Money Box

Confirmation of payee is a fraud prevention system which would allow banks and customers to check names alongside account and sort code details to ensure that transferred money goes to the right person. The Payment Systems Regulator wanted it to start in July. This week UK Finance, which represents banks, said it needed a delay until "some time next year." Guest Gareth Shaw, Head of Money, Which?Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth takes a forensic look at the accounts of companies linked to London Capital and Finance plc. The company is in administration, leaving 11,000 investors worried about what's happened to their cash. Guest Roger Isaacs, Forensic Partner at Milsted LangdonMegan Jarvie, Head of Coram Family and Childcare discusses the latest figures for tax-free childcare which show that 91,000 families used it for 109,000 children. Figures released this week revealed that 10 million people are now saving into a workplace pension. Some of those workers are non-tax payers and have been placed by employers in

So where are we with the promised Open Banking revolution?A little over a year ago we were teetering on the edge of radical reform after new rules meant that customers could give permission for their bank to share details of their current account with other banks and regulated companies. The plan was that by studying your spending and income details firms will be able to offer you financial products, give you a credit rating, or suggest ways to save money. What are you experiences? From 1pm on Wednesday 13th February you can call 03 700 100 444 or email anytime: moneybox@bbc.co.uk.Joining Paul Lewis on the panel this week: Imran Gulamhuseinwala, Implementation Trustee for Open Banking Ltd Pamela Meadows, payments expert from the Financial Services Consumer Panel. Freddy Kelly, founder Credit Kudos.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Jasper Corbett

From April millions of households on default energy tariffs and who have not switched suppliers will see a rise in their bills after regulator Ofgem raised caps for gas and electricity. The first cap was introduced in January as a measure to ensure customers paid fairer prices. Guest Jo Butlin, Chief Executive of EnergyBridge Consulting and an expert in how the energy industry works in the UK.This week the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee held its final evidence session on leasehold reform. Founder and Chief Executive of the HomeOwners Alliance Paula Higgins debates the issues with David O'Leary, Policy Director with the Home Builders Federation.What happens to state and private pensions post-Brexit? James Walsh, from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, where he focuses on the EU, guides us through what's certain and what's uncertain.There are now more mortgage products than ever before for older borrowers, what’s attracting lenders to them? Guest: Darren Cook, Mortgage An

How would you like to receive a set income from the state without conditions?It's an idea which is gaining world wide attention with pilot schemes in Finland, Canada and Spain to name a few. In Scotland ministers have awarded funding to four local authorities to undertake feasibility studies with a view to holding a pilot. Adam Shaw and a guest panel discuss the theory behind the idea and examine how if it could ever work in practice.How have the trials worked in different countries? Is a universal basic income a useful way of thinking about wealth redistribution or is it just an unaffordable utopian dream? From 1pm Wednesday 6th February you can call us on 03 700 100 444 or email us at any time: moneybbc@bbc.co.uk.Joining Adam on the panel: Jamie Cooke, Head of Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce Scotland Dr Louise Haagh, author of The Case for Universal Basic Income and a Reader in Politics at the University of York Dr Luke Martinelli, the main researcher on the Institute

A firm which raised more than £200m from 14,000 investors has gone into administration. London Capital & Finance Plc (LCF) issued mini-bonds which promoted returns of 8 percent and higher. The Financial Conduct Authority was already investigating, last December it froze the assets of the firm. It also directed LCF to pull its "promotional material on the basis that the way in which it was marketing bonds was misleading, not fair and unclear." The FCA also expressed concerns that "LCF bonds were being marketed as ISA eligible when they were not." Guest: Finbarr O'Connell, one of the administrators of London Capital & Finance Plc.Tougher fraud prevention measures have seen some websites asking online shoppers to verify their identities by entering a six digit number, sent to them by text, before the transaction can continue. What if you live somewhere without a mobile signal? Guest: James Daley, Managing Director and Founder, Fairer Finance. We hear from the Money Box listener who's paying hundreds of

According to the Association of British Insurers, average motor insurance premiums dropped by 1% last year. But the experiences of many Money Box listeners tell a different story.Louise Cooper and panel discuss why the cost of car insurance is so high. How do insurers work your premium out? Is it ever a good idea to stick with your existing provider? And how common is it for young people to pay more for their insurance than the cost of their vehicle?From 1pm Wednesday 30th January you can call us on 03 700 100 444 or email us at any time: moneybbc@bbc.co.uk.Joining Louise on the panel: David Williams - Technical Director at AXA Insurance Amanda Stretton - Motoring Editor, Confused.com Neil Hart - Client Services Director at Consumer IntelligenceProducer: Alex Lewis + Linda Walker Editor: John Murphy

