News Headlines 2007

Headlines 2007

3 December ifs School of Finance to offer INSEAD scholarships
The ifs School of Finance has confirmed that it will continue to award six MBA scholarships per year to prestigious French business school INSEAD.
3 December ifs Young Business Writer of the Year
Financial education charity, the ifs School of Finance, today launched their annual ifs Young Business Writer of the Year competition.
28 November 10,000 teenagers studying personal finance qualifications
Financial education charity, the ifs School of Finance, today confirmed that over 10,000 teenagers are studying one of its GCSE, AS or A level equivalent qualifications in personal finance.
26 November Mortgage brokers in developmental driving seat
Earlier this month, the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) warned that mortgage brokers needed to start looking at ways of diversifying their business models.
21 November Record number of teenagers take part in national investment challenge
For the first time in the fifteen year history of the competition, the 2007-8 ifs Student Investor Challenge sponsored by Deutsche Bank and Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust has attracted more than 30,000 teenagers from across the UK.
12 November Advisers urged to grasp Equity Release opportunity
Andrea Rozario, the new Director General of Safe Home Income Plans (SHIP) is one of an increasing number of women advisers who has recognised the potential market for Equity Release advice and upskilled accordingly.
24 October ifs School of Finance & Edexcel announce partnership on financial education
Edexcel and the ifs School of Finance have announced that they are working together to enhance personal finance education which will complement Edexcel's 14-19 Diploma 'total solution' offering.
4 October ifs School of Finance offer free TCF & protection products briefing
The ifs School of Finance will be holding a free breakfast briefing for financial and mortgage advisers later this month.
3 October ifs School of Finance welcome FSA appointment
The ifs School of Finance today welcomed the appointment of Chris Pond as the new Director of Financial Capability at the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
18 September Regulatory exams to be updated following FSA changes
On 1 November 2007 changes to the FSA Handbook will come into effect necessitating updates to the content of some units of ifs School of Finance regulatory examinations.
17 September ifs Student Investor Challenge 2007-8
The annual ifs Student Investor Challenge sponsored by Deutsche Bank and Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust opened for registration today.
30 August ifs School of Finance celebrates first anniversary
The ifs School of Finance is celebrating the first anniversary of our name change which saw an end to the Institute of Financial Services and the birth of the ifs School of Finance.
28 August University students scoop £9,000 and £3,000 investment prizes
The ifs School of Finance today announced that Maryann Hollebon, an Open University student from Somerset, has won the 2007 ifs Uni Investor Challenge – collecting a top prize of £9,000. Martin Conway a postgraduate student at Queens University, Belfast collected the £3,000 top prize for the postgraduate element of the competition.
17 August Average age of insurance candidates continues to fall
The ifs School of Finance today revealed that the average age of those gaining an entry level qualification in the insurance industry has fallen year on year since 2003, the year the Certificate in Regulated General Insurance (CeRGI®) was launched.
13 August CeFA® & CeMAP® students to benefit from new web service
A new web service to help students with study-related queries has been launched by the ifs School of Finance today. For a small fee of £15, those registered for any CeFA® or CeMAP® module will be able to access a dedicated forum, where they can post questions about the content of the study materials or syllabus.
3 August Financial education can help combat rising levels of insolvency
Government statistics released today showed another increase in the number of individuals becoming bankrupt. 26,956 people became insolvent in the second quarter of 2007, a 4.2% increase on the same quarter last year.
1 August Mortgage brokers urged to treat customers fairly
The ifs School of Finance has urged mortgage brokers to consider taking a rigorous and industry respected qualification in treating customers fairly in the wake of further FSA fines for mortgage brokers announced today.
17 July ifs School of Finance freezes examination prices
The ifs School of Finance today confirmed that they will be freezing the prices of all their regulatory qualifications until 2008.
12 July Government misses another chance to introduce personal finance skills into schools curriculum
Government has again missed an important opportunity to give personal finance the place it deserves in the national schools curriculum.
2 July The ifs School of Finance welcomes FSA call for mandatory financial education
The ifs School of Finance welcomed today’s call by Financial Services Authority chief executive, John Tiner, to make financial education a mandatory part of the school curriculum as soon as possible.
20 June Cross Party Support for Standalone Personal Finance Qualification
More than 80 Members of Parliament have signed a parliamentary motion calling on the Government to encourage all schools to offer a standalone qualification in personal finance and to train more teachers to teach financial education.
19 June ifs School of Finance Board Members Receive Honours
The ifs School of Finance today welcomed the news that two of its board members have been awarded honours in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
14 June New Higher Education Director for ifs School of Finance
The ifs School of Finance has appointed Martin Day to the newly created post of Director of Higher Education and Executive Development.
11 June Advisers Urged to Take TCF Qualifications
The ifs School of Finance today called on Advisers to consider gaining a qualification in Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) not only to ensure they have a full understanding of TCF principles but to help ensure they meet FSA expectations in this area.
17 May Financial Services Practitioners call for Statutory Financial Education
The Financial Services Practitioner Panel has "strongly" called on the Government to make financial education part of the national curriculum.
3 May Professional DFSM® Tasters
New unit "tasters" are now available for the Professional Diploma in Financial Services Management (Professional DFSM®).
30 April ifs Young Business Writer of the Year 2007
Yash Gupta, a 16-year-old school student from Wakefield has been named ifs Young Business Writer of the Year.
23 April Equity Release an Important Alternative for Retirement Planning
A new report from Defaqto published today concludes that the UK equity release market is entering a crucial stage in its development and will play a greater role in retirement planning.
