HOMEOWNERS in Scotland are missing out on a golden opportunity to slash costs by failing to take advantage of rock-bottom mortgage rates, it has been claimed.

THEY pledged to get Britain saving again. In reality they’ve achieved quite the opposite, punishing prudence and removing incentives to save.

TRAVEL insurance policies have failed to move with the times, providing inadequate cover for lost or stolen valuables abroad and potentially leaving holidaymakers hundreds of pounds out of pocket, a report has found.

SCOTS are being targeted by cyber criminals with the power to steal their identities and empty their bank accounts, an influential organisation has warned.

QUELLE horreur! A report has revealed that France – that nation of gastronomes – now eats half of all restaurant meals at fast food establishments.

IT IS a trend that has taken off in London, Paris and Australia – and aims to lure diners on an otherwise quiet night of the week.

JUST as your post-holiday resolve to build a barbecue pit or learn Spanish fades as quickly as your suntan, some sceptics suggest that the idea of bringing continental “cafe culture” to Edinburgh’s Princes Street might sound more attractive than the reality.

‘I SPEAK my mind; you are blunt; he is rude.” We all know the conjugation game, how we excuse or ignore in ourselves the faults we find in others.

BANK customers are set to remain loyal to the much-maligned high street banks despite a fresh challenge to the status quo in the current account market, new research suggests.

THE new PAYE tax codes for the 2013–14 tax year came into effect last month. But taxpayers who wrongly assume their code is correct could be set for a nasty shock further down the line, with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) changing the rules that allow some individuals to have underpaid tax written off.

I AM nearing retirement age and with my grandchildren going to university, my wife and I are finding that we are having to dip into our savings to help out our extended family members.

SCOTS nearing retirement and tempted to take tax-free cash from their pension savings have been warned to tread carefully or suffer a painful sting in the tail. The ability to legally raid their pension pots at 55 can prove a godsend for many people approaching retirement and struggling to make ends meet.

THERE was an expectation as the financial crisis unfolded that growing hostility towards the banks would drive their customers into the arms of providers less tainted by scandal and failure.

THERE are two ways of getting access to your pension savings before retirement – only one of which is legal. Up to 25 per cent of the value of a pension fund can be taken out tax-free from the age of 55, under HM Revenue & Customs rules. This is often called pension unlocking.

Insurers claim they’re close to agreeing a deal with the government to guarantee flood-risk households access to affordable home insurance.

Scotland’s pensioners are struggling with debts worth almost £20 billion, alarming new research has revealed, including thousands with mortgages still to clear.

WE CAN call it the “Goodwin effect” if you like. I’m referring to the growing propensity of people in Scotland to complain about the banks.

CREDIT unions in Scotland are targeting both banks and payday lenders following the launch of a scheme aimed at boosting membership of the mutuals.

MAJOR energy companies are battling it out to win customers keen to set the price of their energy bills – led by a new fixed-price deal by nPower which will see tariffs set for the next three winters.

WHEN retailer Boots separated out its toy section into “girl” and “boy”, shoppers were horrified.