Northern Rock Launches New Cashback Incentives And Cuts Selected Rates

Northern Rock has launched a new range of mortgages which offer cashback on completion in order to help customers cover the costs associated with moving home or taking a new mortgage.

The range has been designed to appeal to a wide variety of customers and whether they are setting up home for the first time, moving up the property ladder or even becoming a landlord, a cash incentive is likely to be appreciated. With up to £750 Cashback on completion*, the new incentive is available on selected residential and Buy to Let mortgages.

Northern Rock is committed to helping people buy their first or next home. The Company understands that it is an expensive time and wants to help as much as possible. That is why it is offering £500 Cashback on selected residential Everyday fixed rates at 80% LTV, 85% LTV and 90% LTV. The lender has also reduced interest rates on some of these deals by up to 0.30%.

For a limited time only, £750 Cashback is available on all Northern Rock Buy to Let mortgages. The range includes two, three and five year products up to 70% LTV with flat fees, percentage fees and fee free options available.

Northern Rock has also made improvements to its mortgage porting policy following feedback from customers and intermediaries. All new customers completing a mortgage from 25th July 2011 will be able to port their existing mortgage balance or a reduced balance (subject to any applicable ERC if a customer chooses to reduce their balance), and if they need additional borrowing to purchase their next property they will be able to apply for a new product for the additional amount on the terms of the purchase product range available at that time.

Northern Rock has also reduced rates on its 2-Year Everyday Tracker with a £995 product fee, now available at 2.38% up to 70% LTV, or at 2.48% up to 75% LTV. Both of these deals are available to purchase and remortgage customers.

The recent changes are part of a raft of improvements Northern Rock has made to its mortgage proposition over the course of 2011 to simplify its processes and increase consumer choice.

Lloyd Cochrane, Northern Rock’s Head of Lending Products, said: “We are delighted to add our new cashback incentive to Northern Rock’s mortgage proposition, increasing choice and flexibility within the mortgage market, and providing a further helping hand to customers looking to buy their first or next home.

“We continue to listen to what our customers and our intermediary partners tell us. The addition of cashback products to our range and the changes we are making to our porting policy are more evidence of us delivering what our customers and partners want. You can expect to see further improvements from Northern Rock as we continue to build our business and respond to customers and brokers.”

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Prudential Reports Retirement Income Worries And Lump Sum Regrets For Pensioners

Prudential has conducted new research that shows more than two in five pensioners (43 per cent) say they are living a ‘cautious’ retirement as they worry about having sufficient long-term income to get by.

However, despite concerns about making their retirement pots last, the majority of pensioners still take a tax-free lump sum from their pensions when they retire. Nearly eight out of 10 (79 per cent) of those drawing a company or private pension in 2011 took a lump sum from their fund at retirement, compared with 76 per cent three years ago.

The research, exploring the retirement reality for pensioners in 2011, also found that one in 10 (10 per cent) of those who did take a tax-free lump sum either said they now regret the decision or that they had not fully understood the long-term impact it would have on their retirement income.

For many, the option to take a lump sum at the point of retirement is the most tax-efficient way to access some of their pension fund. However, the way in which pensioners use the money from their lump sum is often shaped by concerns around long-term pension income.

More than half (52 per cent) of those who had taken a lump sum put some of the money in a savings account and just over a quarter (26 per cent) invested in stocks, shares or investment trusts.

Vince Smith Hughes, Head of Business Development at Prudential, said: “Most people with a company or private pension fund choose to take a tax-free lump sum at retirement, and for many this proves to be the right thing to do. However, some pensioners are beginning to regret the way they used the tax-free cash. The days of buying a shiny new car or going on an once-in-a-lifetime holiday may be gone, to be replaced by making savings and investments with the lump sum to supplement retirement income.

“There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the financial choices that people need to make when they retire. For example, spending the money from a tax-free lump sum and taking a level annuity with the balance of your fund will effectively fix the level of your retirement income – and for some this may provide the stability they need. Others may wish to explore more flexible retirement products that take into account the effects of inflation.

