MONEY NEWS
Smart Money
This week's top
tip - by Andrew Ellson, Deputy Personal
Finance Editor
With technology changing so quickly and more
than 100 broadband providers and dozens of
VoIP (voice over internet protocol)
operators constantly inventing new packages
and options, it's difficult to keep
up-to-date with the latest developments. To
keep you in the picture we have created a
new
broadband
section dedicated to the latest news. And
don't worry if you can't tell your modem
from your micro-filter because the section
contains useful guides for beginners. There
is an introduction to broadband, a jargon
buster, information on VoIP and a guide to
safe internet surfing
Mixed messages on
house prices
Mortgage lending rose to its
highest level in three years last month. The
Bank of England said net mortgage lending
rose to #9.8 billion in July, up from #9.0
billion in June and close to the record high
of #9.97 billion reached in September 2003.
The figures follow conflicting reports on
the strength of the housing market.
Hometrack said house prices in England and
Wales increased at their fastest rate in
nearly two years in August. But Rightmove, a
property website, said that average asking
prices dropped 1.6 per cent in the same
period
Tesco goes medical
Tesco is to step up its
rivalry with the big insurers with a move
into the private medical insurance market.
The UK's largest supermarket chain is
planning to offer policies to its customers
in partnership with Axa PPP, a unit of the
French insurer. The move comes nine years
after the company launched its first assault
on the financial services market with a
Royal Bank of Scotland tie-up that saw it
offer Visa credit cards. Its personal
finance unit has expanded to offer customers
loans, mortgages, foreign currencies and a
range of insurance policies including life,
home, travel and car cover