POUND NOTES

Financial fact

It’s good news for motorists – the average car insurance premium being offered has fallen by nearly £35 in recent months, according to an index from the AA.

The typical “shoparound quote”, which is an average of the five cheapest premiums quoted in a nationwide sample of buyers, fell from £714.85 to £679.93 over the three months ending September 30. One in four people ‘can’t afford to save’

A quarter (27%) of people across the UK say they haven’t been able to save at all in the past 12 months, a report has found.

More than half (59%) of those surveyed are not satisfied with their current level of savings, Lloyds Bank found. Two-fifths (40%) have immediate access to savings worth up to three months of essential spending. Housing market optimism has dropped

Consumer confidence in UK house prices has fallen to its lowest levels since 2012, according to an index from Halifax, which looks at people’s expectations for the direction of house prices. One in five of those surveyed think house prices will fall, the highest point since October 2012 (20%). Many couples ‘don’t factor pensions into divorce’

Seven in 10 couples don’t consider pensions during divorce proceedings, according to a survey by Scottish Widows.

The research shows more than half of married people (56%) would fight for a fair share of any jointly-owned property, and 36% would want to split their combined savings. However, the findings suggested more married people would be concerned about losing a pet during a settlement than sharing a pension.