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Saxo Bank Acquires 25% Stake In Broker Solutions Provider Leverate

Saxo Bank and Leverate announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership in which Saxo Bank has acquired 25% of Leverate. The broker solutions provider offers a full turn-key solution for brokerage companies looking to offer trading capabilities based on the online automated trading application MetaTrader or to complement their existing trading solutions.

Through this acquisition, Saxo Bank and Leverate will continue to enhance their offerings towards institutional segments and retail brokers by adding new trading functionalities. Leverate’s complete solution provides brokers with the services needed to increase their conversions, trading volume and risk management capabilities by offering products integrated to the MT4 and other proprietary platforms. Since its release in 2005, MetaTrader has established itself as one of the most popular non-proprietary Forextrading platforms. Offering advanced functionality, the system is regarded as one of the preferred auto-dealing systems on the market and it is widely used by FX traders.

Stig Pastwa, Chief Commercial Officer of Saxo Bank, commented on the acquisition: “We have seen an increased demand among our institutional and retail clients for automated trading solutions, including MetaTrader. Leverate’s track record and ability to deliver a comprehensive and reliable trading environment has made them an obvious choice as a provider of technology supporting the MT4 universe, which lives up to Saxo Bank’s award winning standard of execution. As an extension to our important business for white-label and institutional clients, we wish to support Leverate with technology and liquidity. While keeping their independence, we hope to assist Leverate in their already impressive growth from which their customers will further benefit.”

In a joint statement, the co-CEOs of Leverate, Ran Strauss and Doron Cohen commented: “Leverate had been approached on multiple occasions by other private equity funds eager to enter into a business relationship, but when we met Saxo Bank, we felt we had encountered the perfect partner. Leverate will continue to provide innovative and comprehensive proprietary solutions for the FX market, and we are proud to be working together with Saxo Bank. Time and time again, Saxo Bank has been recognised as a leading force in the FX industry, and together we plan to continue Leverate’s R&D efforts in the area of technology solutions and related services for brokers and financial institutions. This mutually beneficial partnership will allow our clients to benefit from enhanced top-tier liquidity sources, while Saxo Bank’s clients can have access to our Complete Broker Solution: MT4, Live Feed, Web & Mobile Traders, CRM and Risk Management, powered by Leverate, and fully integrated with Saxo Bank’s core liquidity and execution engine. This partnership will in no way change the management or operations of Leverate and our clients can only benefit from it.”

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Payday Express Encourages Healthy Competition Among Staff

Employees at short-term loan specialist Payday Express are planning to make interdepartmental sporting events a regular feature, following the success of a football match earlier this month.

Staff from the instant approval payday loans company’s Contact Centre were pitted against members of its Collections team in the friendly clash, which was held at the ground of a local semi-professional squad, Bromley FC, in Kent.

The final score was a 12-7 victory for Contact Centre, with team stars Jamie Clifton and David Herron being named men of the match.

HR Advisor Richard Turner said: “It’s great to see that all who took part can take the competitive edge outside work, but still enjoy it as a great team building exercise. It’s events like this which add to the great working environment at Payday Express.”

Operations Manager Sarah Carroll confirmed: “The company encourages friendly competition among staff members, and for staff to socialise outside of office hours in order to develop a sense of unity and comradeship. This in turn aids teamwork in the office, helping us to effectively provide payday advance loans to our customers with great customer service.”

Richard also noted that the enthusiastic support of staff spectators appeared to be a factor in Contact Centre’s triumph. The losing team, however, is determined to have its day at a rematch this week – and is hoping to attract a loyal crowd of supporters to rally that of their rivals.

Payday Express is committed to continually boosting the morale of its staff and actively encourages both players and spectators to attend staff games.

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Confused.com Reveal Drivers Are Only Swayed By Price In The Hunt For The Best Car Insurance Deals

Confused.com’s latest survey has found that consumers use price-comparison sites purely because they help slash insurance bills with the minimum of hassle.

More than half of the survey’s 2,600 respondents said that special offers such as cashback or vouchers had absolutely no bearing on their decision to use a comparison site. A further 40 per cent said the only kind of marketing incentive that would appeal to them was some form of discount on their premiums.

