moneynet in the press

Manchester Evening News - 24th October 2005

INSURERS CALL LAST ORDERS ON BOOZING

Richard Brown, chief executive of financial website moneynet.co.uk, says exceeding 40 units of alcohol a week - 20 pints of beer - can result in a 50 per cent rise in life cover premiums. For drinkers whose fondness for a tipple runs into the 90 units a week range, premiums are likely to be loaded by some 300 per cent. Premiums are also rising for people with histories of drug use. Habitual users of sleeping tablets, he says, can be declined for cover until they have been clear for at least three years. Life companies now demand that applicants to fill in their forms assiduously, he warns, and payouts will be refused if the applicant is found not to have declared their drug or alcohol usage.

Sunday Telegraph (Money) - 23rd October 2005

IDENTITY CRISIS

A number of banks and credit card providers offer various fraud protection policies - but consumers are warned not to be lulled into false sense of security if they sign up to one of these schemes. Richard Brown, the chief executive of Moneynet, a price comparison service says: "These certainly won't protect consumers from ID theft. Most also fail to guarantee full compensation for any losses that arise as a result of ID fraud."

The Good Web Guide - 18th October 2005

MONEYNET IS A HIGH QUALITY SITE THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.

MoneyNet is one of the great survivors of the e-commerce boom, and now looks fresher than ever. Navigation is a doddle as a wealth of content is managed by a series of search engines.

BBC News Online (Money Talk) - 18th October 2005

REMORTGAGING - IS IT WORTHWHILE?

Can you really save money by re-arranging your mortgage every few years - or is it all a con perpetuated by lenders and brokers to bolster their profits? The short answer is "yes", you can save money. In many cases borrowers can save thousands of pounds, maybe tens of thousands, over the term of their mortgage by moving around from lender to lender to take advantage of cheap deals.

News Of The World - 16th October 2005

USE THE WEB & BE £££s BETTER OFF

Richard Brown, of Moneynet, said: "There are clear advantages to managing your finances online. The differences are especially notable with savings accounts and there are some good bargains to be had by trawling online insurance brokers."

Manchester Evening News - 10th October 2005

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE

"Debit card use is currently going up at a rate of 20 per cent a year, and now accounts for two thirds of all spending on plastic," said Richard Brown, chief executive of Moneynet, another online financial data comparison site. If card issuers want to retain their customers, he says, then they must come up with more innovative and rewarding deals. During 2005, the number of zero percent cards on offer has been steadily whittled down as issuers have pulled in their horns. Zero per cent credit cards cost the issuers between £2bn and £3bn a year, Brown says, but it's a cost they will have to live with. "The standard credit card is effectively an endangered species and mainstream card firms will have to be less complacent in order to retain existing customers," he warned. "Competition in the credit card market is potentially excellent news for consumers and the longer term outlook for the canny borrower is good."

Manchester Evening News - 10th October 2005

PLAN TO SAVE FAMILIES FROM SHARKS AND STORES

Government plans to protect families from loan sharks are doomed to failure unless ministers also tackle the menace of extortionate store and credit card rates, says website Moneynet.
Work and Pensions Secretary David Blunkett last week unveiled a multi-million pound tonic for community-based lending organisations such as credit unions. The measures are designed to deter people from having to borrow from loan sharks.
But Moneynet's chief executive Richard Brown says the government should also focus on high street lenders, which charge up to three times the base rate for loans while some store cards carry an APR of 30 per-cent plus.

Press And Journal - 3rd October 2005

STANDARD CREDIT CARDS NOW 'AN ENDANGERED SPECIES'

While people have enjoyed the benefits of switching debt between providers, online financial data comparison site Moneynet.co.uk says that UK credit-card firms will have to deliver ever more competitive products if they want to retain customers.
Moneynet chief executive Richard Brown said: "The standard credit card is effectively an endangered species."

Norwich Evening News - 1st October 2005

...... ON THE WEB

Worth a look is the constantly impressive www.moneynet.co.uk, which has impartial advice on over 100 mortgage lenders and investment providers, and sections on medical and life insurance.