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Britain’s credit paperwork is set for a rewrite. Section 75 stays put for now
The government wants many loan, card and overdraft notices recast as future FCA rules, while connected-lender liability and unfair-relationship provisions remain in law. Nothing has changed for borrowers yet.

The regulated name beside a UK mini-bond is not its safety net
The FCA’s August warning separates the issuer, the investment service and the possible protection. An asset-backed claim or authorised partner does not settle all three questions.

Britain’s share-trade clock is set to lose a day. The order screen is only the start
The UK plans to move most exchange-traded shares and bonds from T+2 to T+1 on 11 October 2027, alongside the EU. Retail investors may notice the cash timetable more than the trade itself.

England’s Plan 5 student loan has reached payroll. The balance does not set the deduction
Plan 5 can now appear on a payslip, but only after the repayment start date and when pay crosses the relevant threshold. The outstanding balance works on a different track.

The US bank app is getting three FDIC checkpoints, not a blanket guarantee
From April 2027, insured banks must show the official digital sign on a homepage, login and first deposit-opening page. It identifies the bank and deposit route, not every product on screen.

The US Roth catch-up rule looks back a year, with a W-2 wrinkle in 2026
Workers aged 50 or over may face a Roth-only catch-up if their 2025 wages from the plan sponsor exceeded $150,000. This year, employers still have good-faith room over which wage measure they use.

Europe's automated loan decision is getting a human-review route before the AI rulebook
A consumer-credit right starts on 20 November 2026, while high-risk AI credit-scoring duties are scheduled for December 2027. They overlap, but they are not the same rule.

Britain’s proposed First Time Buyer ISA still has three blanks to fill
The planned replacement for the Lifetime ISA would remove the withdrawal charge and delay the bonus until a home purchase. Its bonus rate, annual limit and property cap are not settled.

The UK investment fee is becoming a total, but not all of the rule is final
Product summaries must change in June 2027. A wider FCA plan would put platform, advice and cash charges into the same clearer view, but consultation remains open.

Blue Motor Finance’s administration splits the loan from the compensation claim
UK borrowers are told to keep paying as normal, while possible motor finance redress stays with the insolvent old company and is unlikely to be paid in full.

A leveraged ETF’s 2x target lasts one day, not your whole holding period
The Bank of England says U.S. holdings of levered equity ETFs have risen to about $200 billion. The crucial detail is that most geared products reset their objective daily.

An AI money assistant changes when it can move the money
A new UK FCA review looks beyond chatbots to systems that could switch products, move funds or manage cover within set limits. The difference is permission, data access and who answers when an action goes wrong.

Britain’s planned Cash ISA limit does not cut the whole ISA allowance
Draft rules would cap annual Cash ISA subscriptions at £12,000 for people under 65 from April 2027. The £20,000 overall ISA allowance stays, but the routes between cash and investments change.

Britain’s summer VAT cut is not automatically a 15% till discount
A temporary 5% VAT rate now covers selected UK family attractions, tickets and children’s meals. What qualifies, when it is used and whether the saving reaches the customer are three separate questions.

The online subscription is getting an online exit
New UK rules expected in spring 2027 will put reminders, renewal cooling-off periods and straightforward cancellation around subscriptions. The important detail is that the protections are not live yet.

The Child Trust Fund turns 18. First comes the provider hunt
For UK families who have lost the paperwork, an old tax-free child savings account is not a mystery balance at first. It is a question of who holds it.

The July Self Assessment bill is an advance payment, not a penalty
HMRC is reminding Self Assessment taxpayers about the 31 July payment-on-account deadline. The useful bit is knowing whether the bill is an advance instalment, a balancing payment, or a separate payment plan.

The SIPP pension is getting a due-diligence rulebook
The FCA is consulting on clearer standards for self-invested personal pension firms. The practical story is not a hot tip, but the checks behind the pension wrapper.

The UK banknote wildlife vote is not a cash deadline
The Bank of England is asking which animals should appear on future notes, but current £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes are still the money in people's wallets.

The crypto authorisation queue is not a safety net yet
The UK crypto rulebook now has dates, but the useful consumer distinction is between a firm entering the regulatory queue and money being protected today.

The recurring payment is becoming a permission screen
A new UK open banking scheme aims to make regular payments more flexible, but the real change for households is the limit, consent and dispute process before money leaves.

The ten-second euro transfer now has a name check
Instant euro payments have made bank transfers faster, but the quieter consumer change is the free payee check that appears before money moves.

The credit union membership line is being redrawn
UK reforms would loosen the common bond, but bigger membership lists still leave credit unions as regulated co-operatives, not instant debt cures.

The branch closure now has a cash-access test
UK rules do not save every bank branch, but they make cash withdrawals and deposits a regulated local question before some doors shut.

The pension nudge is getting a regulatory label
Targeted support will let authorised firms make group-based suggestions about pensions and investments. It fills a real gap, but it is not the same as personal financial advice.

The car finance claim advert now needs its own small print
The FCA's motor finance compensation scheme is real. Its warning about paid social posts, fees and delayed timelines is a reminder to separate the claim from the advert.

The payment app balance now has a safeguarding rulebook
New FCA rules for payment and e-money firms do not turn app balances into bank deposits. They do make separation, checks and failure planning harder to ignore.

The contactless card limit is becoming a bank setting
The £100 contactless cap is no longer a fixed UK regulatory ceiling. The practical story is slower: banks, terminals, fraud controls and customer settings now matter.

The bank account closure letter is getting a 90-day clock
New UK rules make many account closure notices longer and clearer. The important part is not drama about debanking, but the date, the reason and the route to complain.

The credit advert is facing a total-cost test
The FCA is reviewing how borrowing costs appear in credit promotions. Its own research shows why APR alone can still leave readers guessing.

The July energy price cap makes the bill check matter again
Ofgem's 13% rise is not a cap on a household's total bill. The useful details are tariff type, unit rates and payment method.

The mortgage rule review puts the human case back in the file
The FCA wants lenders to look beyond rigid templates for some borrowers. That does not make affordability checks disappear.

The pension dashboard starts as a data deadline before it becomes an app
UK pensions dashboards promise a one-place view of retirement records. The first story is less shiny: schemes and providers have to connect the plumbing by October.

The bank transfer has a safety net now. It still needs a pause
UK scam reimbursement data show a stronger backstop for many victims. The awkward detail is that the money still leaves first.

The BNPL checkout is about to feel more like credit
UK deferred payment credit enters FCA regulation on 15 July 2026. The point is not to make instalments disappear, but to make the borrowing less invisible.

Your savings rate may change before you notice. The small print now matters
As Bank Rate moves and deposit protection rules shift, the least glamorous parts of a savings account - access, licence and notification terms - are where the real story sits.