Head of car insurance at Confused.com, Gareth Kloet, said: “When it comes to car insurance, consumers aren’t necessarily loyal, so price is key. That’s why using a price comparison site is so important, it gives drivers the opportunity to compare not only price but a range of features. So you can either opt for the cheapest or the best value for money. With Confused.com, the price you see is the price you pay.”

When it came to choosing an insurer, three-quarters of consumers said the only thing that would cause them to switch providers was a cheaper price. Around 15 per cent said they would move to a new company purely because it was a trusted brand, while just 9 per cent said they would switch if the new insurer offered extras such as free breakdown cover.

Unsurprisingly, price was the number one reason respondents gave for using price-comparison sites – more than 90 per cent cited this as a major factor in using these services, and 40 per cent also said they appreciated the fact the sites saved them so much time in their search for the best value cover.

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Saxo Bank Launches FX Binary Touch Options

Saxo Bank, the specialist in online trading and investment, today announced the launch of six Binary Touch Options on its trading platform. The Binary Touch options will initially be offered in six currency pairs; EURUSD, USDJPY, GBPUSD, EURJPY, EURGBP, and AUDUSD. They will be tradable from Saxo Bank’s award winning FX Options Board, where clients are already able to trade regular FX Vanilla Options.

The launch will further extend Saxo Bank’s FX offering and allow clients to trade in the world’s most liquid financial market in a simple and convenient way. A Binary Touch Option differs from a plain Vanilla Option in that the potential gains and losses of a Binary Touch Option position is known upfront, thus greatly simplifying the transaction. Clients may invest not only in which direction the price will move, but at the same time express their views on how far and over what time period.

Unlike other trading platforms that offer similar products, Saxo Bank will offer its clients the ability to close-out their long or short positions at the current market price prior to expiry.

Gustave Rieunier, Global Head of FX Options & Forward Trading at Saxo Bank, said: “Adding Binary Touch Options trading to our platform bridges the gap between FX Spot and FX Vanilla Options and meets the recent demand in the market for wanting to trade in the global currency market in a simple, straight forward manner. Whether you are a seasoned FX trader or new to investing in currencies, this is an excellent way to add FX exposure to your portfolio.

“Saxo Bank has developed into one of the top market makers in the global FX Options space. Adding such a simple and straight forward product to our strong liquidity and award winning pricing capabilities is another significant improvement to our FX offering.”

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elephant.co.uk Reveals Most Car Thefts Happen On The Weekend

elephant.co.uk has revealed that although for most of the working population, the weekend is a period of rest, the same cannot be said for car thieves, as new research shows that they’re at their most active over the weekend.

The research, carried out by car insurance specialist elephant.co.uk, shows the day of the week most cars are stolen is a Saturday while the day most items are taken from cars is a Sunday.

elephant.co.uk looked at 45,000 theft claims over the last 5 years to see on which day most car crime took place. While Saturday was the most popular day for vehicle theft claims, it was closely followed by Friday, Thursday, Monday, Sunday, Wednesday and then finally Tuesday. Additionally, Sunday was the most popular day for theft from vehicle claims, then followed by Tuesday, Saturday, Monday, Thursday, Wednesday and Friday.

Brian Martin, elephant.co.uk managing director, commented: “The last thing you need after a hard week’s work is for your car to be stolen or broken into so this research will make unhappy reading for motorists. With most people out and about at the weekend, there’s a likelihood they’re leaving their cars unattended either in a car park or at home which could tempt thieves to make their move.”

But what exactly are criminals stealing from cars? Over the past 5 years, the most common items have been Sat Navs followed by CDs and stereos. In fact, these three items are all more than twice as likely to be stolen as anything else.

The full list of the items most likely to be stolen from cars also includes iPods/MP3 players, sunglasses, mobile phones, clothes, computers, child car seats and cameras.

Brian continued: “Car thieves are opportunist, and too many motorists present them with an opportunity by leaving valuable items on show, or even leaving their windows open. Motorists need to remember not to make themselves an easy target.”

