Blog From Brazil: Joe Callaghan brings us the latest news and views from South America - as well as traveller tips for those heading out there - and provides a flavour of exactly how the World Cup in Brazil is shaping up.

Joe Callaghan brings us the latest news and views from South America in his Blog from Brazil, providing a flavour of exactly how the World Cup in Brazil is shaping up.

BLOG FROM BRAZIL: Joe Callaghan brings us the latest news and views from Brazil and provides a flavour of exactly how the World Cup in Brazil is shaping up.

The World Cup is just nine days away and excitement is building. Each week our man in Brazil, Joe Callaghan, brings us the latest news and views from South America - as well as traveller tips for those heading out there - and provides a flavour of exactly how the World Cup in Brazil is shaping up.

BLOG FROM BRAZIL: Joe Callaghan brings us the latest news and views from Brazil and provides a flavour of how the World Cup is shaping up with two days to go.

Controversial new overdraft rules come into force today which has seen some banks increasing overdraft rates to nearly 40 per cent.

Some savers are now in line to earn as little as 0.01 per cent - just £1 interest over a whole year on each £10,000 in their account. This is £129 less than if they switched to a top easy-access deal.

An ultra-low numbered new £20 note sold for a whopping £7,500 at a behind closed doors auction this afternoon, far beyond its estimated price.

The interest building society customers receive has been cut to ribbons ever since the 2008 financial crisis. But Yorkshire's Mike Regnier, for example, will keep his £20,000 bonus from 2019.

Britain's largest current account provider Lloyds rolled out Confirmation of Payee to customers over five weeks in February and March, and said it had now carried out 4million name checks.

Savers with large pots looked for a safe haven amid market storms caused by coronavirus, with savings platforms that safely spread money around seeing a surge in applications.

UK banks this week outlined how how vulnerable customers can get hold of cash. For the first time, trusted friends and family will be able to make withdrawals on their behalf.

Grandparents with fixed monthly pension payments could find their bank balances are looking much healthier now they are no longer spending money on things like going out and holidays.

Savers have been handed a double blow as two market-leading easy-access deals have both disappeared within a week of each other, with Marcus and Virgin Money both making cuts.

National Savings & Investments was due to halve the number of winners of £50 and £100 prizes next month to 13,448, and the odds of winning would be cut from 24,500 to 1 to 26,000 to 1.

There were 1,768 available savings accounts and Isas at this time in March, Moneyfacts said. By April this had fallen to 1,588, and average savings rates from 0.56% to 0.44%.

Despite interest rates plunging to record lows, National Savings and Investments has gone against the grain and abandoned plans to cut rewards which would have cost savers £200 m.

A Bank of England scheme designed to provide banks with cheap money to lend to small businesses has handed out an enormous £6billion in its first week, official figures reveal.

Figures from two of Britain's big four high street banks revealed the numbers of cheques being digitally deposited using mobile banking apps has surged, while branch footfall has plummeted.

From the start of May, 5% savings deals will be as dead as a dinosaur, with Nationwide cutting FlexDirect from 5% to 2% and lowering the balance you can earn interest on. But you can sign up now.

The official base rate was reduced by 0.65 percentage points last month to 0.1 per cent, but savers face bigger cuts.

Last month retired school site manager Ken Medlycott (pictured with wife Sally) won a huge £50,000 - doubling his savings. The odds of him winning such a prize in a year were one-in-7,466.

Nationwide lost its switching crown to Monzo in the final three months of last year, new figures show, as the highest number of people in four years switched their bank accounts in March.

In a major victory for This is Money, who raised the issue with the Treasury on Monday, minister John Glen said the Lifetime Isa withdrawal penalty would be reduced to 20% until next April.

While NS&I announced it was reversing planned cuts to some of its variable rate savings accounts, including Premium Bonds, it still pressed ahead with cuts to 10 fixed-rate deals.

