内容摘要：Rose Docherty, 74, became the first person to be arrested and charged under a new law which creates buffer zones outside Scottish abortion clinics in February.

Rose Docherty, 74, became the first person to be arrested and charged under a new law which creates buffer zones outside Scottish abortion clinics in February.

“We’re still paying off some of the bills from the old house. Our water bill was between £300 and £400 in debt from the other house, combined with this house, we just got behind on all the payments," says Ellie, 31.Morgan, 25, adds: “We were over £4,000 in debt. We had to do so many payment plans and it was getting to the point where we had to get a payment plan for another payment plan.”

The couple, who both work as supermarket shift leaders, got advice fromand a letter from water company United Utilities pointed them towards a social tariff.Their bill went from about £39 a month to about £25.

“I’d say don’t be embarrassed about admitting you’re behind on some payments. You just need to ask for help," says Ellie."If you’re struggling with debts, call the company because nine out of 10 times they have a solution for you. There is help out there if you look.”

But who gets that help and to what extent varies depending on which water company people are with. And unlike with electricity and gas, people cannot simply switch to a competitor.

Data from the CCW suggests that among the 10 biggest water and sewerage firms, the average bill reduction in 2023-24 ranged from £287 for people supplied by Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) down to £110 for customers of Southern Water.The Financial Technology Association, an industry group that includes many payment apps as members, noted that Cash App and PayPal both offer separate high-yield, FDIC-insured savings products.

In select circumstances, deposit insurance does cover payment apps. With Cash App, funds are eligible for insurance if consumers link their account to a Cash App debit card. And with Venmo, funds added to an account via direct deposit or check cashing are covered.Still, the CFPB has found that funds stored in a payment app “may be at significantly higher risk of loss for a consumer than if it is deposited in an insured bank or credit union account.”

“Consumers should be aware of these risks if they choose to leave a balance on these nonbank payment apps,” the agency wrote in its report last year. To minimize risks, the CFPB said consumers should “transfer their balances back” to federally insured accounts.Some payment app companies are able to invest users’ funds in loans and bonds, earning money on the investments while generally paying no interest on users’ balances, the CFPB found. To maximize your own funds, immediately transfer any deposits to an account where you can collect interest.