Money Box

Millions of people are booking their holidays right now, but with hundreds of flights already cancelled and the threat of air traffic control strikes looming, how do you fight for your rights if your travel plans get disrupted? What's the best way to manage your money overseas? And how is the cost of living impacting people's plans if you are lucky enough to be getting away?The experts in this podcast are: Cathy Adams, Senior Content Editor (Travel) at The Times and Sunday Times, Alan Dean, Managing Director at CoverForYou and Cedar Tree, and Sean Tipton, Media Relations Manager at the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).Presenter: Dan Whitworth Reporter: Sarah Rogers Researcher: Luke Smithurst Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Elisabeth Mahy(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 12th July, 2023)

New data shows more than 700,000 households across Great Britain have missed out on £300 million worth of support with their energy bills. The government said in February 900,000 households were eligible to apply for a one-off £400 payment because they did not have an energy supplier that would apply it automatically. The government said it had spent more than £50m 'supporting households without a domestic energy supplier', but this data suggests just over £300 million of the possible £360 million in Great Britain had not been claimed before the deadline. The big high street banks have been told to be more open with their customers about savings rates - what will that mean in practice?And could Artificial Intelligence transform how banks decide whether to lend us money?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Sarah Rogers Researcher: Sandra Hardial Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 8th July, 2023)

Bank bosses are being asked to explain why interest rates on savings aren't keeping up with the rising cost of borrowing. The heads of Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest and Barclays banks will meet the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on Thursday.Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has already stepped in to tell banks to put up rates for savers.At the moment the Bank of England base rate is 5 per cent, following last months 13th consecutive rise. UK Finance who speak for banks say "savings rates are driven by a number of factors," not just the base rate.Laura Suter, head of Personal Finance at AJ Bell and Kirsty Stone, Chartered Financial Planner at The Private Office, are here to help make sense of your savings.Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 5th July, 2023)

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has stepped in to tell banks to put up the rates paid to savers after the Bank of England raised the official Bank Rate to 5%. Many mortgage rates went up at once and more have been increased this week, but the rates paid on savings by the banks have not followed them. The gap between the two has almost doubled from December 2021. We hear from Gillian who runs a business in Bromsgrove and ask how banks make decisions on savings rates.More than two million calls to a helpline for people wanting to boost their state pension have been blocked by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Minister in charge of what is called the Future Pension Centre, Laura Trott, has admitted that in the first five months of the year more than two million calls were cut off without even being allowed to join the call waiting queue. A new energy price cap comes into effect today. This will see households pay an average of 2,074 pounds a year. This is lower than the level at which government subsidies ke

Amidst a cost of living crisis, almost 9 in 10 young adults say that simply having enough money to cover their basic needs is classed as aspirational, according to a survey by the children's charity Barnardo's. We hear about some of the financial pressures burdening young people - from renting, to food costs and car expenses. In this podcast, BBC Newsbeat's Cost of Living Reporter, Sam Gruet, joins Felicity Hannah and Alice Haine, Personal Finance Analyst at Bestinvest.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood and Sarah Rogers Reporter: Sam Gruet (Newsbeat Cost of Living Reporter) Editor: Beatrice Pickup(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 28th June, 2023)

Rising interest rates are putting pressure on those homeowners with variable mortgages, or with fixed terms due to end this year. The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has met with the big banks to discuss the forbearance options lenders can offer to customers in difficulty. We discuss the long term financial implications of options such as payment deferrals, extending the length of the mortgage or switching to interest only with Sarah Coles, Head of Personal Finance at Hargreaves Lansdown.The children's charity Barnardos is concerned about the impact of rising living costs on young people aged 18-25. The charity worked with the Co-op to survey 2,500 people in that age bracket. Almost 9 in 10 responded that having enough money to cover basic needs was considered 'aspirational', and more than half had worried about whether they could afford things in the last six months. We speak to a 20 year old care leaver about their relationship with money. And what should you do to protect large sums of money from fraud? We've been

The average interest rate charged by mortgage lenders is now much higher than many homeowners have been used to.So what can those struggling to make repayments do - and what if any help should lenders provide?The experts in this podcast are Charles Roe, Director of Mortgages at UK Finance, Andrew Wishart, Senior Economist at Capital Economist and Rita Kohli, Managing Director at The Mortgage Stop. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Beatrice Pickup(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 21st June, 2023)

