Payments provider, VocaLink, reveals that Christmas 2011 put a greater strain on consumers' wallets than Christmas 2010, as the gap between inflation and take home pay widens.
Providing the processing platform behind 22,000 bank transactions a second, over 90 million a day, it can claim to touch at some point almost every household in the UK.
The typical family has been stung by an increase of £54 a week in their bills over the past six months, alarming research reveals today.
Today's VocaLink Take Home Pay Index shows that private sector earnings have increased significantly in the three months to April to reach 1.2%.
Households in the UK may be facing the biggest drop in income for 30 years, a leading economic think tank has warned.
Teenagers are distinctly unrealistic about how much they will earn as an adult, a study has found.
Bank of England Governor Mervyn King may have gained more ammunition in his battle to keep interest rates at a record low after reports suggesting the economy isn't yet strong enough for a withdrawal of emergency stimulus.
Take-home pay at Britain's largest listed companies rose at the fastest pace since November in the three months through April, suggesting inflation pressures are seeping through to wage settlements, VocaLink Ltd. said.