20 April ifs School of Finance Backs BBA Calls for Financial Education in Schools
the ifs School of Finance has today backed calls from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) that quality financial education should be given in schools to improve the nation’s financial capability.
19 April Staff Training "Crucial" for Treating Customers Fairly
Earlier today the Financial Services Authority (FSA) fined Sesame Limited £330,000 for failing to treat its customers fairly by not handling complaints adequately.
18 April Parliament Debates Financial Education in Schools
The ifs School of Finance, the only provider of GCSE, AS and A level equivalent qualifications in Personal Finance, have reacted positively to a House of Commons debate on financial education held last night.
16 April ifs School of Finance Publishes Response to Thoresen Review
The ifs School of Finance today published their response to Otto Thoresen's call for evidence.
16 April 8 School & College Teams Beat Thousands of Teenagers to Compete in National Business Challenge
The ifs Student Investor Challenge sponsored by Deutsche Bank and Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust, reaches its conclusion in London on April 25 when eight teams will compete for a £2,000 cash prize and an all expenses paid trip to New York.
6 April ifs School of Finance Highlights Need for Regulatory Qualifications in Equity Release
The ifs School of Finance has highlighted the fact that a new regulatory regime in the area of Equity Release comes into force today (6 April 2007).
2 April Industry Milestone: 10 Years of CeMAP®
2007 marks the 10th anniversary of the Certificate in Mortgage Advice & Practice (CeMAP®) from the ifs School of Finance.
21 March Mortgage & Financial Advisers sign up to Certificate in Regulated Equity Release
The ifs School of Finance, has today confirmed that large numbers of mortgage and financial advisers have already signed up to their new Certificate in Regulated Equity Release (CeRER) in advance of regulation, which comes into force next month.
20 March ifs School of Finance Responds to Government Consultation on Financial Capability
Financial education charity the ifs School of Finance, the UK’s only provider of GCSE, AS and A level equivalent qualifications in personal finance, today published their response to the Government consultation on improving financial capability.
1 March New Foundation Degree in Financial Markets and Management
The ifs School of Finance has launched a new Foundation Degree in Financial Markets and Management.
1 March ifs School of Finance to Exchange Skills at Chelsea FC
Financial education charity, the ifs School of Finance will hold a Skills Exchange Day on 18 April 2007 at Chelsea FC's world famous Stamford Bridge ground.
23 February Bristol School Students Pick Up Best Stock Market Performance Prize
A team of A-level students from Mangotsfield School in Bristol have performed better than almost 30,000 other teenagers from across the UK in the ifs Student Investor Challenge sponsored by Deutsche Bank and Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust.
23 February Mortgage Exit Fees & Treating Customers Fairly
The ifs School of Finance, the leading provider of qualifications to the financial services industry, today commented on the hot topics of Mortgage Exit Fees and Treating Customers Fairly.
22 February Almost 100 Universities Participate in ifs Uni Investor Challenge
The ifs School of Finance, a financial educational charity, has confirmed that almost 100 Universities in the UK have students taking part in their annual ifs Uni Investor Challenge.
14 February Growth in Buy To Let Mortgages
The ifs School of Finance today suggested more mortgage advisers and brokers should consider gaining specialised qualifications in the Buy to Let (BTL) market as the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) revealed that 11% of all new lending in 2006 was in the BTL market.
13 February Teenage Attitudes Towards Debt
Educational charity the ifs School of Finance has welcomed the results of a survey into young peoples views on debt and money in general as further evidence of a need for action.
2 February Record insolvency numbers likely to grow
The Insolvency Service today released figures showing there were 29,804 individual insolvencies in England and Wales in the final quarter of 2006.
1 February Breakfast briefing for IFAs
The ifs School of Finance will be providing a free breakfast briefing for Independent Financial Advisers titled: "More IHT Trusts, Unsecured Income & ASP" later this month.
1 February ifs School of Finance Offer Masterclass in T.C.F.
The ifs School of Finance are to offer a Masterclass on Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) at their Cannon Street offices later this month.
31 January Better Education Could Reduce Repossessions
The ifs School of Finance, an educational charity offering finance related qualifications to industry and the wider community, has today suggested that better financial education could help reduce the increasing number of repossessions.
26 January ifs School of Finance Launch Ad Campaign
The ifs School of Finance, an educational charity offering finance related qualifications to industry and the wider community, today launched an ambitious brand awareness campaign on the London Underground.
26 January ifs School of Finance Welcome FSA Clarification on Mortgage Exit Fees
Earlier today the Financial Services Authority set out its views on recent increases in mortgage exit administration fees (MEAFs) and how it expects mortgage lenders to address this issue.
18 January Hertfordshire School Team Achieves Stock Market Success
"Starwars", a team of 4 school students from Haberdashers Boys School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, outperformed over 7,600 other teams from across the UK to win the second ifs Student Investor Challenge monthly prize.
16 January Students Need Better Financial Advice
Financial education charity the ifs School of Finance has welcomed this week's report from accommodation provider Unite which states students need better financial advice.
15 January ifs School of Finance launches Certificate in Regulated Equity Release (CeRER) 'top-up' unit
Anyone giving advice on Equity Release products will soon be required by law to hold an appropriate qualification.
10 January ifs School of Finance Code of Practice Now Available Online
The ifs School of Finance Code of Practice sets the framework within which we seek to ensure the continuing quality and enhancement of its higher education provision.
1 January 2007 ifs Uni Investor Challenge Offers University Students £9,000
Following the success of the ifs Student Investor Challenge, which currently has approximately 30,000 students aged between 14-19 investing a fantasy £100,000 in the stock market, a more sophisticated version for University students of any age has been launched today.