MONEY MORSELS
Mortgage snub
SANTANDER is refusing to offer mortgages on new-build homes that include uncapped management fees because it fears leaseholders will not be able to afford them. Barclays is also reviewing its policy, while Nationwide has declined a ‘small number of cases’, according to Mortgage Solutions.
NI nightmare
TEENAGERS are struggling to open a Help to Buy Isa before the November 30 deadline because a change in how National Insurance numbers are sent out has resulted in a backlog. Those aged 16 need their NI number to open an account with £1 and save until 2029. A 25 pc bonus is paid if you use the money for your first home.
Reward points
JOHN LEWIS is offering special incentives to shoppers who sign up to its rewards credit card before March. New John Lewis Partnership cardholders will receive a £30 voucher for the store and Waitrose if they spend at least £250 in their first 90 days. They will also get a £10 voucher for every £500 they spend within the same period, up from £5.
Cashback cancelled
NATWEST is scrapping its 2pc cashback scheme on household bills paid by direct debit from February. Instead, the bank will now pay Reward Account customers £1 a month if they log into their account via its mobile app, and a further £4 a month if they set up two direct debits.
Dodgy internet
VODAFONE receives more complaints than any other broadband provider, the latest Ofcom report shows. Between April and June it received 30 complaints per 100,000 customers, more than double the national average of 13. The most complained-about mobile provider was Virgin, with eight complaints per 100,000.
Pensions poverty
FEWER than half of self-employed women are saving adequately for retirement, according to Scottish Widows. But the overall number of women putting enough money into pension pots has reached a 15-year high thanks largely to autoenrolment in workplace pensions.
Slowing sales
UK HOMES are taking on average nine days longer to sell than last year. Edinburgh and Glasgow are the fastest, with properties selling more than two months quicker than London and Brighton, according to data from Barclays and Hometrack.
Donations down
BANK accounts that donate money to charity have plummeted by 59 pc to just 28 pc in five years, according to data from Defaqto. All of the charity bank accounts left are offered by building societies. Coventry Building Society’s Supporters account will make a donation equivalent to 1 pc of your balance to local charities, while you also get 0.75 pc in interest.