Press Association

House sales have plummeted by almost 40% since the peak of the boom five years ago, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said today.

Retail workers could be better off on the dole because of tax credit changes brought in under the last Budget, a new report claimed this week.

Marks & Spencer is to offer current accounts from this autumn after announcing plans to open 50 bank branches in the next two years.

House prices showed a slight increase last month but are unlikely to move much over the rest of this year, Halifax said today.

The price of food stabilised last month, a retail survey said today, as the cost of raw materials declined.

Firms which offer investments such as personal pensions and Isas face tougher rules to ensure they give people a more realistic prediction of potential returns.

The motor insurance market is today facing an investigation by the Competition Commission after a report found the market was "dysfunctional" and may be pushing up premiums by £225 million a year.

Controversial plans to cap tax relief on charitable donations have been scrapped by Chancellor George Osborne, the Treasury announced today.

House prices have managed to weather the recession by recording their first monthly increase since February, a study said today.

Families have seen their finances improve over the last year which has helped them boost their savings despite the recession, according to a report.

Local councils handed out an increased number of parking tickets last year, despite cutting back on traffic wardens, according to figures out today.

The double-dip recession is deeper than originally feared, with revised figures today showing a sharper decline in the economy in the first three months of 2012.

Banks must be told to stop offering free current accounts if Britain wants to stamp out mis-selling scandals, a senior regulator said today.

A consumer watchdog has called for tougher government guidelines on supermarket pricing after uncovering tactics it claims are misleading shoppers.

The retail prices index (RPI) rate of inflation fell to 3.5% in April compared to 3.6% in March, new figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveal today.

Supermarket giant Sainsbury's sparked the latest round of the petrol price cutting war by announcing it will reduce its forecourt prices by 3p a litre.