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BestCreditOffers.com Announces Updated Citibank Card Review

As consumers recover from the recession, the appetite for finding the top credit card offers available is significant. BestCreditOffers.com now covers the latest Citibank 0 interest on balance transfers deal good for an industry leading 21 months. The new offer features no annual fee when visiting the issuer’s website through the review portal and competitive interest rates based on credit history at the expiration of the balance transfer term.

For consumers with credit scores considered fair or poor, BestCreditOffers.com, recommends the Capital One Classic Platinum Card that includes a 0% introductory APR on all new purchases through spring of 2012 and a low rate balance transfer. Additional features include $0 fraud liability of the card is lost or stolen and the enjoyment of Platinum benefits to include extended warranty protection and 24-hour roadside assistance.

To help shoppers assess the best credit card offers available, BestCreditOffers.com staff take time to evaluate the numerous companies available and assess based on consistent performance criteria across all brands. The portal highlights credit opportunities based on the consumers level of credit, APR, and additional features while now providing the ability to sign-up for all offers online through the website.

John Michael from Seattle, Washington writes, “I didn’t think I would be able to get a new credit card for a long time after my divorce and losing my home to foreclosure. I was able to find a great credit offer through BestCreditOffers.com to get my credit rebuilt and highly recommend them!”

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Confused.com Reveals Slow Drivers Are The Biggest Frustration For UK Drivers

Confused.com has released new research which reveals that dawdling drivers are the top cause of irritation for UK drivers. The survey by the car insurance experts shows that over half (60%) of motorists experience an increase in stress levels and a heightened irritability when faced with a vehicle driving slower than the rest of the traffic.

In reaction to these slow drivers, almost half (45%) of motorists risk overtaking, thus increasing the chances of an accident. Research from the Department for Transport also reveals that 143 accidents a year are caused directly by slow drivers or “Sunday drivers” as they are known.

With little to prevent drivers from travelling too slowly, half of British motorists are supporting the idea to introduce the first ever ‘slow speed camera’ to the roads of the UK. The slow speed camera will specifically catch slow motorists, penalising them with a fine for driving slower than the minimum designated speed limit. This has come as a reaction to the fact that although minimum speed limits are enforced on some UK motorways, there are few preventative measures that are used widely.

Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com said: “Slow drivers need to be taken as seriously as motorists caught speeding. Findings confirm they are a constant source of anxiety on UK roads and responsible for a large amount of accidents each year.”

Kloet continued: “We support the introduction of a programme of measures to eliminate this hazard as our research has highlighted that excessively slow driving is a real problem – the government introduced speed cameras and now even a super speed camera so should also consider the same rigour to combat slow driving as it could make a difference and help reduce motorists putting themselves or others at risk.”

The Confused.com car insurance survey’s additional findings also uncovered other solutions for limiting slow drivers. Suggestions included imposing a minimum speed limit on ALL British roads (37%) the introduction of a slow lane (26%), dedicated times for slow drivers to be on the road (15%) and even a warning badge system to be displayed by offending motorists (5%).

Peter Rodger, Chief Examiner from The Institute of Advanced of Motorists (IAM) supports the need for change on Britain’s roads. He said: “All forms of inconsiderate driving need to be tackled. Drivers who are unnecessarily excessively slow lead others to make rash moves.”

For more information on car insurance, interested parties can visit confused.com/car-insurance.

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MLDEX Market Development Training Program

The Market Development Training Program hosted by the Headquarters of the MLDEX, was held in Melbourne, Australia in the week of 12-19 June 2011.

This program was designed as a forum for the exchange of best practices in the development and regulation of capital markets presented through a series of lectures, roundtables and case studies. Senior experts from different International Regulatory Agencies and the Capital Markets Board (CMB), as well as speakers from the region shared their insights on capital market development, enforcement, and examination of market participants. The Program also explored responses to crises and market abuses, provided observations comparing and contrasting approaches by regulatory systems around the world, and highlighted international best practices.

The presenters used real-world examples of market abuse and inefficiencies to explore the regulatory, statutory, and other tools that capital market regulators need to address.