Administrators have been appointed to the Dream Lodge Group leaving people, some of whom invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in the luxury holiday park lodge business, at risk of losing most if not all of their money. In return for their cash they were promised an 8% return on their investment plus a guaranteed buy back of their capital. In a statement to Money Box administrators Deloitte said "The best outcome for everyone would still be a sale of the business and we will formally report our progress on that and any other matters in our creditors report in mid-March. We appreciate this will be a difficult time for many people affected by the administration of the business.” What are the signs that an investment opportunity is too good to be true? Guest: Farhaz Khan, Secretary of the Financial Services Lawyers Association. The European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC, gives people from the UK the right to access state provided emergency care while temporarily staying in another European Economic Area cou

Private parking firms are issuing penalties to drivers at the rate of one every five seconds. That's a 20% increase compared to last year. Council income from parking penalties has never been higher. So why this increase? Every motorist has a parking ticket story. So what's yours?Email us moneybox@bbc.co.uk or call us from 1300 on 23rd January: 03 700 100 444, geographic charges from landlines and mobiles apply. Presenter: Louise Cooper Producer: Alex Lewis and Linda Walker Editor: John Murphy

New rules are set to change access to pension credit. At the moment the benefit can be claimed to top up income when the older partner in a couple reaches the qualifying state pension age. From May 15th it will switch to when the younger person in the relationship qualifies. Pensioners with younger partners who are already on pension credit or pension-age Housing Benefit will not be affected by the change while their entitlement remains. The announcement was made via a written statement by pensions minister Guy Opperman which was published on Monday. Guest: Gareth Morgan CEO of Ferret Information Systems. Money Box listeners who took out student loans in the 1990s have received letters offering to settle the debt if they agree to pay a percentage of their outstanding amount. Some of these former students are approaching the point where their loans will be written off anyway. Guest: Martin Lewis, Founder and Chair MoneySavingExpert.comSorting out a £51 tax refund ended up costing one man £137 after he searche

A New Year, a new you!Many of us have committed to eat better and get fitter. But just as popular is to save more. We want to know how you have resolved to improve YOUR personal finances. Email us: moneybox@bbc.co.uk or call us from 1300 on 16th January on 03 700 100 444, geographic charges from landlines and mobiles apply. Let us know how you're doing.Presenter: Louise Cooper Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: John Murphy

Two banks have taken the unusual step of refunding a fraud victim all her money. With new rules for banks on this issue coming into force soon, is this a sign of things to come and are more victims likely to benefit? We hear from bank fraud consultant, Richard Emery, of 4 Keys international. Economy Energy has become the ninth energy supply company to go bust in the last year. 235,000 customers are now being told to sit tight while Ofgem appoints a new supplier, but has the regulator opened up the market too much? We speak to one of its executive directors, Mary Starks. And with Universal Credit complicating who does and doesn’t get free prescriptions in England, hundreds of thousands of people are being wrongly fined for not paying the £8.80 fee. We find out what it means for claimants and pharmacists and speak to Sandra Gidley, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Sally Abrahams Editor: Richard Vadon

Is it time to turn to the small claims court? It’s only 9 days into the New Year and your relaxed demeanour may have already waned. Especially if faced with a mountain of Christmas presents that never worked and a feeling of resentment about the botched boiler repair.Help is at hand in the form of the small claims court – a low cost way for you to claim what you feel you are owed by an individual or small business, providing it's not more than £10,000.In the past year a little over 2 million claims were raised in England and Wales, 39,000 of them via the Government's newly launched online service. They boast that the fastest claim was lodged and paid in under two hours.Today our panel discusses the effectiveness of the system for getting you your money back:. Helen Dewdney aka The Complaining Cow and consumer champion Benjamyn Damazar, regular user of the small claims court process Stephen Gerlis, retired district court judge.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: John Murphy

