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For those with equity in their home, unlocking some of the wealth tied up in their bricks and mortar can be an attractive option. Here are eight key facts you may not know about these plans.

There are now 768,553 homes across Britain valued at at least £1 million - accounting for 2.7% of the nation's housing stock, according to a new study.

The abuses are laid bare in damning detail in an explosive 350-page report that the bank and City regulators tried to suppress.

HM Revenue and Customs said hundreds of vulnerable and elderly people have fallen victim to the scam, which sees fraudsters cold calling people pretending to be HMRC members of staff.

Shares in the business leapt 20 per cent this week after a positive trading update about the launch of its Gated Talent software, which has been designed for the headhunting industry.

American Express Global Business Travel has made a bid for the company, which has also agreed to sell its payments technology arm to Visa.

Deputy Bank of England governor Ben Broadbent noted that the rise in volatility in the past week was an investor response to stronger growth and greater inflation. Let us hope he is right.

GVC Holdings, the Isle of Man-based owner of Foxy Bingo, is buying Ladbrokes in a deal that will see City firms split a £111m fees bonanza and hand executives up to £12m.

Profits at Tata Steel have risen five-fold over the latest quarter to £145million, boosted by volume growth in India and rising steel prices.

The drop in demand for rental properties triggered a profit slide at Britain’s biggest building society to £886m in the last nine months of 2017 – down 6 per cent on a year earlier.

If a business is a riskier investment than its peers, it may increase its payout to compensate investors. A warning sign is when the firm has a large pension black hole compared to the overall company size.

Homeowners, holidaymakers and drivers are being sold insurance policies that impose bigger fees than the value of claims, an investigation found.

Notonthehighstreet.com is the biggest online gifting marketplace in the UK. Could listing on the site help your business grow? Here's a seller's guide to getting the most out of it.

TSB has landed the latest blow in the battle for current account switchers offering existing customers £75 to recommend the Classic Plus account to friends and family – up to a maximum of £375.

Trinity Mirror will take over all Northern & Shell’s publishing assets, including celebrity magazines OK!, New! and Star.

H/2 Capital Partners has lent Four Seasons an extra £30m and refinanced an existing £40m loan at lower interest rates.

Her role at the £80bn pharmaceuticals giant makes her, at just 48, the most powerful businesswoman in Britain, if not the world.

Anne Stevens, who was named boss last month, will outline her so-called Project Boost as the engineering firm battles an unwelcome £7.4bn bid from takeover specialist Melrose.

The FTSE 100 index at the close was down 78.26 at 7092.43.

The move comes just days after experts called for fuel retailers to lower their prices after the price of oil fell dramatically in the last fortnight.