Banking

This year's retirees face living off the lowest average incomes in six years.

Halifax is to cut some of the benefits of its Reward current account — which pays customers £5 a month — from May, in a blow to users.

Halifax has launched the longest fee-free overdraft, but the deal is limited to those with good credit records, while there is a sting in the tail once the 12-month offer ends.

A landmark shake-up of the financial advice market takes effect today, meaning most consumers now have to pay an upfront fee for new investment and pension advice.

Halifax and Lloyds TSB customers have reported that they cannot access their cash from ATMs, while online banking isn't working and even debit cards are not working in shops, on one of the biggest party nights of the year.

Hundreds of thousands of consumers are in line for a refund of cash which they left in RBS, NatWest, Tesco and HSBC ATMs.

Paperless statements and payslips are becoming the norm in the online world but they can harm your chances of getting a mortgage or benefits, so ensure you ask for original copies well ahead of applying.

Lloyds TSB and Bank of Scotland are suspending the sale of paid-for current accounts in branches and over the phone in the new year.

Inflation fell by 0.2 percentage points in November as transport costs and mortgage interest payments went down, the Office of National Statistics says.