Besides CMB representatives, many international exchange representatives and market professionals attended the event that was also sponsored by MLDEX.

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Saxo Bank Wins Best Liquidity Distribution Service at the eFX Awards 2011

Saxo Bank, the specialist in online trading and investment, has won the “Best Liquidity Distribution Service” award at the annual eFX Awards 2011 hosted by FX Week in New York.

At the core of Saxo Bank’s offering is its White Label solution for banks that require a market leading on-line trading platform for their clients. The key benefits of the solution are:

– It facilitates ownership and control of banks’ relationships with their clients whilst maintaining full client anonymity from Saxo Bank.
– Access to a fully branded and customised trading solution.
– A facility for banks to distribute their own FX liquidity to their clients via the white-label platform.
– A multi-asset offering with more than 20,000 financial products, including FX, Stocks,CFDs and commodities.
– Flexibility and control allows banks to distribute liquidity from the asset classes with tailored commission pricing to their own clients, based on their own local and regional requirements.

For institutional clients, such as hedge funds and retail aggregators with sophisticated high trading volumes, Saxo Bank’s trading API compliments their needs by making its multi-asset product range available in the client’s own systems via a low latency VPN, standard FIX protocol API. The trading API extends Saxo Bank’s distribution services and makes available its range of FX crosses and order routing for CFDs, Stocks and Futures in the client’s proprietary systems.

The founders and co-CEOs of Saxo Bank, Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christens said in a joint statement: “Saxo Bank acts as a facilitator linking liquidity from Tier-1-banks and access to over 20 exchanges across the globe to our institutional and retail clients via our integrated platforms. The award acknowledges this business model. It makes us very proud and we are honored to accept the award.”

Saxo Bank was also nominated for the “Best Retail Platform” award. The award was won by Citi. The CitiFX Pro platform is powered by Saxo Bank.

This year the awards were judged by industry experts, Joel Clark, Editor, FX Week, Justyn Trenner, Chief Executive, Client Knowledge, Sang Lee, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Aite Group and Rob Daly, Editor, Sell-Side Technology.

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Credit-Land.com Announces New 0 Balance Transfer Citibank Review

Leading credit review portal, Credit-Land.com, announces updates to all 0 balance transfer credit card reviews including the CitiBank Platinum Select Mastercard and Discover More cards.

As U.S. consumers continue to gain financial traction from the recession, the demand for 0 balance transfer credit cards continues to increase. Credit-Land.com announces the release of a fresh review of the CitiBank Platinum Select Mastercard now featuring 0% interest for 21 months. The Citibank card includes no annual fee and competitive rates after the introductory period lapses.

Not all site visitors credit scores are perfect, however, the need for quality credit card offers is no less significant. Credit-land.com now provides prepaid credit cards and other fair credit offers for shoppers with an average payment record and FICO score between 620 and 659 including the Capitol One Mastercard and six additional quality programs.

Of the number of balance transfer credit cards reviewed on Credit-Land.com, the Discover More card offers one of the largest number of months of 0% interest after the CitiBank credit cards. The Discover card features no annual fee and an industry leading APR similar to other top offers reviewed on the portal after the introductory period has elapsed.

Johnson Polk from Savannah, Georgia writes, “I just have not had any luck trying to find a quality new credit card offer to transfer my existing high balance from my college card. Using Credit-Land.com, I was able to find the perfect offer that is saving me a ton of money in interest fees while I pay down my card.”

Credit-Land.com staff are committed to publishing the most competitive credit offers for site visitors. Company experts continue to assess existing and emerging special offers for site visitors to ensure consumers can find the best credit offers possible.

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New Management Board Members of Melbourne Derivatives Exchange(MLDEX) Want to Establish Investment Culture in Australia

Australia does not have a traditional investment culture – neither for capital management, or financing nor for building retirement provisions by investing. More intense information activities, additional services and stepped up efforts to improve the tax framework will help to bring about a change in the coming years, was the message of the management team of Melbourne Derivatives Exchange, underlined by Henry Petterson, the President of MLDEX.