On June 12th, HMRC closed its self assessment tax helpline - a helpline that last summer people tried to call over a million times. Instead, it's directing people who want advice or who need help with their online self assessments to its digital services. HMRC says this is a pilot for a new seasonal model and that it will reopen in September. It says the plan will free up staff time to deal with urgent queries. The decision has prompted criticism from tax groups who say that the closure is extremely disappointing, that it's ill thought out and that its a clear indication that HMRC can't cope with demand. Angela McDonald the Deputy CEO and Second Permanent Secretary at HMRC speaks to Felicity Hannah live.MPs have questioned insurances bosses over high premiums. The Treasury Committee called executives in to answer questions about potential profiteering during the cost of living crisis. Dan Whitworth reports on that hearing.More on plans to make sure banks give innocent victims of push payment fraud the r

A prolific cyber crime gang has stolen personal data belonging to more than 100,000 employees. It's a mass hack which has impacted organisations globally. In the hands of criminals, your personal data can be used to make cloned credit cards, buy phone plans, falsely claim government benefits and even take out a mortgage, for which you can become liable. In this podcast, we discuss how you can try and prevent this from happening and what you can do if you are a victim. The experts on the panel are Sarah Lyons, from the National Cyber Security Centre and Matt Cooke, Cyber Security Strategist at Proofpoint - which helps protect businesses and employees online.Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Amber Mehmood and Clare Worden Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 14th June, 2023)

Changes to how families of disabled children can access UK government-backed trust funds have been announced. Currently, parents and carers of 18-year-olds who lack mental capacity have to apply to the Court of Protection to access the money. The Ministry of Justice says claims will now be dealt with in eight weeks - rather than six months. We'll hear from Mike Freer the Minister for Courts and Legal Services and from a campaigner who says the changes don't go far enough.Hundreds of thousands of people have had their personal information stolen by hackers. We'll ask what you can do now to stay safe.We'll discuss a new report calling for banks and other financial institutions to do more to improve services for people with hearing difficulties. The report is from the Lending Standards Board which is calling for greater inclusion. UK Finance, which represents the banking and finance sectors, told us it's committed to supporting customers and do offer extra support including British Sign Language translations

House prices have fallen by 1% compared with a year ago – the first drop since 2012 (Halifax) and as inflation remains high, lenders are increasing the cost of mortgage borrowing.But what do these changes in the housing market mean for anyone who dreams of owning their own home, for people trying to move up the ladder or those thinking about equity release?The experts in this podcast are Tim Bannister, Director of Property Science at Rightmove and Clare Beardmore, Director of Mortgages at Legal & General. Presenter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Sara Wadeson(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 7th June, 2023)

Mortgages are back in the headlines this week, with the news that hundreds of deals are being pulled from the market. Since the start of last week, the total number of mortgage products on the market has fallen by 11.3% according to new figures from Money Facts. We'll discuss this with Sonya Matharu, Senior Mortgage Broker with The Mortgage Mum.There are calls to simplify and reform the tax free childcare system. The charity Coram says many families don't even know they are eligible because the system is so difficult to manage. HMRC says Tax-Free Childcare is quick and easy to claim and that it can be a real boost to the household budget of working families. Adding that families can choose the financial support that best suits their needs. It recommends that parents use the Childcare Choices website (https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/) to find the right childcare offer for them.We'll discuss what the latest updates are for funeral plan holders with companies which have gone out of business - following

The Financial Conduct Authority is concerned that young people in particular are turning to bloggers and influencers for investing advice - without fully understanding the risks. Scammers are also using social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to target people, as the cost of living pushes people to look for high return investments.In this podcast, we discuss what red flags to watch out for and how easy it can be to end up parted from your money. The experts on the panel are Giles Mason, Director of Campaigns at UK Finance, Laura Suter, Head of Personal Finance at AJ Bell and Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise. Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Amber Mehmood Reporter: Sandra Hardial Editor: Elisabeth MahyIf you have been affected by the issues covered in this podcast, visit BBC Action Line for advice or support: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/375cB1pZ3FwFRQMh9zLxZhb/information-and-support-fraud(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 21st May 2023)

