Apparently Northern Rock branches have been inundated with customers withdrawing money from their accounts? The reason is that they had to apply to the Bank of England for an emergency loan. Although the bank allegedly has enough financing to honour all customer’s requests, the situation came about after two major banks withdrew from separate negotiations to buy Northern Rock.
So why am I posting about this? Although I do not have a bank account with them, our mortgage is through the company, so I need to try and find out what would occur if the worst should happen and the bank goes under.
If anyone from the UK has professional knowledge of these matters, I’d appreciate it if you could make contact, either through the comments section below, or via the Contact page. I’m not looking for anything binding obviously, I just don’t know what happens to mortgages if the provider goes under - will the payments we have made already disappear, if a new company takes on the mortgage, are they at all obliged to keep to the original terms and conditions etc?

For anyone who lives in Kazakhstan, PLEASE add this number to your mobile’s phone book, under the name of ‘DO NOT ANSWER - SCAMMER’ or something similar. The number is 701 1336 118 (or if you have all your numbers entered in the international format, please use +7 701 1336118).
A little background to the warning, three times over the past few months, the owner(s) of this phone number have called me up, claiming to be a bank. They stated that they were unable to allow a deposit to be made into my account, and needed to confirm some details. Given my very basic Russian language skills, I passed the phone to Irina quite quickly the first time. She recognised that something fishy was going on, and asked them to tell her which bank they worked for, and which branch I allegedly held an account at. As they were unable and unwilling to tell her, they tried a few different tactics to continue the scam. After the original call, they have occasionally called back, trying the same routine…
It is a bit like a real life phishing scam, but done via phone, not e-mail.
If the owner of that phone number would ever like to leave a comment, please do, I await your response with interest.
(Note, obviously very unlikely they read this blog already, though they may possibly Google their own number to check if anyone has called them out.)

One of the problems with conventional credit cards is the ease with which you can over spend, blowing your original budget out the window. Although many people are confident of their restraint when it comes to everyday activities, once you step off that plane, and you are on vacation, it can be all too easy to simply decide to stick it on the plastic, and forget about it until you get back home again. Such attitudes can cause real problems and excessive budgetary controls when you do start living your normal life again.

One approach to find a solution to this issue is to stop using traditional credit cards. Back in Britain, and main land Europe, there are debit cards such as Switch (now called Maestro), however if your country or specific bank does not already offer debits cards, don’t worry there is still hope. ePay.vg offer Visa cards that are actually debit cards, with enough other benefits that even those of you with debit cards already may want to check out the site for further details. One big bonus is that they are specifically geared towards working in many different situations online, not just in the ‘real’ world. However, the flexibility does not end with the ways you can spend the money in your account, you will also find that putting money into the account is achievable in a multitude of ways. If you run your own business, you may well have an interest in this card, as you can use it and the online systems associated with it to receive money electronically, very easily. This could mean you are opening the door to more than 270 million potential customers, all by just joining ePay.vg!
At all stages through out the online processes involved, all information is transmitted and received securely, so you and your customers can rest assured in the knowledge that any sensitive financial data is kept away from prying eyes. So, if you think you might be interested, click the link above, and why not check out the tour set up for first time users? If you have any remaining questions after that, there is a FAQ section set up especially for your needs.

Back in the bad days of Thatcher and Norman LeMont (old badger chancellor himself) negative equity blighted those who had taken out mortgages, often for the full value of their property (in some cases 110% even!), and then when the property bubble burst, people could end up owing more to the bank than the house was actually worth. So properties would be ceased and then sold on, often at auctions.
If these people were able to recover to the point of wanting to buy a new house, they probably will have taken out debt consolidation loans to get to that stage.
If house owners already have a bad credit history, but need money to purchase something, they will search for bad credit remortgages.

(UK Relevant Mostly)

If you live in the UK, and have any financial dealings at all (I’ll accept hermits and children may be exceptions, other than that, this applies to YOU!), you may be interested in a forum designed with your needs at heart.

The UK financial forum & its associated site have had a facelift recently, but still supplies a great place to ask questions of knowledgeable people, and share your experiences with people in a similar situation to you.

So, for example, if you want to ask others what they did when they were looking for a new current account, or whether a Credit Union or a bank is best for a mortgage, the forum already has posts just waiting for you to read them.

If you need to check if other customers are being threatened with absurd charges for not using their credit card enough, or want to check if other people’s motor insurance policies cover a certain type of claim, head on over now
I was happy to see a bare minimum of advertising presented in the forum, and after reading a good many threads, I didn’t find any stooges pushing certain products; just consumers and professionals offering their thoughts and advice on other member’s queries.

(UK relevant)

If you’ve ever discovered that the ‘brilliant’ deal on one of your credit cards expired a few months ago, and your bank is now charging you a shocking APR on your purchases, it is time you shopped around for a better deal.

Back in Britain, I would always try to keep on top of which bank or financial institution was offering the best deal, but I’d sometimes get caught out, and not notice for a few months when my current credit card had stopped being quite so attractive.

If I was still back in the UK, I’d definitely look at this site, that lays out the information on current 0% balance transfers deals.

