Today's other stories in brief.

Consumers lose track of €11bn a year

Around €11 billion in cash simply "disappears" from wallets every year because consumers lose track of how they have spent their money, according to new research commissioned by Visa Europe.

On average, Irish adults cannot recall how they spent around €67 every week, or €3,460 a year.

The "mystery spending" phenomenon reaches its peak on a night out or when socialising. Grocery shopping and buying clothes were also common black holes for cash, according to Visa Europe.

People aged 18-24 were found to be the worst offenders, unable to account for how they spent an average of €101 a week.

Four in 10 students work for income

Four in 10 students receive most of their income from part-time jobs, with a third citing their parents as their main source of funding during college, according to research published by Bank of Ireland.

Accommodation is still the biggest expense for the 62 per cent of students who live away from home. But the bank said there was evidence that students were budgeting in order to have money for travelling. Almost half of its student credit card holders said travel was the main reason for taking out the card.

Meanwhile, research by Ulster Bank indicates 20 per cent of students want to travel after they graduate.

Health insurer switch 'easy'

Most people who have switched to a new health insurer claim that the switching process is easy, according to Vivas Health, which is reminding consumers that there is no break in cover when they move to a new insurer.

Vivas is offering a 50 per cent discount on children's premiums between now and mid-September in a bid to snare customers away from VHI and Bupa.

B of S charges 7.2% on personal loans

Bank of Scotland (Ireland) charges an interest rate of 7.2 per cent APR on all of its personal loans, from €2,500 up to €25,000, contrary to an article in last week's Personal Finance, which said it charged higher rates for loans less than €10,000.