Travel ban updated

Travel rules

The traffic light system is due to be updated today, revealing which countries are joining the green list to allow quarantine-free holidays. The travel industry says people who’ve had both jabs should also be able to skip the 10-day isolation on the way home from amber list countries. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel has thrown a spanner in the works by suggesting that Brits should quarantine on arrival in the EU to slow the spread of the Delta variant.

Honeytrap mortgages

Brokers are warning home buyers to watch out for “honeytrap” mortgages* that seem like good deals but come with high fees. In a race to offer the most attractive deals, lenders advertise a competitive headline interest rate - but the extra product fees can outweigh any savings. The average fee on a fixed-rate mortgage is now £1,075, up £57 from last year.

FCA overhaul

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has promised to do better, after a committee of MPs demanded more protection for consumers. They slammed the FCA for failings in dealing with the mini-bond scandal, in which thousands of savers lost money when London Capital and Finance went bust. The committee reckons a change in the FCA’s culture is needed to protect consumers from future scandals.