Cashpoints: House prices fall for second consecutive month

This week's top stories • House prices fell by 0.9% in August , the second consecutive monthly fall following July's 0.5% decline, taking the average price of a home in the UK to £166,507, according to the Nationwide building society. • Advertising rules being introduced today will make it harder for fee-charging debt management companies to mislead the public by advertising their services as "free". • Barclays is to launch a range of loyalty mortgages offering current account customers reductions of up to 0.54 percentage points off tracker, fixed rate and offset mortgages. • Do you have any feedback on any of these issues that you want to get off your chest? Email us at [email protected] Feature Table-turning is bad manners, diners say Second sittings at restaurants are increasingly common, and are increasingly annoying customers who want to to enjoy a relaxed meal. Should we accept this practice, asks Rebecca Smithers The second sitting is an increasingly common wheeze used by restaurants to make more money. You ring to reserve a table at your favourite eaterie only to be told there is no question of lingering over a brandy or two at the end of your meal – you will be unceremoniously turfed out when the next set of ravenous diners come through the door. Read the article in full here Ask the experts: Homebuying Question of the week: "I am a first-time buyer in the process of buying a house, but hear that the market may fall further. Should I pull out?" Our homebuying expert Virginia Wallis says: "I don't have a crystal ball so predicting the future is a bit of a problem. However, what is certain is that if you have already paid for a survey – and possibly a mortgage booking fee – you will lose that money by pulling out now …" Read the answer in full here • Any questions? Email our panel of experts on financial concerns, consumer gripes, legal wrangles, debt worries and career-related problems at [email protected] Tools Compare broadband deals Search online or call for advice on the best broadband internet package for your needs