasts a range from the world’s leading designer of lightweight communications headsets, Plantronics, including bluetooth headsets such as the Plantronics Savi Office W730 blutooth headset with a range of up to 120 metres. Should you wish to purchase a telephone and headset bundle, PMC also sell these. Headsets which are noise cancelling, or non-noise cancelling can be selected, and there’s a great range of money savers here. More: http://www.culturenorthwest.org.uk/?page_id=13

Injury Lawyers

The Injury Lawyers is a leading firm of legal experts who can pursue compensation on behalf of those who have suffered whiplash, work injuries, or any type of accident. The company operates on a no-win, no-fee basis, and offers free online advice from qualified operators on its website The Injury Claims Lawyers. The Injury Lawyers handle a vast range of personal injury claims – pretty much everything under the sun, in fact. So whether you’ve been involved in a road traffic accident, or a slip on a wet supermarket floor resulting in an injury, The Injury Lawyers will be on your side in the battle to get compensation for personal injury claims. Those who have had an accident at work could be entitled to compensation if their employee has been negligent or failed to observe health and safety best practice. The Injury Lawyers can swiftly evaluate any potential case for an injury at work, and pursue it with full force if there are grounds for compensation. No-win, no-fee really means what it says when it comes to The Injury Lawyers: If they don’t win, the client pays nothing – but it isn’t just this. The Injury Lawyers also don’t take money from the client if they do win, instead recovering their fees from the other party/insurer. More: http://www.the-wallace-collection.org.uk/claims.htm

Incahoot offers mobile and broadband deals

Incahoot is a website with one primary aim: To save you money. It’s a group buying organisation, meaning that Incahoot users get together and use their group buying power to leverage the best deals on mobile phones, broadband, landline phones, insurance, and energy tariffs. You could save over £1,000 with group buying energy deals coupled with mobile and broadband savings.

If you’re looking for a good deal on a mobile phone, then look no further than Incahoot. The site boasts a range of mobile phone contract offers, including some stand-out offers on iPhones, the Samsung Galaxy S3, and BlackBerry Curve 9320 (many with cashback or £100 bill credit). Check out Incahoot's mobile phone offers.

Incahoot also specialises in ferreting out the best home broadband deals. Some of the cheapest deals in the UK are put up on the website, such as half price broadband for a full year with Plusnet. For more information, check out the company's cheap broadband plans.

Money can also be saved in the world of insurance with Incahoot – but the service also takes into account results, too. In other words, these aren’t just the lowest charging insurance firms available, but the trustworthy ones too, so you can breathe easier if you do have to make a claim. Read more about Incahoot's insurance services. More: http://www.sportscouncil-ni.org.uk/Incahoot.htm

Argos and Homebase see profits fall

The Home Retail Group has observed a fall in its 12-monthly profit of just beneath 10%. The group who own Argos and Homebase have submitted full year profits of £265.2m which has been envisioned as the group had posted a profit warning last month, the firm reports revenue had fallen 2.8% to £5.85bn along with the cash gross margin fell 4% to £2.18bn. During the past year they saw a profit of £292.9m even so the DIY marketplace that Homebase competes in has been reducing.

A significant proportion of the Property Retail Group’s business is transferring to internet retail, reaching practically 50 % of all sales within the case of Argos. Argos is all so establishing a shopping channel to contend within the home buyer marketplace.

The group also have cut the costs of distribution and operation by 3%. Share costs remain around the 200p mark with a rise of 5% in early trading.

Home Retail Group chairman Oliver Stocken said:

"Economic uncertainty as well as a low level of consumer confidence continue to adversely impact customer spending patterns, despite these challenges, the group continues to construct on its strategic advantages to guarantee that it will be well-positioned for the economic recovery over the longer term."

Banks still losing money, crisis not over yet

Reminder: the financial crisis is anything but over. This is underlined by the fact the Royal Bank of Scotland posted a £1.1 billion loss.

While the loss is particularly linked to Ulster Bank, which is a RBS subsidiary and has guaranteed 100% mortgages in the Irish Republic, it demonstrates how the European banking system is still in crisis.

We still have issues of denial about the extent of problems in the Irish Republic, not least triggered by the European bond crisis which affected Ireland. And there are continued policy fights within the European Central Bank as to whether existing securities are enough, or whether a sea-change in fiscal policy is required which would see the ECB buying up European sovereign bonds.

