Research by Consumer Focus suggests that 1.2 million people are taking out a payday loan every year, borrowing a total of £1.2 billion. The number has quadrupled since 1996, according to the watchdog group despite some companies charging interest rates of more than 2,500% a year. The group is now calling on the industry to bring in more safeguards to protect vulnerable borrowers – an initiative welcomed by some of the UK’s leading debt solution companies, including Payplan. “Payday loans are a better alternative than turning to a loan shark but the eye watering interest charges can mean borrowers end up owing more and more as payments spiral out of control,” said John Fairhurst, Managing Director at Payplan which provides free debt management advice and planning. “We agree more should be done to make people aware of the long-term consequences of a payday loan. It might appear to provide a short-term solution but we often see people drawn into repeatedly taking out these expensive loans to try and keep up with unaffordable repayments to other creditors. 

Divorce is at its lowest level since 1979 but the number of costly divorce-related settlements in court has increased during the economic downturn, according to legal publisher Sweet and Maxwell. While only 136,026 divorces were granted in 2008, the lowest for 30 years, the leading publishing expert says more cases than ever are being fought out in court as couples battle over the size of maintenance, lump sum payments and splitting pension pots. The grim findings are reinforced by free debt solutions company Payplan which says divorce debt inquiries to its national helpline have escalated over the past two years. “The divorce rate may be down but this only paints half the picture,” explained John Fairhurst, managing director at Payplan, the free debt solutions specialists. “More couples are taking their disputes to court but without realising the full financial consequences of doing so.”

Written by guest contributor Jennifer Gorton from Forex Traders

When the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis erupted in 2008, the U.S. Dollar began one of its most rapid bull cycles in history as investors all over the world ran into the safety of U.S. Treasuries. When economic crisis hits the economy, investors are primarily concerned about one thing—capital preservation, and the two most popular investment vehicles for capital preservation are currently the U.S. Dollar and gold. Gold has been a long-time favorite asset of investors who are seeking safety. Not only is gold an inflation hedge, but in times of economic uncertainty, it tends to outperforms commodities significantly, as investors buy up the yellow metal with fury. The U.S. Dollar, on the other hand, strengthens mostly on the back of the U.S. government reputation. During times of uncertainty, U.S. Treasuries are still seen as a completely safe bet. The chance of default on government debt is viewed as near 0 by investors, so the U.S. Dollar tends to become very strong during times of risk aversion in the financial markets. Thus, the U.S. Dollar and gold share an interesting relationship as “safe-haven assets.”

August 11, 2010 – (Investorideas.com Newswire) www.InvestorIdeas.com, a global investor research portal announces this week’s top ten search phrases from investors. Top investor searches include Natural Gas Stocks, Renewable Energy Stocks. Agriculture Stocks, Water Stocks and OTC Stocks.

Investor Ideas publishes its top 10 Investor Search List on Investorideas.com home page and is updated each Wednesday for investors and site visitors.

Newsletter publisher OTC VOLUME LEADERS is attributed to OTCBB stocks included in the top 10.  Their newsletter provides investors with daily market updates showcasing the most actively traded OTCBB Companies.