Mortgages creep into the limelight in the weekend money sections
This weekend’s money sections saw a change from the norm with investment articles down from 25 per cent to 21 per cent. Likewise pension articles fell in frequency from 14 per cent last week to only 6 per cent this week. So where did the column inches go?
Mortgage articles increased from 10 per cent up to 16 per cent with different aspects of this topic being covered. Esther Shaw (@EstherShaw79) focused in the Sunday Express on how homeowners are set to benefit from increased protection after the government announced stricter regulation of the mortgage market. Teresa Hunter in The Telegraph (@Telegraph) looked at mortgage lenders penalising home owners with children as lending criteria tightens post credit crunch.
Rupert Jones (@rupert_jones) in the Guardian and Tanya Powley in the FT Weekend (@financialtimes) covered the news that a new negative equity deal has been unveiled by Lloyds. The Equity Support Scheme will allow customers to use their savings as a deposit instead of them being swallowed by negative equity. This is especially good news as research from Post Office Mortgages, highlighted in the Sunday Mirror, suggests that couples think taking out a mortgage together is more a sign of commitment than walking down the aisle.
Utilities was also a popular topic with a jump from three per cent of articles to 14 per cent. The Independent (@TheIndyNews) warned consumers to examine their phone bills closely to check the rate of VAT being charged on the higher rate for December. Meanwhile Andrew Ellson (@andrewellson) in The Times looked at the menace of doorstep mis-selling of energy as people are persuaded to switch to a supplier which turns out to be more expensive.
The rest of the scores were:
Charity 0%
Credit cards 4%
Fraud/scams 4%
IFAs 0%
Insurance 8%
Investment 21%
Mortgages 16%
Pensions 6%
Regulation 4%
Savings 17%
Tax 6%
Utilities 14%