In the meantime, everyone else seems to have forgotten that we haven't yet faced down the threat of a sovereign bond crisis in Europe. While there is a degree of optimism in the markets at present, it's worth noting that Portugal may yet require a bail-out, and if that happens then Spain is almost certainly next as the sovereign bond crisis slowly but surely unfolds.

And here's the elephant in the room - if UK property begins to fall in price as all trend indicators suggest they must, then you can expect a new round of financial problems to adversely impact Britain's banks, and our economy with it.

And then, of course, there are public sector cuts looming.

The financial crisis is anything but over yet.

Credit card write-offs increase

One of the more interesting indicators in the economy at present is that there is no overwhelming problem with debt.

Or, to put it another way, we still live in an environment of low interest rates, and because of this, debt remains relatively affordable.

However, one area where debt remains a more acute problem is credit cards, not least because interest rates on cards, rather than falling with interest rates, have actually been going up.

It is therefore hardly surprising that defaults on credit cards are rising, while defaults on mortgages with low rates remains low.

However, the real danger that few are currently reporting on in the media is that interest rates must necessarily rise at some point. When this happens, as it inevitably will, then mortgage and loan payments will be subject to higher default rates.

In an economy subject to major cuts in public spending and difficult conditions in the private sector, the only assurance with rising interest rates is that money problems are going to become far worse for everyone.

While the government is keen to make property repossession a matter of last resort for lenders, the overwhelming economic pressures building up suggest the property market is due for a fall, as mortgages become less and less manageable, with the ugly feedback loop of negative equity coming into play as values do fall.

Setting up the office

It has been a while since I last posted due to the length of time required to set up the offices.

Finding suitable offices has proven to be a surprisingly difficult endeavour, with quite a number on the market, but few actually properly suitable because of their existing design, not least in older buildings.

However, it looks like we're finally moving A1 Brokers into office space at Beechwood.

There are still a couple of issues to address first before we're properly operational, though.

The first is that we still haven't cleared a full list of representatives to send our leads through. We are still waiting for Central Trust to address some technical support queries to allow us to sort leads automatically for personal loans on our A1 loans website.

We're also trying to get the business phone system sorted out so that we can automatically direct leads for different products to different phone lines automatically. There are plenty of phone systems available for office maintenance, but it requires bringing a number of third party providers together, not least BT and their inept support department.

However, it looks as though we'll be setting up our broadband through a dedicated provider instead, and use a leased line internet connection to ensure we have plenty of spare capacity bandwidth. While it's proving an expensive option, we need to ensure plenty of redundancy is built into the service due to much of it being sorted automatically either via the internet or the phone line, so it remains an essential trunk of the business.

Office furniture is not so much of a problem. Because of the financial crisis there is actually a lot of inventory available at present for second hand, and we've been able to pick up quite a bit of office equipment like this. However, all electronics are being bought new, not least the business computer system, as the last thing we'll need is any of the main computers crashing and taking down our data or other essential operations.

Staffing is not a problem, either, as I'm bringing on board local contacts and freelance agents I've been working with for some time.

So all in all, it looks as though the office is almost ready. The pieces of the jigsaw are all in place, it's just waiting now to bring them together.

ISA deadline looms early in 2010

It’s that time of year again - when the deadline for last year’s ISA’s allowance comes up and is gone forever.

To be part of this year’s allowance, the transaction will need to be completed by 6 April 2010.

However, due to the Easter Bank Holiday, savers and investors only have until Saturday 3 April to do this.

Therefore if you haven’t already put your ISA money away, you have only days to get the situation addressed.

According to CityWire, the following are the best ISA’s currently on the market:

Leeds Building Society ISA - five-year fixed rate paying 4.6%
Nationwide Building Society ISA - five year fixed paying 4.25%
Saga at 3.9%
Coventry Building Society - one-year fixed rate at 3.25%
Santander Flexible ISA - 3.2%
Barclays Golden ISA - 3.10%.
Cheltenham & Gloucester - two year fix at 3.5%
Post Office - one-year fixed-rate at 3%

How savings are changing

The way people save has undergone a fundamental shift, but not a lot of people have noticed the change.

Traditionally, savers would put their money away into a savings account, where the interest rate would be reasonably competitive, could vary from time to time, with higher rate accounts offering higher returns the less you touched your money (ie, notice accounts).

