The final cost to the country's banks for payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling is likely to be about £25bn, according to The Times.
Bank of England governor Mervyn King has said the UK economy may contract once again in the fourth quarter of 2012 despite moving out of recession in Q3.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is split over whether to commit to further quantitative easing, according to minutes from this month's meeting.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted to hold the interest rate at 0.5%.
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation climbed to 2.6% last month, from 2.4% in June.
Bank of England (BoE) governor Mervyn King has warned against a further cut in interest rates, arguing it would damage the banking sector and may be "counterproductive".
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 0.5% for the 41st consecutive month and kept its bond-purchase target at £375bn.
Capital Economics expects the Bank of England to cut the UK's base rate from 0.5% in an effort to stimulate growth, after last week's GDP figure showed the economy is shrinking faster than feared.
The Bank of England (BoE) has extended its quantitative easing programme by £50bn, in a bid to get the UK economy out of recession.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted five to four to maintain quantitative easing (QE) at £325bn this month, overruling the governor and three colleagues who called for further expansion.