Have you had an accident in the last 5 years - even if it wasn't your fault? Ticking that box on a car insurance application can be very costly - even if you weren't to blame. Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth has been investigating why.Around 14,000 investors who put their money into a mini-bond sold by London Capital & Finance are in limbo this week after the Financial Conduct Authority froze the firms assets and banned it from advertising or selling the product. What does this mean for people with money invested?The Chinese economy is flagging after decades of expansion and the latest Bank of England figures show a fall in UK consumer lending. Will 2019 see our personal finances coming under an increasing squeeze?And as the currently un-named Government backed 'Single Financial Guidance Body' comes into being - taking on the roles of The Pensions Advisory Service, Pension Wise and Money Advice Service - we mull over suggestions for what it could be called...Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Edi

In August, Jessica Hurst wrote to the media asking them to investigate how her dad’s debts of just under £12,000 became a bill of just under £73,000. Nigel Hurst killed himself eighteen months ago after learning that bailiffs were to repossess his family home. It was the bailiff who found him. Student, Jessica, was left with a pile of debt recovery letters and bank statements which she hoped would hold the clue to his financial troubles. After an old school friend offered legal advice, Jessica has persuaded the creditors to reduce their demands back to a manageable level. How did they do that? And what did they learn in going through the process? Helen Grady - who reported on the case for File on 4 - asks Jessica about the response to the programme. If you've been affected by the issues raised in this programme and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, you can visit BBC Action Line or you can call for free, at any time, to hear recorded information 0800 066 066You can also get he

More than 2000 steel workers - many of them in the Welsh steel town of Port Talbot - were persuaded to transfer out of their final salary pension scheme. Many now deeply regret their decision, and believe they were mis-advised by"sharks" who descended on the town to take advantage of a period of confusion. Tony Bonsignore hears how the men's lives have been affected, what lessons have been learnt, and whether enough has been done to stop something similar happening again.Presenter: Tony Bonsignore Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Vadon

Steven Long, the founder of the collapsed inheritance planning firm, Universal Wealth Preservation, has been jailed for eight months for failing to disclose the whereabouts of his clients' money. It's now emerged that at least twenty-five million pounds has gone missing. Money Box hears from Shivani Varma, the solicitor acting for around 30 claimants who have lost millions of pounds and talks to one client who attended the High Court hearing about what it was like when the prison sentence was handed down. Overdraft charges: The Financial Conduct Authority announced major changes this week to how banks charge us for accidentally slipping into the red. It wants to stop firms charging higher prices when customers use an unarranged overdraft and bring an end to fixed daily and monthly fees. Instead the banks will have to charge customers one simple rate of interest on the money owed. But, given that overdraft charges bring in around £4.2 billion a year for the banks, how will they recoup those lost monies? Profes

More than 45% of UK households keep a pet. It's estimated that we spend almost £4.5 billion a year on them. Yet research suggests we underestimate what it costs to keep them.

You may not have heard of some of them; transaction charges, custody charges, collateral management costs, but these hidden pensions costs can have a real effect on your savings over the years.It's been estimated that charges - including a notional 1% which are hidden - could destroy a quarter of the value of a pension over 30 years. Why, when they matter so much, is it so hard to get the full picture and what can you do about it?Share your experience. Call us on 03700 100 444, email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneybox. Lines open from 1pm on Wednesday 12 December. You can also email moneybox@bbc.co.uk or tweet @moneyboxPanel guests: Chris Sier, academic and transparency campaigner Michelle Cracknell, The Pensions Advisory Service Jeff Houston, Secretary of the Advisory Board to the Local Govt Pension schemePresenter: Lesley Curwen Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: John Murphy

In March of this year Money Box listener Nicola's financial adviser made his first attempt to move her investment fund, valued at £40,000, from Aegon to another provider. Nine months later, despite making a formal complaint and taking their case to the Financial Services Ombudsman, the money has yet to arrive. To date Aegon has offered Nicola £100 which it increased this week to £500, as an apology "for the unacceptable delays she has faced in the transfer of her funds." Guest: Nicola's independent financial adviser, Iain Forrest, Director of Forrest Financial Management and we also hear from the Financial Ombudsman Service. Dan Whitworth reports on a HMRC VAT exemption rule clarification which recently came into force and has resulted in some people seeing a sudden increase in their property management company service charge. The clarification is intended to make it clear that third parties such as property management companies are subject to VAT. Some of these companies have started to pass the cost on. G

The competition regulator has stepped up its investigation into the £2 billion a year funerals market, after finding prices have risen above inflation for over a decade.