Those people with a lot of money to save would often look to save their money in multiple accounts with multiple savings providers, and those in the higher income bracket saving into an offshore bank account.

While there were additional savings options for tax-free interest, such as TESSA's, PEP's, then ISA's, and variations on savings such as the premium bonds, that was as complicated as it got.

Those who did not want to invest in stocks and shares, mutual funds or index funds, futures, bonds, or other investment vehicles as part of a portfolio, remained just savers.

What has happened since the financial crisis impacted is now those savers have become investors, without realising it.

Most current accounts now pay 0% interest, and savings accounts rarely offer more than 1.5% .

However, many savings providers are now offering higher rate savings through fixed rate bond accounts, where interest rates can be 4% or more above the Bank of England's base rate, so long as you lock you money in to the account for two, three, or five years.

The result is a major change in the savings landscape that few have even noticed, as savers are now finding themselves forced into putting their money into bonds for a fixed term. In effect, they are now investing in investment products, rather than saving in savings products.

The surprise is that only a few savings and investment brokers have noticed this change

While some commentators have suggested that 2009 saw the growth of green shoots in the economy, others remain adamant that we are looking at a W shaped recession.

Either way, it looks like the savings landscape is not going to change any time soon, and that fixed term plans will continue to force savers to become investors in all but name.

Change of ISP

Well, it looks as though I'm finally moving ISP from Zen back to BT broadband, as I just called Zen for a MAC code.

It's a shame, really, as Zen has a far better reputation for service and support than BT, but the problem of wireless interference is a constant and annoying problem.

Plus BT are offering mobile broadband with their new broadband packages, and free BT openzone minutes, which will be very useful for business travel.

The caveat is that the pricing on the BT website is quite misleading, as those shown only apply to certain exchanges (apparently) plus they include 24-month pricing, which can take as much as 25%-30% off the 12-month price (so Option 3 is £45+VAT over 24 months, or £30+VAT over 12 months).

Still, at least I know from experience that the BT router supplied is far less susceptible to wireless intereference.

Which is very important, because if I couldn't get decent business broadband, I'd have to consider more serious broadband connection packages, such as a leased line or custom business SDSL, both of which are priced higher than normal mass-market broadband packages.

In the meantime, I can only hope the move to BT goes smoothly, and that I don't end up getting caught up in their cold automated support process - as BT customer service is not renown for being good.

How bad is the economy?

The more I read about the impact of the financial crisis in the UK, the more it feels that the UK is doomed economically, and that the best option now while you have cash in Great British Sterling is to cash out and move aborad to somewhere more financially sound - ie, not threatened with collapse by the weight of its own debt.

That may seem somewhat alarmist, but despite the claims of "green shoots" earlier in the year, we have not seen any signs that the economy is returning to normal. In fact, anything but, and that at best we're moving into a "lost decade" similar as to what happened to Japan.

Britain's debt to GDP is spiralling out of control, and even measures to reduce costs being mooted by Labour and the Conservatives are plain in their limitations - we are in far too much of a hole to be able to dig us out even within the next Parliament. It's going to take a full decade to even begin to expect to bring British debt to normality, and during this period, there is no reason to presume the economy will fare any better.

Repossessions continue to be high, insolvencies are expected to increase, and consumer debt is growing through credit cards and loans at a time when paying are supposedly paying off debt. Unemployment continues to increase in leaps and bounds (forget that's its slowing - double dip, people), and rather than help employers hire, the government is actually going to tax companies more for employing people.

In the meantime, ratings agencies expect at least a further 15% fall in house prices in the UK, and at a time when the market is limping forward, the FSA wants to bring in tougher rules on mortgages, while at the same time demanding banks hoard more cash.

And that's before we even get into the threats of deflation and unknown consequences of "Quantitive Easing".

The result of all these pieces in play can hardly be good for Britain - worsening debt, worsening access to credit, worsening consumer spending, falling asset prices, etc. The strategies in play may be different to Japan in the 90's, but the state of play is looking increasingly like it.

The problem, of course, is that while matters are exacerbated in the UK, these are afflictions across the world economy. So where is safe?

The answer is relative - the financial crisis is firmly rooted in the US and Europe, and while other areas have been impacted, their fundamantals have been far less knocked by comparison.

Asia remains strong and a bulwark so far against global financial collapse. While no doubt asset bubbles there are growing, they still don;t have the problem of being so invested in complex debt instruments that have so far crippled US and European banks.

