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HE last time I saw my father was when I was nine. Holding a small leather suitcase, he caught a train from Norfolk to travel to London for cancer treatment. His brave cheerfulness chokes me every time I recall the scene. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE last time I saw my father was when I was nine. Holding a small leather suitcase, he caught a train from Norfolk to travel to London for cancer treatment. His brave cheerfulness chokes me every time I recall the scene. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

WHEN I was a young boy growing up in Norfolk in the 1950s, our family washing machine was a static boiler that merely soaked the laundry, which was then rinsed in a large butler sink and fed into a hardto-turn mangle. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

WHEN I was a young boy growing up in Norfolk in the 1950s, our family washing machine was a static boiler that merely soaked the laundry, which was then rinsed in a large butler sink and fed into a hardto-turn mangle. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BRITAIN'S biggest high-street stores have been accused of preying on vulnerable families by encouraging customers to gamble on their online shopping. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IT has been a busy seven days for the dwindling building society sector, with 16 staging their annual general meetings. These give millions of members a chance to celebrate their society's success or - as with Norwich & Peterborough, below - demand answers from the board for failures. FINANCIAL MAIL reports from the floor of three very different AGMs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lied to, fobbed off and excluded from having any say in the future of their societies. That is how many savers and borrowers feel in the wake of the shock announcement that Cheshire and Derbyshire building societies are to be taken over by the giant Nationwide. A staggering 15 million savers and borrowers are involved, but astonishingly, members will not get a chance to question the deal, let alone vote on it. Has the Financial Services Authority protected the interests of society members, or has it played a role in encouraging these secretive deals? Financial Mail seeks answers to these and other crucial questions: [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

FRAUD ­used ­to ­be ­seen ­as ­a ­'victimless' ­crime. ­ Make ­no ­mistake, ­at ­the ­City ­of ­London ­Police ­ we ­ have ­ never ­ agreed ­ with ­ that ­ narrative. ­ And ­ public ­ opinion ­ is ­ now ­ recognising ­ the ­ emotional ­ — ­ as ­ well ­ as ­ financial ­ — ­ harm ­ caused ­by ­this ­most ­prevalent ­of ­crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

FRAUD used to be seen as a 'victimless' crime. Make no mistake, at the City of London Police we have never agreed with that narrative. And public opinion is now recognising the emotional - as well as financial - harm caused by this most prevalent of crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ASHOPPING revolution is sweeping Britain. It started online but is moving rapidly to the high street and it is putting thousands of pounds into consumers' pockets for free. Cashback has entered the mainstream. It means that you never pay the advertised price for, say, a holiday or a new computer, but you still buy from reputable retailers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ASHOPPING revolution is sweeping Britain. It started online but is moving rapidly to the high street and it is putting thousands of pounds into consumers' pockets for free. Cashback has entered the mainstream. It means that you never pay the advertised price for, say, a holiday or a new computer, but you still buy from reputable retailers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Arevolution in the way financial advisers operate means they can no longer be paid commission by the firms whose investments they are selling. Instead, customers must be quoted upfront fees. That has led to explosive growth in the number of DIY or 'self-directed' investors. And many new brokers and other sorts of firms are battling for their business. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The payment protection insurance scandal, which has already cost banks £12billion and hit millions of consumers, is taking a new twist as borrowers wake up to the vast sums that they have spent supposedly insuring their credit card debts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For the first time since the financial crisis began in 2008, banks and building societies are eager to lend to homebuyers. In the past ten days, at least 12 lenders have cut rates on all or some of their home loans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Banks are unfairly rejecting tens of thousands of payment protection insurance complaints without assessing the merits of each case, shocking new evidence reveals. In extreme examples seen by Financial Mail, some banks flatly deny that customers ever had PPI - even where they have proof. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rock-bottom interest rates and volatile stock markets have given rise to what commentators call 'scarred' investors - people whose experience of saving has for years been shaped by difficulties and disappointments. Few analysts expect 2013 to be different from this year. Low or zero growth in Western economies will keep returns from cash at pitiful levels. And political uncertainty in Europe and the US will cause world stock markets to remain jittery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

They cannot sell. They cannot move. Nor can they switch to a cheaper mortgage, or protect themselves against future interest rate rises. This is the plight of an estimated two million households - and, as Financial Mail reveals, their situation is set to get worse next year unless action is taken. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Experienced snowboarder Stephen Anderson was descending an easy slope in the Three Valleys region of the French Alps when he was hit by another boarder. The other man was fine and sped away without a care. But Stephen, 36, fell awkwardly, with both feet buckling toward his shins under the weight of his body. 'The pain was immediately horrific,' he says. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

SAVERS are petitioning George Osborne to use next week's Autumn Statement to reverse some of the 'catastrophic' measures that have 'obliterated' their income since the onset of the financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

