POUND NOTES

BARCLAYS MOBILE BANKERS

CAN SWITCH OFF CERTAIN SPENDING MOBILE banking customers can now choose to block their ability to spend with certain types of retailer, in a move which could put people struggling with addictions more in control of their finances.

The new feature launched by Barclays could help those dealing with gambling problems, for example, to cut off their spending in betting shops and their websites.

People can also block their own spending in pubs and bars.

REPORT WARNS ABOUT

ATM attacks are a serious problem in rural areas

CRIMINAL ATTACKS ON ATMS

THE UK is experiencing an ‘epidemic’ of criminal attacks on cash machines, a report warns.

The damage from attacks on cash machines over the last year may have exceeded £150m, according to calculations from ATM operator Cardtronics.

Rural areas are increasingly at risk, leaving people living in remote areas struggling to access cash from elsewhere while machines are being repaired or replaced.

MOST PEOPLE ‘END UP BUSTING’ THE CHRISTMAS BUDGET

WOMEN are more likely than men to have set a budget for Christmas – but they are just as likely as men to bust it, a survey by Hargreaves Lansdown found.

More than half (57%) of women budget for seasonal spending, compared with 46% of men. Among those who do set a maximum spend however, 57% of men and 57% of women said they end up busting it and shelling out more than they’d planned.

FINANCIAL FACT:

More than 10,000 households made claims worth a total of £64-million to deal with the impact of subsidence on properties between July and September, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The ABI said the figures were the highest level of subsidence claims since the heatwaves of 2006 and 2003