October 2022

If you're one of the 46,000 Safe Hands customers left in the lurch after the funeral provider went bust in March - and you can't get a refund from your card firm - you'll need to contact Safe Hands' administrator to get your money. But you'll only receive up to 20% of what you're owed. You also need to consider alternative funeral arrangements as Safe Hands' plans will no longer be honoured from November.

NatWest Banking Group has announced another round of bank branch closures, with 43 more NatWest-branded outlets set to shut between January and March next year. The move is on top of the announced closure of 32 branches earlier this year. Below we list the branches disappearing and what the alternatives are if you still want face-to-face banking.

Netflix is to launch a new cheaper payment plan on 3 November, costing £4.99 a month - but you'll have to put up with adverts and initially, you'll have less to watch than other subscribers. Here's what's changing and how the new plan compares. 

Around 145,000 low income families in Scotland will automatically receive an extra £130 to help with the cost of living this winter. We explain how to check if you're eligible and how you'll get the payment.

Thousands more local businesses across the UK will now let shoppers withdraw from 1p to £100 in cash for free – without them having to buy anything – as part of a new initiative by high street bank Barclays. And you DON'T need to bank with Barclays to benefit.

Common tactics used by fraudsters to con victims out of their pensions have been revealed by the financial watchdog. The alert comes as more people are withdrawing pension savings as a result of the cost of living crisis. Here's what you need to watch out for.

Mortgage rates are rocketing. A year ago you could fix at just under 1%, now the cheapest mainstream deals are 4.95% for two years, 4.62% for five years, and 4.85% for 10 years. That 4% point-ish rise in mortgage rates equates to around £200 a month more (£2,400 a year) per £100,000 of mortgage debt.

If you were born on or after 1 September 2002 and you're now over 18, there could be a stash of cash worth £100s or even £1,000s waiting for you in a dormant account, known as a Child Trust Fund (CTF) – here's how to check.