P481ORACLE 481 Mon24 Feb C4 1708:48  1/2      by Linda Boulton  BUILDING SOCIETES' LOSSES.... Building Societies' losses from arrears and defaults ovet the past year have reached £10 million and societies are having to increase their provisions substantially for the coming year. They blame deepening economic difficulties in some parts of the country plus marital and other doemstic problems, as opposed to particular causes such as the 1984 miners' strike The failure of house prices to rise signifiacntly is also blamed for the increased losses, particularly where societies have given 100% loans on new developments. more follows > Home File Index 480 Recipes 482/3

P481ORACLE 481 Mon24 Feb C4 1701:35  2/2      by Linda Boulton CASHLESS SHOPPING EXPERIMENT... The Midland Bank this week began its first full scale cashless elecronic experiemnt in the country with the opening of its Speedline service at a petrol station in Milton Keynes. Within a couple of months 30 retail outlets including 7 petrol stations are due to be connected to the service. Customers can pay for up to £200 of goods using either Midland or NatWest cashcards or an Access card. The plastic number is run through a machine the customer keys in his identification number and his account is automatically debited. more follows > Home File Index 480 Recipes 482/3