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A new notification service has been launched enabling people to report the death of an individual to several major financial firms in one go. The free Death Notification Service at deathnotificationservice. co.uk simplifies the process, reducing the stress of having to contact several organisations and repeating the same conversation following the death of a family member or friend. Six big banking groups – Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, RBS and Santander – can be contacted via the service.

Taking a career break, from maternity to paternity, sabbaticals and gardening leave, costs the average Brit £60,000. Research from recruitment firm Adzuna shows the average salary of people without a gap on their CV is £34,870, compared to £33,580 for those who have taken a break – adding up to £60,000 over 47 years of graft.

Mobile-only bank Starling is the first to launch a gambling blocker feature that lets customers stop betting payments from their account. Boss Anne Boden said: “This isn’t about telling customers not to gamble – it’s about providing problem gamblers with a simple and effective tool that can help them to regain control over their finances.”