The weakness of the US dollar has opened up a situation for UK holiday makers which has not been seen for some time. As sterling currently stands at a 26 year high of $2.032 to the pound, cheaper holidays in the US seems sure to tempt many UK travellers. This recent fall in the value of the US dollar is a little concerning, with more bad news expected in the short term. So why is the US suffering?
In a move which is as weird as it is surprising, Debt Advisor Ltd, which advises clients who are in financial trouble, itself became insolvent last Friday. The company had grown by acquisition over the last few years and while it led the sector higher on the back of the financial woes of the UK population, it has itself suffered major financial difficulties of late.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have taken the very unusual step of warning the public about a massive increase in the number of frauds pertaining to be from HMRC. Currently there are at least 8 known fraudulent emails doing the rounds, using a selection of false claims to attempt to obtain vital personal information.
There is much speculation in political circles at to whether Gordon Brown will use his forthcoming appointment as Prime Minister to distance himself from the past and take Labour back to the people.
How ironic it would be if the new leader chose to reduce the taxation burden on the UK population, when he has been responsible for some of the largest tax hikes in UK history. Can he really let go of the Treasury reigns when he moves?
The majority of mortgages in the UK are in joint names, but it seems that old small print clauses from years gone by have not been removed. The clauses refer to the liability for payment of outstanding debts if a share of the property is used as collateral for a loan. The problem comes whereby the other party to the mortgage is unaware of the loan against the property.
It has emerged that the debacle which is Home Information Packs (HIPs) may have had more of an impact upon the housing market than first thought. Data from the last two months has shown an unexplained rise in the number of homes for sale, against historic trends and totally unexpected. Did the HIPs situation play a part?