“In the future, we want to provide more trading services. To establish a culture of saving and investing more firmly in Australia – only a small percentage of monetary assets are invested in derivatives and investment funds, while the Asia Pacific Rim average is almost twice as the Australian one. Melbourne Derivatives Exchange would like to see more of an attractive framework for the tax advantages of investment participation schemes. A survey conducted by MLDEX among the leading 20 funds listed on the prime market in Australia revealed the need of individual investors and self-traders to participate with a bigger share in the market flow. The fund directors interviewed spoke out in favor of doubling the tax-exempt amount and a shortening of the holding period.

The goal of establishing an investment culture in Australia also requires the efforts of domestic investment banks. “At present, only one-sixth of the entire Australian fund volume is invested in close ended funds. We therefore appeal to Australian investment management companies to invest more in close ended funds,” said Petterson.

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Melbourne Derivatives Exchange launches new index: CDEX

Melbourne Derivatives Exchange launched the CDEX. The index is weighted according to certain fundamental ratios and made up derivatives in the Australian Trading Index, the leading index of Melbourne Derivatives Exchange.

In contrast to the Australian Trading Index, the weighting of the commodities in the CDEX is not based on market fluctuation, but rather on a factors computed by the Melbourne Derivatives Exchange taking into account fundamental ratios: supply and demand on the medium to long term, net growth and market exposure to other factors. The CDEX is calculated and published in AUD in real time. It has been designed as a tradable index that can be used as an underlying for structured products and standardized derivatives. The calculation parameters are reviewed on a quarterly basis and the index composition is checked, and if necessary adjusted, analogously to the Australian Trading Index in January and June of each year.

With the launch of the CDEX, the Melbourne Derivatives Exchange has once again shown its internationally recognized competence in the area of indices and its skill in responding to market demands. With the CDEX, the range of index products now comprises a total of 36 indices, with 12 of them tracking national, regional or sector-related developments in the Asia Pacific region. Meanwhile, the majority of all structured products with a reference to Asia Pacific are based on the indices produced by the Melbourne Derivatives Exchange.

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Mortgage Loan Modifications Made Simple With Cantrell Consultant’s Do It Yourself Modification Software. Stop Waiting In Line And Get Your Paperwork Ahead Of The Rest

Cantrell Consultants Offers Reliable Do It Yourself Mortgage Modification Program to Help Home Owners save their Homes.

With ezmortgagemod.com’s Bank Ready Modification Package, Dr. Cantrell Will Help His Customers In Being One Of The 9 Million Mortgage Holders To Receive A Loan Under President’s Obamas New Package.

The number of people facing problems regarding the payments of their mortgage loans is rising in the United States. The most common problems faced by homeowners today are due to delinquency, high interest rates or reduction in appraised value due to the market crash. While the government has introduced several home and mortgage loan modification plans under HAMP and HAFA programs, only a small percentage of mortgage holders are able to qualify for these modification programs.

Michael W. Cantrell Sr., Ph. D., one of the leading names in the area of home loan modifications, is offering a reliable program that ensures that their client will get all home loan modification documentation with his new ezmortgagemod do it yourself program. Dr. Michael W. Cantrell, Sr. is the president of Cantrell Consultants. He holds a PH. D. in Financial Management and has been in this industry for almost three decades.

Elaborating on his new ezmortgagemod loan modification program, Dr. Cantrell said,“Although I have been serving lenders since 1989, I have now set foot on the other side of the fence, helping homeowners. I believe in making homes affordable with our do-it-yourself ezmortgagemod program that enables people to qualify for a Home Loan Modification approval. The ezmortgagemod program works to benefit the homeowner, not the lenders.”

The do it yourself ezmortgagemod Home Loan modification package offered by Cantrell Consultants is ranked number one among the Do-it-Yourself programs. The ezmortgagemod program is one of the most reliable and user friendly programs available to the public today. The reason for this is that only the ezmortgagemod do-it-yourself program includes exact documents that banks and lenders use for their approval process.

