A Co-op website advertising a price-match scheme with Aldi was misleading for failing to compare similar products, the UK's advertising regulator has ruled.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) started looking into the scheme after Aldi handed a list of 45 items used by the Co-op in an ad promoting its offer last August.

Aldi did not believe these were fair comparisons.

Just to fill the gap here, the ad stated:

"Everyday Essentials price matched to Aldi"

And, in smaller text, it added:

"We match the prices of certain Co-op products against comparable products available at Aldi." 

Here's how it looked...

The ASA did actually find there were products that were an exact match, both in variant and size - such as the Seeded Loaf, Tiger Bloomer, White Toastie Loaf and Wholemeal Loaf.

Some products, however, were matched to similar alternatives where no identical product was sold at Aldi.

This included:

• Co-op's Linguini Pasta with Aldi's Cucina Spaghetti;
• Co-op's Summer Fruits Flavoured Still Spring Water with Aldi's Apple & Blackcurrant Flavoured Still Water;
• and Co-op Meaty Chunks in Jelly with Turkey with Aldi's Earls Meaty Chunks with Chicken in Jelly.

The ASA also found, in some cases, products were compared with a less similar alternative. That's despite a closer match sold elsewhere by Aldi.

One such example was Co-op matching their Wholemeal Farmhouse Loaf with an Aldi White Farmhouse Loaf.

Co-op said Aldi did not sell a Wholemeal Farmhouse Loaf and that the bread being a "farmhouse" style was a more significant detail than the loaf being wholemeal.

Here's what the ASA had to say:

"...because Aldi's nearest comparable individual product had not always been selected by Co-op for inclusion in the price match, and because no sufficiently prominent information was provided or adequately signposted to explain how products were deemed 'comparable', and to verify the claim, we concluded that the basis of the comparison had not been made clear and that the ad was therefore misleading."

A Co-op spokesman said they ensure "the product comparisons utilised in our Aldi price-match offer are presented clearly on our website to enable shoppers to easily verify the matches". 

"In response to the ruling, we have now made changes to our T&Cs online," they added.

'Look beyond the label'

Retail editor at consumer rights group Which?, Reena Sewraz, said Aldi "almost always comes out as the cheapest supermarket in our monthly pricing analysis".

"...so price-match schemes can sound like a win for shoppers, especially for those who don't have an Aldi nearby or prefer to shop elsewhere," she added.

"But this ASA ruling underlines why price-match claims should be treated with caution. Previous Which? research found that some price-matched products weren't like-for-like on ingredients, quality or pack size.

"Shoppers shouldn't assume a price match guarantees the same product or the best value - it pays to look beyond the label and check what you're really getting."

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter

An AI update has again moved markets.

A new tool by a big tech-backed AI startup, Anthropic, caused a sharp sell-off of software companies' stock.

The company, part-owned by Google and Amazon, said it had developed a tool to automate legal research. It sparked fear the new product could do work that traditionally required paid databases.

Shares in companies that sell data analytics and decision-making tools to lawyers, banks and corporates fell sharply.

The London Stock Exchange Group, which sell data portals, had a 12% drop.

Other software-selling companies listed on the London Stock Exchange were also hit: Experian fell 7.5% and Sage lost 9.6%.

Meanwhile, the pound's doing well, buying €1.159, a high last seen in August, and $1.37, close to a more than four-year high. 

NatWest will close more than 30 bank branches this year and next.

The move comes as banks face increasing demand for their mobile and online services, with others like Lloyds Banking Group also closing branches.

The majority of NatWest's closures will take place in May and June of this year.

A NatWest spokesperson told Money: "Our branch network is a central part of how we serve customers, and we continue to invest in this for the future, with an increase in our investment into branches planned over the next three years. 

"However, how our customers choose to bank with us is changing, and our network and services need to reflect customer demand and ensure we are set up to deliver the best possible support."

Check if your local branch has been affected in the list below...

Asda has lost its place as the UK's cheapest supermarket for a big shop for the first time in more than two years, according to the latest Which? price rankings.