There may be chicer, more contemporary and certainly less expensive hotels in Dublin than The Westbury - but few can be better positioned or more established, says our impressed Inspector.

Upscale accommodation chain Hotel du Vin is the latest operator to try to bring some pizzazz to Cannizaro House on Wimbledon Common. Our Inspector is not sure it will manage to work wonders.

You may have a fight on your hands to book a room at The Pig Near Bath at the moment. And rightly so, because this discreet hideaway is a weekend dream, enthuses our impressed Inspector.

What to do when you find yourself in possession of the old family home, but don't want to sell it. In the case of one enterprising couple in Deal, you turn it into a boutique B&B. The Inspector checks in.

Few hotels come with quite the 'naughty' reputation of Cliveden in Berkshire. But after a careful refurbishment, this grand old dame is now as intriguing as its back story, says The Inspector.

Melrose is reappearing on the map as a weekend destination thanks to the return of the rail link to Edinburgh. Our Inspector heads for the Borders - and the town's stylish pair of boutique hotels.

When you have been stuck on the M4 for what seems like forever, you want a cosy pitstop where you can recharge your batteries. The Inspector finds exactly this at The George at Backwell.

Once upon a time, the Hoste Arms in North Norfolk was a simple pub. Now it has The Vine House, an accommodation annexe where the prices are not cheap. The Inspector takes a look.

What does £720 a night buy you? If you are staying at uber-luxurious London hotel The Lanesborough, a double room for the night - but no breakfast. The Inspector ponders whether the cost is worth it...

There have been five weddings in as many days here at Headlam Hall in Teesdale, not far from Durham. The Inspector finds out what makes the venue so special.

If you travel to Baughurst in Hampshire you'll find an old shooting lodge, The Wellington Arms. With only three rooms, and exquisite attention to detail, to stay and eat in the B&B is a joy.

Fisher folk, golf enthusiasts, grouse and pheasant shooters will all feel at home at The Roxburghe in Kelso. There’s even a spa in this hotel in the Scottish Borders.

The new boutique hotel, The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone, opened this summer, offering 24 uniquely decorated rooms, which ooze comfort, yet offer plenty of modern touches.

The Great House in Lavenham, Suffolk, is celebrating its 30th anniversary under its current stewardship and is well worth a visit. Dinner is a treat, with impeccable service throughout.

Sometimes, you don't need swish modernity and gleaming innovation. You just want a hotel that is clean and comfy. The Crown in Mundford does not excel - but it will do fine, says The Inspector.

There is something happily quaint about the Chequers Inn in Lincolnshire that is maybe summed up by the slope on the nearby cricket pitch. The Inspector beds down for a one-night innings.

The Fish is a village-style resort set in Cotswolds woodland, with much of the accommodation (47 rooms) in refurbished farm buildings a short walk from the main lodge, where guests can unwind.

The west London hotel occupies five stucco-fronted townhouses and has many of the trappings of a self-consciously trendy hang-out - except that no one seems to be hanging out much.

Slap-bang next to the A12 in Dedham is the 15-bedroom Milsoms hotel but thankfully you won't hear the road due to the bar and brasserie throwing up its own cacophony of noise.

The Grand Hotel was built in 1875. It's known as the White Palace but its huge lobby and even bigger main dining room had a cruise feel and there were children running around.

The Warwickshire hotel opened two years ago in a former blacksmith's. While tastefully designed, it is still having some teething problems, finds The Inspector.

The Inspector loves the looks of this Leicestershire enterprise from the outside, but inside finds the service slow, the food disappointing and the interior charmless in places.

The Crab & Boar in Berkshire has changed hands twice in recent times, but is now part of the expanding Epicurean Collection - so it was only fair to give it another go, writes the Inspector.

The Nadler Victoria in Westminster is brand new. It opened on January 1 and is the latest edition from a group that aspires to turn budget accommodation on its head.

If someone could just open all the windows and replace it with something fresh, then the Bedford Swan could become something of a destination hotel rather than a place to stay en route.