Despite the European Central Bank flooding the market with cheap funding at 1% just days ago, both the Halifax and the RBS have raised morgage rates.

The reason given is, the higher cost of funding, or maybe we are just looking at expanding margins?

OK the banks have had a hard time over the last few years but is it really the responsibility of the UK consumer to pay for their recovery, more than we are already doing, as majority share holders of both of them.

Ever get the feeling that the big players in the idustries that have such an effect on the household purse, energy, fuel food and banking, are not really on the side of the UK consumer and take every available opportunity to increase the bottom line, regardless of the financial pain inflicted.