The Chief Executive of the Association of British Credit Unions has told Money Box his members are seeing more people applying for borrowing who already have multiple buy now, pay later loans. We'll hear from a young woman who got into debt that way and get a response from the industry.Mortgage costs will go up again this week. That's going to put the squeeze on many households but it's especially bad news for the tens of thousands of people who are trapped paying unaffordable mortgages. We'll speak to Martin Lewis, who's campaigning for change, and get a response from the Treasury.The Financial Conduct Authority is concerned that younger investors are using social media platforms for investing advice - without fully understanding the risks and how much money they might lose. We'll speak to their Director of Consumer Investments, hear from some young people and from the platforms themselves.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle (Fi

When your spouse dies your world changes, from admin to organising a funeral, new widows are hit with a slew of tasks amid dealing with grief.As well as those challenges, losing a husband, wife or partner can mean significant changes to your finances. In this podcast we discuss what the death of your partner can mean for your money. What challenges are there and where can you find help and support.The experts on the panel are, Emma Gray, Ambassador at WAY Widowed & Young and Jane Hodges, Chartered Financial Planner at Money Honey Financial Planning.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Jess Quayle (First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 24th May, 2023)

Criminals are targeting victims more effectively and exploiting banking apps on phones to steal thousands of pounds. That's the warning from one of the UK's most senior fraud officers, Detective Superintendent John Roch, who runs the Economic Crime Unit for London's Metropolitan Police. He's been speaking exclusively to Money Box - and you can hear that interview in full.The Financial Conduct Authority has told this programme it has been speaking to Scottish Widows about concerns over the company's poor customer service. For the past year Money Box has been investigating complaints about the insurance and pensions firm. Customers have been contacting us to say they have faced lengthy delays when they have tried to get hold of their money. We'll hear from some of those listeners and get a response from Scottish Widows which says its overall service levels are getting back to normal as it continues to work hard behind the scenes. It says it has significantly increased the number of colleagues answering cal

The UK is the fraud capital of the world with hundreds of thousands of victims and billions of pounds stolen every year. Every minute of 2022, thieves stole £2300 from bank and credit card accounts. They took a total of 1.2 billion from nearly 3 million people. In this podcast, we discuss these figures by the banking trade body, UK Finance, and we speak to victims of fraud about the impact it’s had on them and the steps you can take to protect yourself.On the panel are experts Kathryn Westmore, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre of Financial Crime and Security at RUSI, and Andy Donald, Director of Communications at UK Finance.We'll also hear from an ex-fraudster about how criminals manipulate their victims intro transferring thousands of pounds.Presenter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Amber Mehmood Reporter: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast, 3pm Wednesday 17th May, 2023)

The banking trade body UK Finance says that every minute of 2022 thieves stole £2,300 from bank and credit card accounts. In total they took £1.2 billion from nearly 3 million people. These figures were released this week in its Annual Fraud Report. We'll discuss the figures and get reaction from Arun Chauhan, a solicitor at Tenet Law, who specialises in fraud and financial crime.There were new warnings about inflation this week. The Bank of England said that headline rate would soon fall, though not quite so much as it had predicted earlier this year. The Chief Economist at the Office for National Statistics answers your questions and talks about the new ONS comparison tool where you can check prices. As HMRC stops sending paper tax returns out to under 70s – what does this mean for the 3 million over 55s who don’t have a digital presence?And how to make sure you get a new Cost of Living payment if you're entitled to it.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Kr

The Bank of England is expected to hike interest rates for the 12th month in a row this week and deposit-free mortgages are back after a 15-year-long absence from the market that stretches back to the financial crisis. We find out how they’ll really work, who can benefit from them and what interest rates mean for you whether you’re a renter, homeowner or prospective new buyer. The experts in this podcast are, Nick Mendes, Mortgage Technical Manager at John Charcol, Charles Roe, Director of Mortgages at UK Finance and Rachel Springall, Finance Expert at Money Facts.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 10th May, 2023)

To mark the Coronation of King Charles III our presenter Adam Shaw gets exclusive access to the Royal Mint to witness how new £2 commemorative coins are produced and to see its extensive archives. In this programme, we discuss how different monarchs have affected our money and what the future might hold for the physical cash that we carry in our pockets. To help explore the Crown and our currency, Adam is joined be a panel of experts, Dominic Chorney, an Ancient Coin Specialist at Baldwin's, Catherine Schenk, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Oxford and Jennifer Adam, Curator at the Bank of England Museum. Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Amber Mehmood Researcher: Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 3rd May, 2023)