Tesco pipped it to first place by less than £2, with a trolley shop of 228 items costing £588.96 for Clubcard members, compared to Asda's £590.41. 

Without a Clubcard, the shop at Tesco was more expensive at £641.09. 

It's the first time Asda has fallen down the rankings since December 2024. 

Aldi and Lidl are not included in this "big shop" comparison as they have a smaller range of products. 

But Which? does analyse their prices for a smaller 89-item shop. 

In that ranking, Aldi came out as the cheapest, with the list of groceries costing £164.74. 

Lidl was £1.79 more expensive than its fellow discounter this month at £166.33 on average for members of its loyalty scheme Lidl Plus, or £166.53 for non-members. 

Waitrose was found to be the most expensive in both instances. 

On the first Wednesday of every month, we interview top chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, views on the industry and more. This month, we speak to TV regular Mitch Tonks, founder and chief executive of the Rockfish restaurants.

Tinned seafood is like a time capsule... perfectly preserved fish that are bursting with flavour. A very good budget-friendly recipe is tinned sardines with tomatoes and tagliatelle - you don't need many ingredients, and it's super quick to make (and still incredibly tasty). Another favourite of mine is tinned mackerel shawarma: you shred cabbage, red onion and some green chilli and mix together, before grating garlic into some yoghurt and tossing the lot together. Lay out a flour tortilla and bread with some hummus, place the cabbage on top, then top with mackerel, a sprinkling of zaatar or cumin, a squeeze of lemon and wrap the whole thing up like a shawarma.

The best place in the world for seafood... is northern Spain. It is always somewhere that inspires me. I love the culture of eating in Sidrerias (cider bars), and they've actually had a huge influence on the interior design of our two newest Rockfish restaurants, in Salcombe and Lyme Regis. Porto in Portugal has also always stirred something in me - I love the outside grills where seafood gets the simple treatment, cooked over charcoal and served with seasonal vegetables and cold beer. Beautiful.

As a chef with a 25-year career in seafood, Brexit has done... nothing good for UK fishing. Our fishermen have lost access to key 12-mile limits, while French fleets continue to fish in our waters under extended rights. Exporting to Europe has become more expensive and tangled in red tape. And at the heart of it all is this uncomfortable truth: we don't eat our own fish. As long as we rely on Europe to buy what we land, we're always going to be on the back foot. The only real answer is simple: we need to start eating more of our own seafood, especially the primary species landed right here in the UK.

An underrated and cheap fish I love is... sardines! They're great pickled, fantastic grilled, wonderful on toast, and delicious in oils. That's why we've tinned them, it's a real art form. They're so versatile and incredibly affordable with immediate flavour.

One thing I always find fascinating about the seafood we eat is... how many incredible local species are underappreciated. As an island, we should be celebrating British seafood more - yet so many delicious fish, such as red mullet, gurnard and cuttlefish, rarely get the attention they deserve. They're incredibly versatile, and the best way to cook and enjoy them? Keep it simple. Don't overpower the fish - let it shine.

A tip for anyone buying seafood is... always ask where it comes from and make sure it's sustainably caught. Be curious about what's on your plate - it makes all the difference for flavour and for the future of our oceans.

Restaurateurs or chefs should stop... putting food on square plates, covering things in foam and producing overly-long tasting menus.

If I were prime minister for one day, I would... lower VAT to give businesses more oxygen. I would reverse seasonal national insurance. I would forget the introduction of the new employers' bill, which adds extra burden and complexity to doing business. If the government were to give businesses a level playing field, there would be more investment, more profits and ultimately more tax revenues.

One shop-bought item that can never be beaten by home cooks is... kewpie mayonnaise. It cannot be beaten.

Whenever I fancy a cheap eats place for a £15 meal or less, I go for a... fresh umami hit at Goto Japanese in Exeter. I can get four or five pieces of sushi or a bowl of their seafood ramen plus a tea for under £15 and it always feels like I've had something of great quality.

As we sign off for the evening, we'll leave you with some topical evening reading about from the Money blog archive...

Supermarkets are discussing ways to bring back top-up vouchers for a government scheme that helps struggling families with the cost of healthy essentials. 

