Money talks: Pension cash-in ban and HSBC’s lowest-ever mortgage

Pensions ministers are worried that as workers increasingly change jobs regularly, those cashing out will have nothing left for retirement. Photograph: Alamy

Hello and welcome to this week’s Money Talks – a roundup of the week’s biggest stories and some things you may have missed.

Money news

Cybercrime affected more than half those surveyed, yet fewer than a third said they had reported it. Photograph: Alamy

• Workers banned from pension cash-in if they leave within two years

• Full-nesters ‘putting financial future at risk’

• Cybercrime now becoming a serious problem for Britons

• Sky landline and call charges to soar by inflation-busting 6%

• HSBC and First Trust Bank guilty of breaching competition rules

• Housebuilding at strongest levels since 2007

• Honor Blackman to rejoin Equitable Life compensation protesters

Feature

HSBC and Northern Ireland’s First Trust Bank were using a practice prohibited since 2002, the CMA said. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

HSBC’s lowest-ever 0.99% mortgage – what’s the catch?

Consumer champions

Is the Co-op’s letter to customer an attempt to lower liabilities? Photograph: Jonathan Nicholson/Demotix/Corbis

• What’s the score on Co-op’s lower credit limit?

• BT Openreach has kept me on hold

• MadBid comes in for a hammering as bidding credit soon disappears

In pictures

St Ann’s Hill in Chertsey, Surrey. Photograph: Barton Wyatt

Houses ideal for entertaining

In the spotlight

Finding a map to guide you through the new pensions maze can be challenging. Photograph: Dominic McKenzie

Do you take a tax-free lump sum, buy that Lamborghini, or spend it all on your children right now? Today’s over-55s have a maze of possibilities for their pension pot – Patrick Collinson takes you through Osborne’s new pension plans, explaining the options and the tax implications

Work advice

Career cares? Work woes? Out of love with the office? Our expert is on hand to help. Put your questions to Jeremy, and help other readers with their worries.

Money deals

• Get a free Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB in white with EE’s £30.99 a month tariff including 2GB of data and unlimited text and calls.

• Get extra Clubcard points when you use your debit card and 3% on balances of up to £3,000 with Tesco’s current account. You won’t pay the £5 a month fee if you pay in £750 a month.