Marks and Spencer is holding a one-day 20%-off sale today, the second in two weeks. The sale applies to clothing, homewares and wine in M&S stores, many of which will remain open until midnight, and via its website.

M&S boss Sir Stuart Rose said the company understood that customers were "feeling the pinch", and wanted to give shoppers "a helping hand in the run-up to Christmas". The 20% discounts also cover Christmas cakes and puddings.

Leeds Building Society has launched new fixed-rate bonds (issues 10 and 11) that combine a return of up to 4.50% gross pa/AER, with access to 25% of the balance without notice or penalty at any time.

There are also monthly interest options for customers who require an income.

Mortgage borrowers with loans that track the Bank of England Base Rate could find themselves in the enviable position – in theory – of actually being paid to borrow money to buy their homes.

While experts say this is unlikely to happen, and that emergency clauses in mortgage contracts are likely to kick in, borrowers with tracker loans that track below the base rate could actually find themselves in line for a rebate if interest rates fall again this week, as expected.

While most loans track a few points above base rate, some older loans actually track below. For instance, one Birmingham Midshires loan tracks at 76 points under base, giving a current rate of just 2.34%.

Extending the number of years spent in the workplace is regarded by a growing number of people as the only way of avoiding a retirement spent in poverty, according to research by Lincoln Financial Group.

Among those aged 55 and over, one in 10 plan to work full-time during retirement, and almost half (47 %) say they will work part-time to maintain their lifestyles.

One in five credit customers are worried about the future availability of credit, with 27% concerned about their ability to repay debts.

At the same time, total household borrowing in the UK has continued to increase, with households now in debt to the tune of £1.5 trillion, an average debt of approximately £40,000 per adult of working age, and more than double the level in 2000.