Business

American Real Estate Association co-founder Jason Haber unpacks the state of the housing market and assesses Redfin’s announcement of a ‘great housing reset’ coming in 2026 on ‘The Claman Countdown.’ Rising escrow payments are eating into Americans' budgets, creating an even bigger barrier for people trying to enter the housing market this year, according to a new report. These escrow payments, the portion of a monthly mortgage that goes toward property taxes and homeowners insurance, are considered one of the biggest risks to the U.S. housing market in the new year, threatening market participation, according to the Cotality 2026 property market trends analysis. The analysis closely examined how these payments, which are already hammering current homeowners, will continue to rise ...

The WASPI campaign has a simple message for anyone who thinks well-off pensioners among their ranks don't deserve compensation. The campaign group, along with other advocacy groups, has fought for over a decade to get DWP compensation for the generation of 1950s-born women they represent.This is the generation of women impacted when the state pension age for women went up from 60 to 65 and then 66. The campaigners claim many of these women did not know of the change, ruining their retirement plans when they found out, and that the DWP should have done more to tell them.The PHSO (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman) previously investigated the issue, finding there was 'maladministration' on the part of the DWP. In a reported published in 2023, the watchdog said the Government shou...

State pensioners in one part of the UK are being handed £85 vouchers to spend in supermarkets in January to help with the cost of living.The supermarket vouchers are being awarded to eligible pensioners in receipt of certain benefits in Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire as part of the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Household Support Fund. The fund provides local councils across England with a share of a funding pot worth £742 million, with the money used to help struggling households afford essential living costs over the winter months, including energy bills and food. It is at the discretion of local councils to independently decide how to share the cash, so there may be different eligibility criteria depending on where you live, and the funding is awarded from now until March ...

Nationwide Building Society has issued a stark warning to Brits after a surge in a "clever" scam tactic fraudsters have been using to steal cash. According to the mutual, the average UK adult receives two scam calls each week, with "impersonation" calls becoming one of the most common ways used to trick people out of their money.An impersonation scam involves victims being convinced to make a payment or disclose their personal or financial details to a criminal posing as a trusted organisation or someone they know. This could be a bank, the police, HMRC, or a friend or family member. These scams typically occur via phone calls, texts, emails, or on social media, and fraudsters employ cruel manipulation tactics to gain the trust of those targeted. Jim Winters, director of economic crime ...

This month, thousands of households across the UK are set to receive £150 credit from their energy provider. Utilita started issuing the Warm Home Discount to smart prepay customers on January 7 and aims to finalise all payments before the month's end.The Warm Home Discount is worth £150 and is applied straight to your electricity account, rather than being transferred to your bank account. Whether you qualify for the discount hinges on whether a household member was receiving one of several designated benefits on the qualifying date, which changes annually, reports the Mirror.For this winter, the qualifying date was August 24, 2025. To qualify for the Warm Home Discount this year, you must have been receiving one of the following benefits on this date:Universal CreditGuaranteed credit ...

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced a 3.8 per cent increase in disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Attendance Allowance this year. The new weekly payment rates will be effective from 6 April 2026.Currently, PIP ranges from £29.20 to £187.45 per week, with payments typically issued every four weeks, equating to awards between £116.80 and £749.80. With the 3.8 per cent increase, payments will rise to between £30.30 and £194.60, or £121.20 and £778.40 over each four-week payment period.PIP payment rates for 2026/27 are divided into two components - daily living and mobility. These will be paid at specific amounts per week from Monday, 6 April , reports the Daily Record.Daily Living componentEnhanced: £114.60 (from £110.40)Standard: £7...

Des lingots d’or après avoir été inspectés et polis à la raffinerie ABC de Sydney, en Australie, le 5 août 2020. DAVID GRAY / AFP Un climat d’aversion pour le risque règne, lundi 12 janvier, sur les marchés financiers après les menaces de poursuites contre la Réserve fédérale (Fed) pour fraude de la part du ministère de la justice américain, poussant les cours de métaux précieux à de nouveaux sommets et pesant sur les Bourses européennes. Vers 9 h 15, l’once d’or prenait 1,72 % à 4 587,17 dollars, peu après avoir bondi à un nouveau sommet historique de 4 599,87 dollars, et celle d’argent grimpait de 5,59 % à 84,319 dollars après avoir touché un nouveau record à 84,609 dollars. Lire l’ana...

The frozen income tax thresholds have led to more than a million extra demands for tax, new figures have revealed. The Tories started the freeze in 2021 - and since then it has been extended with current Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing it will continue until 2031 in her November budget.There are growing concerns that millions more individuals, including many amongst the nation’s lowest-paid workers, have been dragged into the tax system through ‘fiscal drag’. This phenomenon has emerged because the lowest income tax threshold has remained fixed at £12,570 since 2021, whilst salaries have continued to climb due to inflation.These thresholds determine how much individuals can earn before taxation begins, currently standing at £12,570 for the basic 20 per cent band, £50,270 for the hig...

Nearly 1,650 DWP staff have been issued with formal performance warnings after exceeding sickness absence limits, new figures that have sparked fury reveal.The disclosure comes amid scrutiny of attendance levels inside the Whitehall department responsible for administering benefits and supporting people back into work.In a written Parliamentary answer, ministers confirmed that 1,649 formal performance warnings were issued in just one year to staff whose sickness absence exceeded departmental triggers. Now demands are being made for urgent action.The Department admitted it cannot confirm whether every warning was issued specifically because of excessive sickness, citing the way its data is recorded.The figures were revealed after a question from Neil O’Brien, the Conservative MP for Harb...

Millions of Britons are grappling with increased energy costs this winter following Ofgem's latest 0.2% increase to the energy price cap, which came after a previous 2% hike between October and December. If you're seeking methods to reduce your energy expenditure, guidance from British Gas could prove invaluable.Whilst it might appear straightforward, the energy provider's recommendation focuses specifically on how long you spend in the shower. Studies suggest many people remain under the water for as long as 10 minutes whilst washing, yet reducing this to four minutes could substantially cut energy consumption.Online advice from British Gas states: "Cut your shower time to just four minutes and you could save up to £70 a year." Despite this, British Gas isn't the only firm suggesting t...