The Week Unzipped: FSA warns nearly 40,000 consumers they are on 'boiler room' scam list

Boiler rooms use high-pressure sales tactics to con investors into buying non-tradable, overpriced or even non-existent shares.

These fraudsters are unauthorised, normally overseas-based companies with fake UK addresses.

It is the biggest list the FSA has ever recovered and the regulator believes the details are still being passed around between boiler rooms operating in the UK and abroad.

SBS makes 1m in annual profits

THE Scottish Building Society reported a 1 million pre-tax profit in the last year. Scotland's oldest building society saw 11 per cent growth and a 31m increase in assets.

SBS said membership increased by 1,300, savings went up by 30m to 259m and the society lent a total of 59m, 20m more than in the previous year.

Mortgage arrears are at less than one third of the Council of Mortgage Lenders' published levels for other lenders.

200m bill for lack of contents cover

VICTIMS of burglary are losing 200m a year because they are not insured, according to Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks.

The research found that around one in four households in the UK has no home contents insurance, resulting in more than six million households footing the cost of burglary, typically 1,200.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that as many swap four wheels for two during the summer to beat rising fuel prices and temperatures rise, bike thefts are soaring. The number of bicycles stolen rose by a huge 65 per cent during the summer months last year, according to Halifax Home Insurance claims data.

You can insure your wheels either by a specialist standalone policy, or via an add-on to your home contents insurance.

With the average cost to replace a bike at 388, Halifax recommends cyclists follow their advice to protect themselves against opportunist thieves. Cyclists should park their bikes in busy, well-lit areas, making using of bicycle racks, and keep them locked indoors when not in use.

Many bikes that are stolen are locked up, so Halifax advises investing in a good lock, such as a hardened D-shape lock, as cable locks can be easily cut.

Finally, owners should keep photographs of their bike and write down the name, model and serial number in case they need to report this to the police. Cyclists can also register their bicycle with a police security initiative.

Ageing boiler can win you money

NPOWER has launched a search to find Britain's oldest boiler, with the winning entry receiving a 3,000 installation of a new A-rated energy-efficient boiler.

The npower hometeam has already overseen the removal of hundreds of ancient boilers, including several antique systems, since the government launched its boiler scrappage scheme in January.

Richard Cotton, head of sales for npower hometeam, said: "If your boiler is particularly old – perhaps the same age as your grown-up children, or has been in the house longer than you have been married – you could be the owner of Britain's Oldest Boiler!"