Banks

Banks will be forced to make banking easier and fairer for millions of customers from later this year after receiving a "strict timetable" from the competition watchdog.

Bank switchers looking to take advantage of Halifax's £100 switching incentive will need to act fast after the company confirmed it will cut the introductory offer to £75 from 1 March.

About 100,000 current accounts held with building society brand Norwich & Peterborough (N&P) are set to close by 31 August because the brand itself will cease to exist. If you're affected by the closure you'll be contacted with details on how to switch elsewhere.

Many are skint after Xmas so use Jan to sort their finances. If you've not started, the clock's ticking. You may have seen these tips before but we make no apologies for repeating them as they're the key savers. So stop putting it off, pause the TV, delay your trip to the pub/salon/shops and read on...

Fewer than 2% of the UK's 70 million active personal current accounts were switched in 2016, the latest figures show – and the overall number of switches fell slightly compared with 2015. If you're not happy with your bank you can pocket more than £100 by ditching and switching.

Banks should introduce options such as voice recognition technology and web chat facilities to help customers with mental health problems avoid sliding into debt, the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute has urged.

Stray payments sent to your old bank account could be redirected to your new account decades after you've switched, under new plans put forward by the Bacs payment scheme.

Online shoppers are being conned out of £100s after giving up bank details to authentic-looking emails claiming to be from Amazon. Protect yourself online by NEVER providing sensitive information in an email.

Lloyds Banking Group customers are struggling to access their accounts for the second day running due to ongoing technical problems with its online banking services and apps.

A woman who had her bag stolen has told how she was horrified to find all three of her contactless cards being used by fraudsters after she'd cancelled them, while another discovered her card being used five months after she'd cancelled it. Check your bank statements ASAP if your contactless card has been lost or stolen.