Blog

By James Daley

Barclays is closing down a swathe of its zombie accounts. It's another good step in the right direction, but what about the other 36 accounts?

By James Daley

Accolades and awards are two a penny in the banking and insurance world. But rewarding companies for failure is bad for both the industry and its customers.

By James Daley

Critical illness cover is designed to pay out a lump sum if you fall seriously ill. But given the limitations of what it will and won't pay out for, insurers end up leaving hundreds of policyholders heartbroken every year.

By James Daley

Banks offer car hire companies, hotels and some other businesses the chance to ringfence funds on their customers' cards. But the system is being abused, and the buck has to stop with the card issuers.

By James Daley

Britain's insurers use every grain of information they can find when they're deciding how much to charge you. But is it fair for them to hold your job or even your genetics against you?

By James Daley

A report from the International Longevity Centre proclaims that annuities are in fact great value for consumers. But the conclusions are not based on all the evidence.

By James Daley

George Osborne has promised free financial guidance for all retirees from next April. But in a world where there are few right answers, what will people be told?

By James Daley

Steve Webb responded to Fairer Finance's blog on Twitter, claiming that his cuts to deferral rates were all part of the savings needed to pay for a higher state pension. Let's see the evidence.

By James Daley

The pensions minister is set to half the rate at which people's state pensions increase if they defer them and carry on working. The cut is so sharp that if you carry on working for too long, you may lose out.

By James Daley

The Competition & Markets Authority has proposed the launch of yet another review of the banking sector. The problems have been analysed to death, why can't the regulator get on and fix them?