A woman passes by a consumable advertisement in London, May 6, 2004. The Bank of England decided to raise interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point from 4 percent to 4.25 percent from 6 May as it tries to cool soaring house prices and consumer debt. (

A woman passes by a consumable advertisement in London, May 6, 2004. The Bank of England decided to raise interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point from 4 percent to 4.25 percent from 6 May as it tries to cool soaring house prices and consumer debt.