In the meantime, now seems to be the moment to batten down the hatches or move on - economic power is clearly heading East, and to developing nations, and for those who remain, only the prophets of doom are left to comfort us.

Technical broadband problems

I don't normally write about technical issues. Though I can use computer technology, it all goes over my head and I don't have a clue how it all works.

I've come across an interesting problem while setting up my home office, though - wireless interference.

I was originally with BT as my ISP for broadband, but after previous problems with the company I decided quality of service was more important than price, so I moved to Zen Internet.

They sold me a Thomson TG784 router with the package, and all seemed to be running fine.

Until I bought a nice cordless phone, a Panasonic KX for the home office.

Both work very well and as required most of the time, but the problem is that whenever anybody rings, the broadband cuts out.

The result is quite annoying, especially as I keep getting sales calls from loan companies using autodiallers - which disconnects the internet every time, even when I pick up the phone on the first ring.

I've contacted Zen about the problem, but they haven't been much help at all. And I wouldn't expect much from Panasonic as the phone does exactly what is expected from it.

I was beginning to think I needed a different business broadband service. After all, there is a myriad of types to choose from - ADSL, SDSL, bonded broadband and even leased lines. And don't forget the satellite option!

Apparently, though, wireless interference is not all that uncommon.

The frustration is that if wireless interference is such a problem, then why is more effort not made by manufacturers to minimise the risk of it happening in

the first place?

This is especially when there appears to be quite a push to make much of home networking wireless.

It looks as though I will now have to look at changing my router to one that runs on a different frequency. which is obviously going to be cheaper than

having to get a new type of broadband installed.

It is still a pain, though. Still, I do not think I am the only one who has never got frustrated over a computer issue!

Searching for decent savings rates

One of the more highlighted features of the financial crisis is that savings rates have plummeted on savings accounts. Anyone who has diligently saved over the past few years now faces being punished by existing low interest rates for savers. However, now that the threat of financial collapse is receding, savers are reportedly worrying less about how safe their money is, as much as getting decent returns on savings. This is especially important because the volume of savings in the UK has actually gone up, even though many current accounts are paying little interest - with some even paying zero interest. However, there are still options for serious savers to get a decent rate of return on savings.

Firstly, there are still a number of UK accounts which will provide a return of around 4-5%, as recently highlighted in the Telegraph, plus ThisIsMoney lists a number of internet-based savings accounts which offer better savings returns. The problem is, many of these set limits in place for issues such as missed payments or withdrawal frequency, offer decent interest only for a limited period, or else have limited bonuses in place to boost the savings rate. The disappointment is compounded by the fact that building societies used to be more competitive on savings rates, but at present they seem more focused on longer-term savings such as cash ISA savings accounts and eBonds.

The second option is to go offshore - which may raise jitters for some after the crash of Icelandic banks at the end of last year. However, offshore accounts are still generally offering better rates than high street banks, even where the bank owns the offshore savings company. This is actually a key point, because in the case of UK-owned offshore banks at least, the savings are guaranteed by the parent bank. In other words, you're only likely to lose your money if the parent bank goes bust, but as we've seen with RBS and HBOS, any large UK bank will be propped up by the government.

There are a number of interesting comparisons worth checking up if considering going offshore - MoneyFacts and Money.co.uk both offer comparison charts. Unfortunately, the best rates being offered again seem to be bonds - in other words, locking up your savings for a specified number of years. At present an offshore bank account may offer a better savings rate than high street banks, but are still not as competitive as fixed term savings plans. Additionally, do be careful of risk - I noticed that a number of building societies offering particularly good rates, but do be aware that many of these had their ratings downgraded by Moodys. In the event of these building societies or banks going bust, or being nationalised, you may find yourself experiencing a lot of worry as to whether your money is protected or not.

Overall, the picture for savings remains pretty muted as you'd expect, but there are options available for improving the rate of return. The problem is that it mostly involves locking up savings for a fixed term of up to five years, which is not something savers really should have to consider. Additionally, despite the UK government's presence in the UK banking market via majority stakes in RBS and Lloyds Banking Group, ownership of Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley, they seem more interested in seeing the banks recapitalise, than provide any kind of real service to consumers. The result is that the tax payer hasn't simply paid to rescue these banks, we're also paying to rebuild them.

