Brits are ringing up mobile phone bills of £15 billion every year, according to new research from Clerical Medical.

Mortgage debt in the UK has risen to over £1 trillion, according to the Bank of England (BOE). An extra £9.3bn was taken out to purchase property in May, taking the total outstanding national mortgage debt to £1,007 trillion. The value of unmortgaged property was put at £3.6 trillion.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has said that too many small mortgage lenders and brokers are still misleading customers about their fees and charges.

Gas and electricity customers are being ‘ambushed’ by huge quarterly bills showing they are deep in debt to their energy suppliers. Many have expressed anger that they were not informed that the shortfalls were building up.

Saving the £2.40 a day that you may otherwise spend on a latte and putting that money into your pension could let you retire earlier. Andrew Partridge reports

Credit card cheques are a costly way to borrow money, but with more than 18 million cardholders receiving them each year, they are often used as a quick-fix in an emergency. Pauline McCallion reports

Almost a quarter of those in their 50s either rent or live with their parents. Christina Jordan reports

It was 40 years ago this week that Barclaycard launched Britain’s first ever credit card and, possibly, initiated the rolling snowball of personal indebtedness that has become today’s avalanche of trouble.