Press Association

More than one in three of the payday lenders ordered by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to prove their practices are up to scratch have decided to quit the industry.

Millions of households could face a one-off extra charge of £29 on their annual bills after the UK's biggest water company said it had endured a "tough time" financially.

Two online travel agents and a hotel group have said they will "relax" an agreement, which the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was concerned prevented other online travel agents from selling discounted rooms.

The Office of Fair Trading says firms offering "quick house sales" should make sure their business practices are up to scratch after an investigation found some customers end up handing over their home for less than half its market value.

House prices have increased at their fastest pace in almost three years, Halifax reported today.

Payday loan customers are being urged to "fight back" if they've been mistreated by a lender, by making a free complaint to the financial ombudsman.

The mortgage price war among lenders intensified today as a bank launched a deal with a record sub-1.5% rate.

House prices increased at their fastest rate in three years last month, Nationwide has reported.

British Gas is to trial a scheme offering free electricity on Saturdays to encourage customers to use less on weekdays.

Lloyds Banking Group is being investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over the way it handles complaints over payment protection insurance mis-selling.

British Gas owner Centrica says profits from its residential energy arm rose by 3.2% to £356 million during the first half of the year following a freezing winter — but it isn't ruling out future price rises.

Banking giant Barclays has set aside another £1.35 billion to cover payment protection insurance mis-selling, taking its total PPI bill to £4 billion.

Trust in the energy market is being undermined by a lack of transparency about the profits being made by companies, MPs have warned.

Car insurance costs have dropped by record levels over the past year, while home insurance costs are also down, the AA says.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has told Wonga the Church of England wants to "compete" it out of existence as part of plans to expand credit unions as an alternative to payday lenders.

The Government insists only creditworthy borrowers will be able to buy homes with its Help to Buy scheme, as it revealed more details about its housing stimulus programme.