UK still faces economic downturn

This spring's green shoots are being increasing shown to have misplaced optimism, with economic conditions continuing to worsen within the UK - GDP continues to fall, and expectations of a recovery for next year remain muted.

While it's easy to just look at the UK in isolation, there are a couple of major economic pointers on the horizon that suggest the world's economy could suffer major set backs - even before a recovery has begun. And this is likely to bode ill for Britain, with existing downbeat expectations potentially proving to be optimistic if these factors play out.

The first is the credit bubble in China. So far, the Chinese economy has continued to grow strong - but it seems that rather than learn from the mistakes of the West, the Chinese are keen to repeat them. Yes, there's a credit bubble forming in the Chinese economy, as the government there encourages lending to such a degree that the IMF is already alarmed.

The second is the original engine of the credit crunch - the US real estate market. So far it has shown no real recovery, and what's worse, is that not only are repossessions (foreclosures) continuing to increase, they are not expected to peak until after August 2011, when the last big wave of ARMs - subprime mortgages - come up for renewal past their discount period.

These are not the only negative indicators - the IMF continues to warn that the world economy faces a deflationary spiral, that if borne out, could leave much of the West enduring an economic scenario equivalent to Japan's lost decades.

The UK has its own problems as well, not least due to the major debt bubble it's been sitting on for the past few years (it's not simply about house prices anymore). Lending in the UK is still suffering, with a mass withdrawal from the personal loans market, and such poor lending to business by the banks that Alaister Darling is now having to try and appear to be doing something about it. In the meantime, the IMF is warning that the UK's credit card debt could be crippling.

Any suggestion of an improving mortgage market should be taken in context of the fact that Spring and summer are traditionally the peak season - and what we've seen so far is still weak.

In short, economic conditions in the world remain fragile, but there are no positive indicators at present to suggest we're past the worst of it - anything but. There are still major dangers on the horizon, which leave little room for optimism for future economic conditions.

Financial markets still in turmoil

A lot of interesting stories coming up today, showing the continuing turmoil in the financial world.

First up, Edmund Conway claims the recession is over, which is about as optimistic as you can get.

Much of this unfounded optimism seems focused on the fact that the property market has seen a positive bounce over this spring - mortgage lending is up, buyer enquiries are up, and the DCLG reported a 1.1% rise in house prices over April.

The problem is, spring has always been prime home buying time, so to extrapolate this into some form of economic recovery seems absurd. It really does look like a bounce, which means we should expect economic conditions to get a lot worse towards the winter - as the property market traditionally cools.

In the meantime, other economic indicators are looking increasingly adverse.

We've seen repeated claims that the European banks have not properly written down their losses. In the meantime, Eastern Europe looks like it could crash and drag a lot of Europe down with it through a chain reaction. Latvia is already in big trouble and could be the smoking gun to bring the rest of Eastern Europe down with it, and a number of central European banks with them. And that's before we address the issue of existing write-downs the ECB is already severely worried about.

In the meantime, here in the UK, the whole banking sector continues to reshuffle in order to try and adapt to what still remains a crisis.

RBS is looking to split off business deals it claims as "unprofitable" into a separate group - in the meantime, as if the market hadn't already got itself into trouble creating complex debt instruments, this is exactly what is being proposed to get the UK taxpayer money back from semi-nationalised banks such as the RBS and Lloyds Group.

Among the building societies, the government is looking to allow changes to how they fund themselves in mass markets, in order to stop a repeat of the Dunfermline Building society crash. This is not least because others, not least the West Bromwich Building Society and others are also believed to be on the brink of collapse.

The Nationwide Building Society has already raised its mortgage rates sharply this week, close on the heels of other increases in mortgage rates last month. While the Nationwide remained one of the cheapest mortgage providers around, it no longer appears to be trying to outcompete other mortgage lenders.

If anything, the entire financial world still seems to be on a downward spiral. While the potential collapse of the banking sector appears to have been averted - certainly for now - the global economic picture is anything but healthy.

Stay tuned.

Nationwide criticism unfair

It's unfair to see the recent criticisms of the Nationwide Building Society's changes to its mortgage rates.

Yes, it's unfortunate that the Nationwide will no longer be putting new borrowers on it's existing Base Mortgage Rate (BMR), currently at 2.5% - but let's face it, the Nationwide has been pushing harder than any other mortgage lender to continue to provide mortgages to the market.