“This unique benefit along with the post review service, ezmortgagemod program saves homeowners, not only the thousands and thousands of dollars they would normally spend, but the nightmare of spending months on the phone with their banks and getting bounced around from department to department trying to do it on their own,” adds Dr. Cantrell.

The ezmortgagemod Home Loan Modification program allows the homeowner to fill out a form and see whether or not they qualify for any of the programs. This saves them a lot of time. The package also offers a step by step guide for the homeowner regarding the procedures and negotiation tactics. More information on Dr. Cantrell’s do-it yourself mortgage loan modification package is available on www.ezmortgagemod.com.

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Admiral Reveals More Than A Quarter Of Motorists Admit To Drink Driving

Admiral, a leading car insurance expert, has revealed worrying new research that suggests the number of people drink driving has risen in the last year. It found that 28% of motorists have driven their car in the knowledge they were over the legal alcohol limit, up from 24% in 2010.

Admiral commissioned YouGov to survey 2,500 drivers for the annual Admiral Survey of Motorists, which includes questions about drink driving. With summer in full swing and the temptation to drive after a few drinks in a beer garden or at a barbecue high, the results raise concerns that the anti-drink driving message is failing to hit home.

Many motorists still believe a few drinks before getting behind the wheel won’t hurt. So while nearly half of those questioned said they would only consider themselves safe to drive after drinking no units of alcohol, one in ten said they think they are still safe after drinking three or more units.

When it comes to gender, men appear to be far more likely than women to drink and drive. 37% of men said they have driven while over the limit, compared with 16% of women, and 16% of men said they think they are still safe to drive after three or more drinks, compared with just 1% of women.

Roger Singer, head of road safety charity DDE+, gave his thoughts on why drink driving is such a concern in the summer: “Firstly, and it seems too simple, it’s warmer, so try not to drink alcohol for thirst – have a pint of squash first and then savour that pint of lager or glass of wine at a more leisurely pace.

“Secondly the drinking episodes can be longer, we start stoking up the lunch-time BBQ about 11am on Sunday morning sampling the bottled lager to make sure it’s up to standard at the same time. We’re finishing the last of the Rosé as we are clearing up at midnight. Without realising it we’ve consumed a total of 29 units – it’s only a beer or a glass of wine an hour but it means we won’t be able to drive till 4pm Monday.”

Another major risk highlighted by Admiral’s research is the number of people who admit they have driven the morning after drinking heavily the night before. Nearly a quarter of motorists admitted they have done this while they suspected they were over the limit, while a further 16% are unsure if they were safe to drive.

Sue Longthorn, managing director of Admiral, said: “These statistics are a real concern; the number of people who say they have driven while over the limit is up from last year and stands at nearly three out of ten motorists. We just want to highlight these figures and point out why it is never worth the risk.

“Motorists who get caught drink driving could also find it difficult to get insured. They will at least find their car insurance premiums have increased, and this increase could be significant, and in some extreme cases they could even be refused insurance completely.”

More information on this and the rest of Admiral’s Annual Survey of British Motorists can be found at www.admiral.com/surveyofmotorists.

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M&S Money Reduces Loan Rate

M&S Money is reducing the rate on its personal loans from 6.9% APR to 6.7% APR (representative). The offer applies to personal loans between £7,500 and £15,000.

M&S loans are available between £1,000 and £25,000 with flexible repayment terms over 12 to 84 months. Customers have the option of making no repayments for the first three months, subject to lending criteria.

Colin Kersley, M&S Money Chief Executive, said: “We are pleased to offer a reduced rate on M&S Personal Loans. The latest offer of 6.7% follows other competitive loan rates we have launched this year. The reduced rate also applies to M&S Car Buying Plan which allows customers to defer a fixed percentage of their loan.”

M&S Car Buying Plan allows customers to defer a fixed percentage of their car buying loan, giving them the following options at the end of the term:
– Keep the car and carry on making monthly payments until the whole of the loan is repaid
– Keep the car and pay off the remainder of the loan with a lump sum
– Sell the car and use the money to pay off the remainder of the loan

When borrowing with an M&S Personal Loan, customers are reminded that they should consider their ability to maintain the monthly repayments. Customers can view more information on the M&S Money website, with further information available via our customer services teams over the phone.

