A third of people organising a funeral in the UK because of Covid-19 found meeting the costs caused them financial worries, according to the insurer SunLife. The pandemic also contributed to a fivefold surge in no-frills direct cremations, where there is no funeral service and no family or friends present, the annual report on the…
I almost fell for what I believe is a scam when I was contacted by someone saying they were from Currys offering an insurance policy for a cooker that I had ordered in January 2019, but which I cancelled to buy elsewhere. The caller asked my details for “security”, then offered me an extended five-year…
Tesco has hailed a “record” Christmas on the back of booming online sales and customers treating themselves to its luxury Christmas food ranges. The UK’s biggest supermarket said sales at stores open one year were up 8.1% over the key six-week Christmas trading period. That was a step up from growth of 6.7% over the…
My parents live in France on company pensions (from the Prudential and John Lewis) paid directly into their French bank accounts. Following reports of bank accounts being closed after Brexit, will private pensions to expats be affected? CB, London The grim fact is, no one is really sure. The government trade deal was largely silent…
The boss of Unilever, one of the UK’s biggest companies, has said his office workers will never return to their desks five days a week, in the latest indication that coronavirus will transform modern working life. Alan Jope, the chief executive of the consumer goods group, said the company would also encourage all of its…
County court judgments (CCJs) against struggling borrowers have surged, leaving more vulnerable consumers at risk of being chased for debts as the UK prepares to lift its ban on repossessions. The wind down of some Covid support, including payment holidays introduced at the start of the pandemic, contributed to a record increase in CCJs in…
