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Just in the United Kingdom alone, it has been estimated that there is £200 billion lying unclaimed as dormant assets. Better analysis is needed, more use should be made of search facilities by families — but the money needs to be put to work, prioritising inter-generational rebalancing. The Dormant Assets Act 2022 is a major step forward by Government, and the Reclaim Fund will enable its provisions to be put into practice. This will become an increasingly important contribution to empowering disadvantaged young people as the birth rate falls. Background music: 'Sea of Ancestry' by Jesse Gallagher.

Is it time to admit that 'free banking' doesn't really exist, and to start paying for our accounts? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Helen Crane discuss this, plus: the plans which wise parents are making to deal with the prospect of VAT on private school fees, if Labour wins the next election, and how to find a trustworthy adviser. Also — Helen Crane investigates a car sold with a significant fault.

Not everyone has a bank in the developing world, but mobile phones are everywhere. Mary Long and Asit Sharma discuss the evolution of payments in India, micropayments versus credit cards, how MercadoLibre is gaining traction with cross-border payments in Latin America, and the move for payments companies to become a superapp. Companies mentioned: GOOG, GOOGL, PG, PAYTM, TOST, PYPL, MELI, DLO, BABA. Host - Mary Long; Guest - Asit Sharma

The shining towers and ivory walls of the City of London — many of our financial trials and tribulations can be traced back to October 1986, when the clear distinction between self-interest and acting in the interests of customers was abruptly brought to an end in the 'Big Bang'. Among those who saw it all happen was legendary market-maker Brian Winterflood MBE, who died on 29th June. His financial legacy, built over sixty years in the City, is massive. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

Banks have come into the firing line this week over current account closures and slowness to pass on base rate rises to savers. Nigel Farage claims his bank shut his current account over his Brexit views – the former politician has been vocal on Twitter about his treatment by Coutts, while the exclusive bank with a high net wealth clientele has fired back. So, can banks realistically do that to you? Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce tell you all the reasons your bank can close your current account – and what to do if it happen to you. And on the same day big bank bosses faced a grilling from the FCA about paying savers fairly, Lloyds, Halifax and HSBC hike rates – coincidence? Savings deals have been rocketing in recent months, experts give their views on whether we’re at a peak – or if there is further still to go for savers. With savings rates rising, many are questioning whether to bother investing - one think-tank reckons Britons are ploughing far too much into cash instead of investing. How do the figures stack up? And finally… would you pay into your partner’s pension? A spouse can pay into their partner's pension while they are not working to ensure they do not miss out financially in later life, but is it a wise move?

Adam Cox is joined by Tim Coates, founder of Oxbury Bank, to look at how finance can help to tackle the climate crisis and how Brits can make greener choices when it comes to their banking. They look out how carbon offsetting works in banking, and Tim advises on how Oxbury Bank is working to help their customers reduce their impact on the environment. https://www.oxbury.com

Murmurs from HSBC HQ this week warned that an overhaul of its business model could leave customers paying a monthly fee for their current accounts. This week, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost ask whether this is really a possibility, if banking actually is free anyway and what happens next. We also look at who is winning the battle of current account switchers and whether people are just too loyal to their bank. This weekend marks the end of the furlough scheme, replaced by something new – while other financial support is also changing, including free overdrafts and mortgage payment holidays. What impact did the second wave fear and upcoming US election have on the stock market this week? Bitcoin has seen a surge in price this week, what has behind its rise to the highest level since the crazy end of 2017? And boilers – one reader has been told that their 28 year model is too ancient to service. Is this a fair call?

Are tax returns too taxing, why did new overdraft rules backfire, are challenger banks biting and what are the cars that hold their value best? We answer these questions on this week’s This is Money podcast. It’s tax return time. The organised will have safely filed their tax returns long ago, but there are still plenty of people who don’t yet feel the last minute has arrived. But what if you are meant to fill in a tax return and don’t realise? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost discuss the ten reasons that people may have to fill a tax return in, even though they are employees paid through PAYE. The team also discuss whether much of the tax return is really needed, or whether people are needlessly spending time filling in an over complicated form for an overly complex system. Also on this week’s podcast is the overdraft row that’s blown up on the back of the FCA’s attempt to improve borrowing and bank’s deciding that 39.9 per cent rates sounded about right. The team discuss whether the challenger banks are starting to bite and why people are attracted to them. And finally, Simon tells us about the new episode of the Making the Money Work podcast with London 2012 Olympic-medal winning boxer Anthony Ogogo.

The mortgage price war claimed a high profile victim this week as Tesco Bank scrapped lending. Tesco Bank will continue with its other products, but why has it ditched mortgages, why have a string of other smaller players shut their doors in recent months, and why did building society behemoth Nationwide issue its own caution on home loans this week? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Sarah Davidson and Georgie Frost dive into what is currently a weird world of mortgages: where a greater supply of money to lend than demand to borrow it means there are some very cheap deals on offer. Also on this week’s show, the team look at a reader’s problem with a neighbour upstairs, who has stripped the floor back to floorboards and is creating noise issues, despite a lease that says there must be carpets. How do you enforce that? Thomas Cook’s troubles and what they mean for holidaymakers are under the spotlight too. And finally, ever wondered why sometimes drivers get a ticket but at others escape with just a warning, or what really drives police officers mad behind the wheel?

As banks went kaput a decade ago, the safety of our savings was thrust into the limelight. Most had never considered that cash in the bank was at risk and knew little about the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. When Icesave blew up a year after the Northern Rock collapse things changed dramatically. We should all be up to speed now, but how safe are your savings? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost we look at savings protection but also how you could end up losing money by sticking with cash. Ironically, worries about banks a decade ago triggered a flight to safety and more people stashing money in savings accounts rather than investing. But had people invested as Lehman Brothers collapsed they would have more than doubled their money by now. Taking the risk as the world appeared to be falling apart would have been the right move. Yet, at that point the stock market was already down 20% and fell by that again before it hit the bottom, so how many would have been brave enough? Also on this week’s show, we discuss how easy it might be to hit the £1million pension lifetime allowance sand whether your car might fail its next MOT.