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Saxo Bank Launches New TradingFloor.com

Saxo Bank, the online trading and investment specialist, has announced the re-launch of TradingFloor.com, its trading commentary, news and analysis web site. It represents the first upgrade since the site was originally launched mid-2009.

The new site still provides a wealth of information about financial markets to help users make informed decisions when investing. Specifically it covers forex, equities, commodities and macroeconomic data, but it now also reflects the overall goal of building a closer rapport with users to allow for greater engagement and more interaction.

“The new release signifies Saxo Bank’s ongoing commitment to improving the site’s value to clients, prospects and the Bank,” said Hugh Taggart, the head of Saxo Bank’s Content & Strategy Team. “The upgrade also represents the start of an ambitious roadmap to include closer integration with social media channels.”

Some of the improvements include:
– User accounts, a unique user log-in function allowing users to create their own customised dashboards, set and save their interests (including following individual blogs and authors and linking their Twitter accounts) and comment on and ‘like’ content
– Refreshing new branding and overall design
– More analysis from a wider range of sources, including qualified guest contributors
-Educational content on forex, forex options and (CFDs) from Saxo Bank and its trading staff
– Improved content RSS/Atom feed capabilities

The new TradingFloor.com still contains an economic calendar, stock screener and basic free forex charting package.

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Confused.com Sees 2000% Surge As Customers Flock To Save Money On Energy

A surge in energy prices announced by British Gas within the last few days has prompted a 2000%* jump in visits to comparison site Confused.com as customers rush to save money. People are flocking to the price comparison site to find the best deals and avoid the price hikes.

Confused.com Chief Marketing Office, Mike Hoban said: “At a time when utility suppliers are reporting record profits and massive price rises, consumers are voting with their laptops and looking for the cheaper deals.”

Confused.com also offers popular hints and tips on how to reduce energy used around the house, as well as an impartial comparison service which makes it easy for people to shop around and save on gas and electricity bills.

British Gas is the second of the Big 6 to announce gas and electricity price rises. Gas prices are set to increase by an average of 18%, electricity by an average of 16%, effective from 18 August 2011. This increase means around £190** will be added to the average household bill for the customers affected.

Lisa Greenfield, energy analyst at Confused.com commented on the price rises:
“Struggling households will be dismayed by this news, and as British Gas is the largest supplier in the UK, many families will be hit hard.”

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Business Monitor International Release Latest Report On The Greek Infrastructure

Business Monitor International has announced the release of its newest report, which examines the state of the industry infrastructure in Greece.

This is currently a turbulent time for Greece’s economy, as there have been protests about tax rises, job losses and a number of strikes at power plants. The impact of fluctuations in the infrastructure market is likely to be felt in Greece’s construction industry which is currently struggling to cope with reduced demand for its services.

Business Monitor International’s report covers all the major areas of the infrastructure sector including transportation, energy and utilities; analysis of the latest industry trends and prospects; and competitive intelligence on leading construction companies. It also features BMI’s market assessment and 5-year forecasts to end-2015 covering public procurement and spending on all major infrastructure and construction projects, including transportation and logistics by land, sea and air; power plants and utilities, and commercial construction and property development. The report also analyses the impact of regulatory changes and the macroeconomic outlook and features competitive intelligence on multinational and national contractors and suppliers.

BMI’s previous outlook for the Greek energy and utilities market predicted that the market was in decline and would continue to decline. The Greek parliament is due to vote on the government’s latest round of spending cuts and tax rises. Spending cuts are likely to hit the infrastructure industry hard as the industry is reliant on growth and investment which is likely to be reduced as part of the proposed spending cuts.

The Infrastructure report enables industry professionals, strategists, sector analysts, investors, trade associations and regulatory bodies to evaluate and better manage the risks, and exploit business opportunities, in global infrastructure markets. BMI’s analysis of the situation and forecasts for the future offer insight for those looking to manage risks or considering investment.

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