And no other mortgage lender was even coming close to beating Nationwide's BMR.

Despite the fact that the Royal Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Bank of Scotlant, and Loyds TSB, all have direct government support through part-privatisation.

This is not least receiving government money with the aim of improving lending to to mortgage and loans market.

And yet RBS, HBOS, and Lloyds are still charging very uncompetitive rates, as if they are making a particular effort not to lend, and instead just hoard the government's funding.

So it's left to a mutual like the Nationwide Building Society to offer the cheapest mortgages, the cheapest loans, and even the lowest fees on credit card use.

And then when the Nationwide finally decides it needs to move new customers onto a new higher mortgage rate - one more comparative to rates offered by Barclays and HSBC, and still cheaper than RBS, HBOS or Lloyds, some journalists think this worthy of strong criticism?


I used to be a financial advisor for a living so I like to think I can recognise a quality deal, and so far that is exactly what Nationwide have been delivering on - far more than any government-supported bank.

Nationwide have been leading the market in trying to allow responsible people to borrow responsibly.

If a small increase in rates on just one of their products for just new borrowers is deserving of such criticism, then I can only wonder why these journalists haven't been more condemning of the lousy rates being offered by traditional high street banks.

Car insurance fraud on the rise

One of the lesser reported stories to make the news during this economic crisis is the issue of increasing fraud and avoidance hitting the insurance industry.

While there's little call to be unduly sympathetic to insurers, it remains a concern to all consumers because policy premiums are simply increased to pay for the costs of fraud, which hits everybody.

In this month alone we've seen a couple of different stories come up on this. On the one hand, is the frightening statistic that police are now seizing 460 uninsured vehicles per day. That's well over 150,000 vehicles per year. And the figure appears to be increasing because some people think they can no longer afford their car insurance, and so drive without any protection. Which is mad when you think of the possible costs and impact on work of having your car towed away.

On the other hand, a general escalation of insurance fraud, not least among car insurance claims. It seems that drivers are either trying not to pay on their insurance, or else trying to play it to pay for other costs.

It's important to realise that car insurance isn't a luxury - it's a necessity, and for protecting the driver's interests at that.

While most accidents in the UK are not fatal, there are still more than 8 deaths on the road each day. And even seemingly minor injuries such as whiplash are renown for the potential to develop into a more debilitating medical condition.

In either instance of injury or death in a car accident, the insurance isn't going to heal wounds or resurrect - but at least it can pay for costs, for repairing or replacing the vehicle, paying for extra medical expenses, and many have a built in death policy which can help protect income and inheritance for dependents.

In the meantime, I'm currently running a car insurance policy with Nationwide, but I'm very close to being eligible for the over-50 discounts with Saga. As I've iterated before, though, don't try and save money trying to get the cheapest car insurance, but instead look for one that gives you all the cover you need.

After all, where's the point of saving a few pounds, if in the event of a claim, it can cost you a lot more in expenses, lost time, and lost income, by having the wrong policy?

Savers losing out to bank rescue

The Royal Bank of Scotland just announced a staggering £28 billion loss.

While we’ve seen a number of banks declare billions in losses over the past year, and the process still continues, the RBS loss is going down as the biggest corporate loss in UK history.

It’s unbelievable what’s happened to the banks, and what’s even more unfair is that it’s the tax payer who is paying for all the mistakes of the banks.

We’re not just paying in terms of government funding and asset swaps with the Treasury, but also as customers. Interest rates on savings accounts are dead, but mortgage and loan interest rates remain a lot higher than the Bank of England’s base rate.

Which means the banks are doing what they can to widen profit margins to recapitalise themselves, meaning that we’re ending up paying twice to save them from their own greed.

I currently have a Nationwide bank account which is paying less than 1% interest. On the one hand, at least I know Nationwide is one of the stronger financial institutions and isn’t under any threat of being part-nationalised like RBS and Lloyds, and doesn’t look likely to be nationalised any time soon.

Even still, as I’m saving for a deposit on a house, I don’t like the fact that my savings are no longer working as hard as they used to.

Hopefully the banking crisis will soon be over, and perhaps for the sake of the financial system, banks need to widen profit margins in order to bring this to an end sooner, rather than later.

But just don’t expect me to enjoy being part of the bail-out, when all I can see is the cost from it all, rather than the benefits.