Two big financial providers have announced significant price hikes this week.

If you're a customer of either you need to take steps to protect yourself now or it'll cost you! Santander plan to increase the rate applied to standard variable mortgages from 4.24% to 4.75% on 3rd October.

They'll also be raising the 'cap' on SVR mortgages to 4.99% above the Bank of England base rate on the 24th September - this 1.24% rise gives them the freedom to charge customers much more in the future!

Read our guides: What to Do If Your Bank Puts Up Your Mortgage and Should You Stay on Your Lender's SVR? if you're going to be affected.

SSE are the other provider putting up prices; they'll be increasing the cost of energy on their standard electricity and gas tariffs by 9% on the 15th October!

Use our Action Plan: I want to cut my utility bills to find out how to make sure you don't end up paying more.

What else is happening?

Charities will be hit with £1,000+ fines if their collectors harass you in the street.

New rules set out by the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association mean that a 'chugger' can't follow you for more than 3 steps or stand within 3 meters of a shop doorway, cashpoint, station entrance or pedestrian crossing!

Good news: the UK recession isn't quite as deep as it was originally thought.

Revised figures from the ONS show the British economy contracted by 0.5% between April and June rather than the previously stated 0.7%.

While a contraction of any amount is far from ideal, the amended figures do paint a slightly less desperate picture of the UK's economic standing.

Pension providers have promised to end the 'secret' charges that cost savers £100,000s.

The Association of British Insurers has set out a list of rules that will be rolled out across the pension industry later this year.

They should make it easier for anyone with a pension to understand exactly what they're paying in fees and why, compare their options and make an informed decision about the best place for their retirement savings.

Russia has finally joined the World Trade Association after 18 years of negotiations!

It's hoped this will pave the way for bigger, better, and more cost-efficient trade between Russia and the EU; something that can only be a positive thing for the European economy.

The wealthiest 5% of UK households have benefited most from the Quantitative Easing

But most have seen some benefit from their economic intervention.

The Bank of England has pumped £375 billion into the economy over the past 3 and a half years through the purchase of government bonds.