SAVERS are petitioning George Osborne to use next week's Autumn Statement to reverse some of the 'catastrophic' measures that have 'obliterated' their income since the onset of the financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Government claims it is tackling spiralling energy costs and bewildering bills. Energy Secretary Ed Davey said last week providers must offer just four main tariffs, and give customers the best price available for the one they choose. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Remember when it was easy to borrow a few thousand pounds from your bank? In November 2006, for instance, less than a year before it collapsed, Northern Rock would lend £5,000 over three years at a fixed rate of 5.9 per cent. Back then, the Bank of England's base rate was five per cent. But the crisis changed everything. Where loans remained on offer, rates shot up. Today, borrowing small sums from High Street banks remains almost as hard - and as costly - as in the thick of the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aquarter of a century ago the world's financial markets were reeling. October 19, 1987 - Black Monday as it became known - remains the day on which the world's major stock markets suffered their biggest crash. No subsequent crisis, not even the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York in 2001 or the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, triggered a slump on this scale. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

MILLIONS of workers are receiving letters and emails about new pension arrangements coming into force next month. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

How did we get to the stage where a body that deals with complaints had to be set up to deal with complaints about hundreds of businesses that exist solely to handle complaints? This point was reached last week. The Ministry of Justice announced that the Legal Ombudsman - an organisation originally set up to deal with complaints about lawyers - will from next year also deal with complaints about so-called 'complaint management companies'. There are almost 1,000 such firms regulated by the Ministry of Justice, and an unknown number of unregulated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

EVER wondered how the ultra-rich invest their money? One way has been for the wealthy to create special companies or portfolios in which they own a substantial stake - but until now most small investors have not been aware that they, too, could profit from these funds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Crashing stock markets and fresh fears for the eurozone have had many reaching for the phone. They want to talk to their financial adviser and be reassured that, however apocalyptic the headlines, their money is safe. Analysis of internet searches shows that with every new phase of crisis comes a surge in consumers' search for information and advice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Shares slumped last week in response to the latest twist of the eurozone debt crisis, centred this time on Spain. There were increased fears that banks and other financial institutions could fail - not just in southern Europe but more widely, in a worrying replay of the 2008 banking crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Inflation is falling - but not fast or far enough for savers. Interest paid on deposits remains so low that even the best no-notice savings accounts pay less than today's increase in the cost of living. And that is before any tax is paid. In the past three years cash in a taxed savings account will have lost more than a tenth of its spending power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many of our most commonly held savings and investments involve an element of luck or, even more, the 'thrill of the win'. In some cases, this is merely a bonus on top of an otherwise solid investment offering a basic return. But other financial propositions, including many that are regulated by the Financial Services Authority, are far more speculative and akin to gambling. Financial Mail examines a range of financial 'flutters'. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The phone rings and the caller asks for you by name. 'I'm calling from the fraud department of Barclays Bank,' he says. 'Can I confirm that you are one of our customers?' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Britons are switching record sums between pounds and euros as fears grow over the future of the single currency and the safety of Continental banks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

If you own a property, you can live in it or let it, and either way benefit. If you own shares in a company, you own a sliver of real assets that you hope will deliver profits. The currency in which these assets are valued is not greatly important - the assets are real, and that's what counts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The 'giving summit' in London last week at which Government Ministers met charity leaders was overshadowed by the controversy over George Osborne's proposal to cap tax relief on donations at £50,000 a year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE optimists say its rise is inexorable, creating wealth for businesses and investors worldwide. Pessimists predict a crash, with catastrophic consequences. But if there is one point on which everyone agrees, it is that all of our financial futures are intimately related to one country - China. In this special report, FINANCIAL MAIL explains how the communist nation of 1.3billion people is poised to dominate this century - and what its rise or fall means for YOUR savings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

WITH the end of the tax year around the corner, time is running out for savers and investors to shelter money from the clutches of the taxman. In this four-page special report, Financial Mail assesses some of the best opportunities available for those who want to put their Isa allowance before April 5 into investment funds. The maximum is £10,680 in the current tax year - and a further £11,280 in the tax year starting on April 6. We also look at some of some of the best cash Isa deals available either for new savers or those looking to maximise the interest on existing balances. We complete our invaluable guide to tax-free savings and investments by analysing the attractive tax breaks available if you are prepared to risk money in a venture capital trust. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BANKS and building societies are lending more money to landlords than to ordinary homeowners, a study of mortgage data has revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

AS Financial Mail reveals that banks now lend more to landlords than to people living in their own homes, young families describe how they are battling with high and rising rents - yet, somehow, they still dream of buying. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The results of a year-long investigation into controversial extended warranties are about to be published - raising fresh doubts over their value to consumers and the way in which they are sold. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IT was Britain's biggest-ever banking scandal, with almost every bank systematically duping customers into buying billions of pounds worth of useless insurance. Payment protection insurance (PPI) was supposed to pay out if someone with a bank loan lost their income through illness or redundancy. The policies could cost thousands of pounds, but borrowers often didn't need them or couldn't have claimed on them anyway, for example if they were self-employed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE floundering economy will be thrown an unexpected £5 billion lifeline in extra consumer spending this year as a consequence of banking's biggest ever mis-selling scandal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE growing number of those who cannot raise enough of a deposit to get a mortgage are in a worse position than ever. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ustomer loyalty is rarely rewarded in financial services. In fact, as you will see on the previous page, most insurers, banks and other finance firms treat their most loyal customers Cworse than any others. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With more dogs and cats being bought at Christmas than any other time of year, insurance companies are busy promoting the benefits of pet cover. The market is highly profitable for companies selling the policies, but does this insurance stack up financially for the pet owners? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]