Whilst some people scoff at the idea of using 0% credit cards to constantly keep their bills to a minimum, as long as you are on the ball, and keep good records, it can work out the cheapest way to budget for large items.

The site itself is well laid out, and in addition to providing you with the details of the latest offers from credit card companies, also features recent articles on all matters related to credit cards - security, shopping around, how to recover from a bad credit history and exactly what you should be looking for with a new credit card.

A company that has its own backgammon site has recently purchased Roman Greenburg’s shorts to auction them off for charity. This caught my attention for a few reasons…

1) The charity concerned aims to try and help both Arabic & Jewish youngsters who are in distressing situations. Obviously this is a long term project, and any help, be it purely financial, or promoting the cause in general, must surely be a worth aim.

2) The backgammon online company (Backgammon Masters) has taken an interesting approach in getting publicity for themselves - they are supporting an up and coming boxer, and supporting a movement to help young people in an area that everyone, whatever their political views, must agree needs help. Any cynics who see this purely as a publicity drive should ask themselves, would they have preferred the company to simply spend the same amount of money on ‘conventional’ PR methods, with no tangible benefit to those in need?

3) Although not an avid player myself, a colleague from a workplace in Britain (are you reading this Jim?) got me interested in the game of backgammon, since then I’ve often wanted to learn more about the game.

So, if you are interested in bidding on the boxer’s shorts (I keep having to correct my typing here, my fingers keep insisting that my brain must actually mean boxer shorts :>, all you need to to is click on the links above, and once Greenburg (himself a Russian-born Jew) has finished his big fight, start the bidding. Make sure your bank manager approves first, this isn’t your average e-bay auction - the bids will start at $100,000!

If you are unhappy with your current savings account, but have been putting off transferring, why not visit SavingsAccounts.com?
Rather than spending hours walking around your local financial area, giving the same details over and over at banks, just to find out what account they may be able to offer you, this guide to bank accounts that are available online.

Not only will you save time, you should find yourself earning more money, as the interest rates available through internet banking can, in some cases, better those available through conventional means by up to 5% !
The site is laid out in a simple to understand manner, with a welcome lack of jargon, which just goes to show that they are aiming their services at the average person, not someone who spends all day with their head in the financial papers.

The important details for each bank’s account are all displayed on the front page, so you can easily see which type of account is right for you, and if you want to read a bit more about this sector, and what you can do to improve your situation, the site has a list of helpful articles.

So what are you waiting for? Go and check just how much better an account you could be using today.

I wrote the original version of these articles when I first started this blog, last year.
Since then, some friends have asked what Kazakhstan is like, which makes me think they’ve not been delving into the older posts here.
Since originally writing it, I updated a few areas, mainly converting the currencies quoted from UK pounds sterling into US dollars, as I wanted to submit it as an article.
Anyway for those readers who came to this blog after I originally wrote it, here is the updated version…

I have written this article to help people who want to learn more about Kazakhstan. Whilst the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was funny, it did not paint anything like an accurate picture of this country. Some people want to learn more about Kazakhstan purely for their own education, others may be thinking of taking a vacation here. I moved to from Britain to Kazakhstan in April 2006, to Astana, where my wife’s parents live. Since then, I’ve learnt a lot, and seen many of my mis-conceptions blown away.

Things that may grab your attention whilst you’re over here:

Men nearly always shake hands upon meeting one another, even more so if it is the first time you’ve met. Women don’t. If they are family, there may be a peck on the cheek, or a quick embrace. This area is still a little fuzzy to me, so I just stand back and accept whatever comes my way :>

If someone thinks you look a little different to the accepted norm for a Russian or Kazakh person, they will simply stare at you. This shouldn’t be taken as an insult (or an invitation to get to know one another ;>). It is just if they want to get a good look, they won’t be subtle. People have different coping mechanisms for this behavioural trait. Some avert their eyes, others pretend not to notice. Still others will decide to turn it into a juvenile game. Whoever breaks the stare first loses, and you can keep a tally through the whole day you are out. Once you are up at the end of a day (18-3 for example), you can assume you’re no longer feeling like such a wimpy foreigner. Ummm, or so my friends tell me ;>

Whilst we may all joke about British manners and overly polite social standards, standing in line for something over here is an experience you’re not likely to forget very quickly. You’ll also be likely to quickly re-appraise your understanding of the term ‘line’ or ‘queue’. People will have no shame, nor should you, about pushing their way to the front of what could have been a perfectly civil and organized wait for the bus/ticket desk/shop assistant/train. I still draw the line at elderly/young people, other than that, its every queue jumper for themselves, ultimately. (This does tend to mean most elderly/young people get served/on the bus before me, but I have this thing against trampling over brittle bones/people smaller than me.)

