POUND NOTES
Financial fact
The average fixed-rate mortgage fee on the market has reached over £1,000, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk.
Moneyfacts says fees are at their highest point since August 2013 – and while mortgage rates remain low, these are being compensated for in part by bigger arrangement fees.
Value of overseas spending money shrinks for uk holidaymakers
People travelling abroad this summer will see the value of their spending money shrink sharply in many popular destinations compared with last year, according to research.
The pound is worth around 12% less against the euro compared with a year ago, according to Santander UK, while sterling has also fallen by 13% against the US dollar.
Matt Hall, head of banking and unsecured credit at Santander, said that to save money holidaymakers should check fees and charges before making a decision about how to pay for their holiday spending.
New Manchester United ‘double champions’ bond could pay 3% interest
A new savings bond that could pay 3% interest – if Manchester United win the Premier League title and Emirates FA Cup in the 2017-18 season – has been launched.
The Double Champions Bond, from Virgin Money, offers a fixed rate of 1% for one year – but this will rise to 3% if Manchester United win both the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup next season.
This means that, at the very least, savers will receive a rate of 1% for a year – but they could potentially end up with a “double interest” bonus – giving them a rate of 3%.
Savers opening the bond can put anything from £1 to £1m into it.
Properties in Spain popular with Britons looking to buy a home abroad
Spain is the most popular European country for people in the UK looking to relocate or buy a second home, figures from a property website suggest.
More than 2.5 million searches for properties in Spain are made from the UK every month according to Rightmove, with France the next most popular country.
Searches for properties located in sunny Spain are particularly popular with people living in Glasgow and Liverpool, the website found, while properties in France were found to attract particular interest from people living in Cardiff, London and Bristol.