Preston awakes to first snow of winter as travel warnings in place
Preston is awaking to a blanket of snow as weather warnings remain in force. Disruption is expected across the road network and more snow has begun to fall during Sunday […]
The M6 and other motorways in and around Preston are showing most lanes open although snow has covered the motorway network and is visible on most lanes. National Highways has a severe weather alert in place and are warning motorists of disruption to their journeys.
The scene on the M6 close to Junction 32 on Sunday 5 January morning Pic: Traffic England
Lancashire County Council say priority routes have been gritted and their gritting teams have continued to work through the night.
Around one third of roads are classed as priority routes and you can see the online gritting map for details.
An amber warning of snow is in force throughout Sunday with the Met Office warning of further snow followed by icy rain.
Temperatures in Preston are set to get barely above freezing all day with icy gusts from the east making it feel like -4 at times. The wind gusts will be around 30mph.
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/royal-bank-of-canada-plastic-payment-cards.jpg?id=59941088&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><span></span><span style="background-color: initial;">If you're considering a new <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/bank-of-canada" target="_blank">bank</a> or wondering whether your current one measures up, a new ranking of Canada's best banks for 2025 offers some unexpected insights that could influence your decision.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"> </span><span style="background-color: initial;"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/worlds-best-banks/" target="_blank">Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista</a> to survey customers worldwide for their 2025 World's Best Banks list. While several of Canada's "Big Five" banks performed well, others failed to make the list entirely, and the top position was claimed by an unlikely contender. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"></span><span style="background-color: initial;">Whether you bank with RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, or a smaller institution, this ranking may challenge your assumptions about which banks excel in trust, service, and digital offerings.</span><span style="background-color: initial;"> </span><span style="background-color: initial;">The survey gathered responses from over 50,000 people across 34 countries between October and December 2024. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;">Canadians evaluated financial institutions they currently use or recently used, scoring them on trustworthiness, fairness of terms and conditions, customer service, digital functionality, and the quality of financial advice. </span>Trustworthiness stood out as the most critical factor, particularly in today's uncertain economy. </p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"></span><span style="background-color: initial;">The top bank? Not one of the traditional powerhouses. Tangerine, an online-only bank owned by Scotiabank, earned first place, reflecting a growing preference among Canadians for digital-first banking solutions that prioritize convenience and innovation</span><span style="background-color: initial;">. </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Simplii Financial, CIBC's online bank, secured second place, meaning two digital banks surpassed RBC, Canada's largest bank, in overall customer satisfaction. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"></span><span style="background-color: initial;">Of the 11 Canadian banks included in <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/richest-people-quebec-billionaires" target="_blank">Forbes' global ranking</a>, only three of the Big Five — RBC, TD, and Scotiabank — appeared. BMO and CIBC were notably absent.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"></span>Here's the full rundown of Canada's best banks for 2025, per Forbes:</p><ol start="1"><li>Tangerine </li><li>Simplii Financial </li><li>RBC </li><li>PC Financial </li><li>Vancity </li><li>EQ Bank </li><li>TD </li><li>Scotiabank </li><li>National Bank </li><li>Desjardins </li><li>ATB Financial</li></ol><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p>
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