News.

Clothing sales dampened by weather
Clothing outlets posted their worst sales performance for four years last month, according to the Office for National Statistics.

OECD urges eurozone to act quickly
The OECD has urged European governments and Europe's Central Bank to move swiftly in order to ease the eurozone crisis.

Mortgage lending falls to 12-month low
The end of the stamp duty concession for first-time buyers led to a drop in mortgage lending in April.

FTSE 350 pension deficits 'jump'
The total pensions shortfall facing the UK's most successful companies has increased markedly since April, according to research.

Parents warned over credit ratings
Generous parents trying to give their adult children a helping hand are doing them more harm than good, according to new research.

Wealthier people 'living longer'
There is now a bigger gap in life expectancies between the least and most deprived areas of England.

Osborne sounds eurozone warning
George Osborne has said that fears about Greece leaving the euro are causing damage to Britain's economy, as well economies in Europe.

Jobs outlook 'turning positive'

Campaigners warn over saving rates
Recent rounds of QE and record low interest rates have made pensioners permanently worse off, it is believed.

Rise in consumer appetite for borrowing
People's appetite to borrow money increased slightly last month, research suggests.

FTSE 350 pension deficit 'unchanged'
The FTSE 350's defined benefit pension accounting deficit stayed relatively stable during April, according to Mercer's Pensions Risk Survey.

April showers effect consumer spending
April saw the biggest drop in consumer spending for 11 months as the dismal weather meant shoppers avoided the high street.

Homeowners 'partly responsible' for crash
Homeowners who over-borrowed must accept some responsibility for the current financial crisis, a minister suggests.

Midwives accept pension changes
Midwives have voted in favour of the Government's new pension plans.

Instant access savings rates 'climb'
The average instant access savings account rate is now at its highest level for three years, research has shown.

Charity donors 'keen to save more'
Many British people who regularly donate to charity continue to do so even in times of financial hardship, figures show.

Median pay awards 'holding up well'
Research published by pay specialists XpertHR has revealed that wages have fared well so far this year.

Consumers tightening belts, survey
Consumers continued to tighten their purse strings and chose to save rather than spend in April, figures suggest.

BBA: Shoppers remain debt conscious
British shoppers continued their prudent approach to debt last month after demand for loans and credit remained fragile.

Men 'to enjoy greater longevity'
Life expectancy is on the up and the rates for men are increasing the fastest, according to the latest findings.

Pension red tape under spotlight
The UK pensions industry has been asked to help the Government in a review of outdated legislation.

March profit warnings 'at nine-year low'
The number of profit warnings from listed companies fell dramatically last month, research suggests.

Pensions system 'is overly complex'
A report has criticised the UK's "failing" pensions structure, calling on the sector to be drastically simplified.

First-time buyer demand 'at 10-month peak'
Property demand among first-time buyers has reached a 10-month peak, new figures show.

MPs report on savings difficulty
An influential committee of MPs has urged the Government to recognise the pain caused to savers by quantitative easing.

Minimum wage 'lower than in 2004'
The minimum wage will effectively have fallen to a lower rate than in 2004 even after a rise later this year, figures show.

Inflation 'eating into graduate pay'
Graduates could see their starting salaries fall to their lowest point in nine years in 2012.

FTSE firms 'keen to adopt' DC pensions
DC pension schemes have never been more popular among FTSE 100 companies, according to a new survey.

Final salary pensions close deficit
The total deficit of Britain's private sector final salary pension schemes continued to narrow in March.

NHS workers to vote on pension action
NHS employees across the UK are going to the polls over whether or not to accept controversial pension reforms.

PM welcomes state pension boost
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed a £5.30 per week increase in the state pension.

Consumer lending 'rose in February'
New figures have shown that consumer credit lending rose by nearly a tenth in February.

TUC warns families of tax changes
Families stand to lose out on as much as £4,000 by 2013 because of changes to working tax credits, according to the TUC.

ISA savers 'must be aware of bonus periods'
A consumer organisation has urged cash ISA savers to transfer their money to another account before their bonus period ends.

£1.2bn donated through Payroll Giving
Employees who have signed up to the Payroll Giving scheme have donated around £1.2bn to charity since it was launched 25 years ago.

FOS issues ISA deadline reminder
Savers have until Thursday to make full use of this financial year's ISA allowance if they have not already done so.

One million more households in danger of debt
Our latest MoneyMood Survey shows a million households are worse off now than they were just 1 year ago.