 |
BBC Radio 4's Money Box
Saturday, 11th February 2012 at 1204 GMT On Radio 4 and Online
|
Are pensioners the collateral damage in the war against recession? This week the Bank of England announced it will inject another £50 billion into the economy to bring the total of created cash to £325 billion. It's called Quantitative Easing. It keeps interest rates low but forces down the pension annuities and pushes up inflation. So is the price is paid by those relying on savings, the newly retired, and people on low incomes worth the benefits that QE is supposed to bring? Dr Ros Altmann, Director General of Saga and Graeme Leach, Chief economist at the Institute of Directors talk to Paul Lewis. Related Links:
The rise and fall of interest only mortgages Santander has this week announced much greater restrictions on who it will sell interest only mortgages to. More than a third of outstanding residential mortgages are currently interest only, but this form of borrowing has fallen badly out of favour with the banks in the last few years. So do these mortgages deserve the somewhat cavalier reputation now attached to them? Bob Howard reports and Paul talks to David Hollingworth, Associate Director at London and Country. Related Links:
Exit fees on leasehold retirement homes Nearly two and half years after the Office of Fair Trading launched an enquiry into charges levied on retirement home owners it has still come to no conclusions and cannot say when it will. We talk to a listener whose mother died in 2010. She has had to pay more than £2000 a year for her mother's empty and unsaleable flat and another £1400 if she lets it out. Paul Lewis talks to Melissa Briggs, Co-Founder of Carlex, the Campaign Against Retirement Leasehold Exploitation and Tish Hanifan, a Barrister and Director of Solicitors for the Elderly Related Links:
Insurance woes for some animal lovers Halifax says its 'life-long' pet insurance does not cover the pet for as long as it lives. It has now scrapped the product sold as "life-long cover" leaving an estimated 50,000 owners trying to reinsure pets which are now older and in some cases have become uninsurable. The programme hears from Deborah Moran-Sugden who thought she had 'lifelong' pet insurance cover for her Yorkshire terrier Billy who has heart problems. Paul Lewis also talks to lawyer and compliance expert, Adam Samuel. Related Links:
BBC Radio 4's Money Box is broadcast on Saturday at 1204 GMT.
|
~RS~a~RS~International~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~25~RS~){kind=small}
BBC NEWS CHANNEL
News services
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~25~RS~)
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
Bookmark with:
What are these?