Banking

If you're a Barclays current account holder and haven't yet signed up to its Blue Rewards scheme, join by 31 Jan and you'll get double rewards for the first month. This means you can earn at least £55 in your first year on the scheme. Meanwhile, Co-op Bank's also launched a new reward scheme which can pay at least £48/year.

Millions of HSBC customers were locked out of their online accounts for two days after a major technical problem with its internet banking system.

Millions of basic bank account holders will soon be able to switch to a truly fee-free basic account, after the Government announced nine of the new accounts would be up and running in the New Year. But current basic bank account holders may not be automatically switched to a fee-free account – so you should contact your provider to check.

George Osborne has pledged to save families up to £470 a year by boosting competition and cutting red tape in areas such as banking, utilities and mobile phones.

Many major providers have announced how much their Help to Buy ISAs will pay in light of their launch tomorrow, with one offering 4% interest.

MoneySavingExpert.com is warning that we're not Money-Saver.net – following reports that money has unexpectedly been debited from the accounts of some people.

The UK's largest credit reference agency Experian has changed the way it calculates people's credit scores – meaning many scores suddenly dropped or increased overnight. We've had many people contact us about this, yet the big picture is you don't need to worry – this doesn't impact how lenders will assess you.

Nationwide debit and credit card customers can now earn between 1% and 35% cashback both in-store and online at selected retailers, bars, restaurants, travel, and accommodation websites.

Around 125,000 mortgage and loan customers of Northern Rock Asset Management (NRAM) – the state-owned remnant of failed lender Northern Rock – will be transferred to US private investment firm Cerberus or to TSB Bank next year.

Over one million RBS and NatWest customers with its fee-charging Black and Platinum package accounts, which come with added insurance cover, will have to pay more per month from early next year .