Upon arrival/exiting the country, be it 8.30pm, 3.45am or 3pm, you’ll likely find yourselves being greeted with a small (OK, more likely a table laden with more stuff than you’d normally see for a ‘light’ meal) snack and some drinks, to celebrate your arrival/time in the country, if you are staying with people, rather than a hotel. You might not feel exactly like wolfing the whole lot down, but if you take your time, with the food and the drink, you should do fine. DON’T feel obliged to down shots of Cognac/Vodka each toast. Unless that’s your adjusting mechanism to the flights & time difference ;>

Bureaucracy - if you are on holiday, rather than emigrating, coming into and out of the country is the most likely area you’ll possibly encounter any problems. To be fair, we’ve not been stopped in a couple of years, but if they decide you look like a likely person to have violated a rule, there isn’t a great deal you can do about it. Coming into the country, they can decide not to let you in at all, and worse, leaving the country, they are only too well aware that you need to be available to get on a plane pretty soon.

Once you arrive in the country, you will need to register your presence, within 3 or 4 business days. There is nothing to worry about regarding this procedure; it is just so they can know who is officially registered where. Whilst this country is a lot ‘freer’ than it may have seemed to Westerners 15 or 20 years ago, you will have to remember that the approach taken by the government over here to maintain control of the population is not how we view ‘best practice’ in the West. Tough luck, their country, their rules, which, all in all, seems fair, if the roles were reversed, we’d not expect people to complain too excessively about our customs/social rules/laws.

Re. CDs/DVDs vs. portable hard drive. I’ve read around, and people have less difficulty taking hard drives out of the country than lots of discs, apparently. I couldn’t find any info on importing. Personally, I’ve never had a problem in either direction. There is apparently a rule, on your way out of the country, that if Customs discover discs in your luggage, they must have been previously inspected and sealed by a dept. elsewhere in Astana. You’ll need to do this four or five days before the flight. Some people stock up on cheap Software, Music and other media, though don’t forget your home country may not allow you to keep these items if they search your luggage on your return.

When in the country, you will see some people walking around in army camo fatigues, most of these people are manual labourers, who use them as hard-wearing clothes to work in. If, however, you see a group of 2-6 young men wandering in ‘urban’ colour camos (blue/purple), these are some sort of street patrollers. No idea on their legal/military/civilian status, I just make sure I’m not littering/jay-walking when I see them around :>

Then you have the regular police force, who you will see in cars (often using their PA systems as public education systems (’Drivers! Do not park here’ or ‘Move out the way NOW’)), on foot, or in little kiosks at key strategic civic points. The worst you can expect from them is a request to see your ID and/or passport.

There is also a traffic police force, who occasionally turn off the traffic lights, and get out their little wands to manually direct the traffic. Unless you intend to drive over here (don’t forget to apply for an International Driving License in the UK, if so), you can safely ignore them. Finally, you’ll occasionally see the Army guys marching round in unison, but they seem to stay off the streets for the majority of the time.

“So how much money should I bring?”
Well, not sure on total, but if I give you an idea of how much stuff costs here, you’ll be better informed to guess a holiday total I suppose… (All prices are approximate and sampled in Early 2007)

20 fags (Parliament) - $1.50
20 fags (Marlboro) - $1.00
20 fags (Russian smokable stuff) - $0.40

Bottle of coke in a shop - $0.50
Bottle of vodka in a shop - $1.60 to $8, depending on the brand (from drinkable to nice & smooth), whilst you can pay more, what’s the point?
Bottle of beer in a shop - $0.45 to $1.60 (Russian to European brands)

In a restaurant/cafe, fags, coke and beer maybe double the price, or there abouts, vodka costs approximately $4 for 200ml

PC Games/Applications/MP3 collections - $4 to $10, depending on the amount of discs in the box, and how obvious the copy is! Music CDs - About the same as American prices, normally

Taxi ride (real taxi) - $3 to $6 pounds for a 15 minute ride Taxi ride (flagging down a random car off the street) - haggle on the price, normally around 30% to 60% cheaper than a real taxi

Meal in a cafe (salad, meat dish, french fries, coke, vodka) - Between $8 and $15 per person, depending on the type of place you go to

Meal in a restaurant (same menu as above) - Between $12 and $30 pounds tops, per person. Again, you can spend more if you go high class

Obviously, if you want to get drunk, rather than merely relaxed, add more money for the extra vodka/soft drink/beer in the prices quoted above

Entrance fee to a club - $5 to $20 - basically, the more ‘exclusive’ an activity or brand is, the higher the price soars, prices for drinks in clubs are a little higher than elsewhere.

Kazakhstan is next door to China, so disposable electronic trinkets, that might last 5 years, or 5 days, are to be found in plenty of shops. If you want any ‘Kazakh’ souvenirs - cultural stuff, definitely bring along a little bit extra cash.

Re. Money - bring at least 100 euros or a little more in dollars, the rest is up to you - there are ATMs over here (don’t forget to budget for bank’s commission/charges for this service), and there are at least two places that we know of that will exchange English pounds sterling for Kazakh Tenge, and all currency exchanges obviously accept dollars.

I hope some of the above will give you an idea of what you can expect from Kazakhstan. If you want to read more, or ask a question, please feel free to visit my blog at http://www.chrismerriman.com

Chris Merriman is a Brit now living in Astana, Kazakhstan. You can read his blog at www.ChrisMerriman.com

So, any questions, or suggested corrections, do let me know, or if you’d prefer you can always e-mail me. See the Contacts page for applicable details.