Bosses from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Aldi told MPs they were in talks with industry bodies about how to bring back the vouchers to boost the Healthy Start programme.

Oonagh Turnbull, head of health and sustainable diets at Tesco, told the Health and Social Care Committee the company was "actively involved in conversations with industry bodies to see what was possible". 

Nilani Sritharan, Sainsbury's head of healthy and sustainable diets, said the supermarket was willing to offer £2 top-ups to the scheme if some changes were made. 

The programme gives eligible parents a prepaid card worth £8.50 a week for children under one and £4.25 a week for pregnant mums and children from one to four. 

The card can be used to buy milk, vegetables, baby formula and vitamins. 

During the pandemic, retailers gave those families an extra £2 a week to spend. 

But they have since raised concerns that moving to a prepaid card, instead of using paper vouchers, has made it harder for them to police and identify the customers who need the top-up. 

Sritharan said Sainsbury's had already raised the issue with the government. 

Beth Fowler, senior manager for health and sustainable choice at Asda, told the committee: "Because it is a debit card, we cannot control for example, what customers are buying with that card and we have concerns around topping that up for customers and it not being used on the categories the government intend it to be used for." 

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter

Customers are saving £8 a year in car insurance costs and £3 on home insurance, according to research from the UK financial regulator. 

People paying monthly for these premiums saved a combined £157m a year, as research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said half of the providers it surveyed lowered the interest rates charged on spreading annual insurance costs across 12 months. 

It is in part due to the regulator contacting firms at risk of not offering what it said was a fair price for an insurance product. 

Among these high-risk providers contacted by the FCA, prices have dropped £14 on the average motor policy and £4 on a typical home policy per year.

Nearly half of motor and home insurance policies were paid monthly in 2023, the FCA added. 

Paying for insurance in one lump sum annually, if you are able, is almost always the cheapest option.

The mortgage rate war seen at the start of 2026 is well and truly over as several major lenders announced hikes. 

Nationwide has increased rates by up to 0.19%, with Virgin following close behind with raises of up to 0.14%. 

HSBC has also upped some of its home mover, first-time buyer and remortgage products by up to 0.1%. 

It comes after Barclays recently made some price increases and product withdrawals, NatWest raised some fixed rates by 0.1% and Santander put up rates by up to 0.07%.

One broker described it as a "kick in the teeth" for borrowers, while others warned the road to lower rates could be longer than expected. 

Justin Moy, managing director at mortgage brokers EHF Mortgages, said rising swap rates, which banks use to determine mortgage rates, were to blame for the increases. 

"There are still some very good deals to take advantage of, but time is now of the essence for existing borrowers to get their paperwork in and secure the cheapest deals," he told Newspage. 

Darryl Dhoffer, founder at brokerage The Mortgage Geezer, added: "Nationwide and Virgin Money hiking rates signals an end to January’s price war. 

"This isn't a crash, but a correction: the market is realising the path to lower rates will be slower and bumpier than hoped."

Ben Perks, managing director at Orchard Financial Advisers,  described the rate increases as "a kick in the teeth for borrowers that have been full of optimism lately" but said he hoped this was a blip rather than the beginning of a more material repricing in rates.

"Hopefully there will be more positive news in the coming weeks and months if inflation falls back into line and the Bank of England cuts rates further," he said. 

The Bank of England is expected to hold the base rate at 3.75% this week - with markets predicting another cut by April.

A new 100% mortgage deal has launched to help renters buy their first home without a deposit. 

Melton Building Society has launched the five-year fixed rate product at 5.99%. It comes with a £199 application fee and £199 cashback on completion. 

But it is only available to first-time buyers purchasing a property in the East Midlands, with a plan to roll out the deal more widely later this year.

It's the latest 100% mortgage deal to return to the market after an increase over the past year. 

In total, there are 25 100% LTV products now available, according to Moneyfacts data shared with the Money blog. 

Reminiscent of the early 2000s, before the financial crash, they aren't without risk.

Some have described the latest product as a "responsible solution" for renters struggling to get on the housing ladder, while others have warned of the risk of negative equity and high monthly repayments.