POUND NOTES
■ Financial fact: Some £1.38bn-worth of financial fraud was detected and prevented by banks and card companies in 2016, according to Financial Fraud Action UK – equivalent to £6.40 in every £10 of attempted fraud being stopped.
■ Bank offers gender-neutral title options: HSBC is offering new services to give transgender customers a better banking experience, including a choice of 10 gender-neutral titles. The bank said the new titles allow people who do not identify as a particular gender, or who do not want to be identified by gender, to choose an alternative. They include Mx, Ind, M and Misc, and will be applied across a customer’s account, including their bank cards and correspondence.
■ £176bn sitting in cash accounts paying no interest, analysis finds: The amount of savers’ money sitting in cash accounts paying no interest has surged by £13 billion since June’s Brexit vote, according to a financial services firm. Laith Khalaf, a senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Bank of England figures show £176 billion is being held in cash accounts paying no interest. This is £13 billion more than the £163 billion held in these accounts in May 2016.
■ More people ‘expecting house prices to increase’: Consumers’ expectations for house price growth have returned to levels seen before the vote to leave the EU, a report has found. Nearly half (49%) of people surveyed in March believe house prices will rise in the coming 12 months, with just 10% expecting them to fall, according to the Building Societies Association. Just before the Brexit vote in June, 48% of people expected house prices to rise.
■ High five savers:
■ Coventry BS (coventrybuildingsociety.co.uk) – Gross: 1.05%. Min Inv: £1. Account: Easy Access ISA. Notice/Term: Instant. Interest Paid: Yearly. Access: Branch/ Online/Post/Telephone.
■ NS&I (nsandi.co.uk) – Gross: 1.00%. Min Inv: £1. Account: Direct ISA. Notice/Term: None. Interest Paid: Yearly. Access: Online/Telephone.
■ SAGA (saga.co.uk) – Gross: 0.95%. Min Inv: £1. Account: ISA Saver. Notice/Term: None. Interest Paid: Yearly. Access: Post.
■ Skipton BS (skipton.co.uk) – Gross: 0.90%. Min Inv: £1. Account: Online Bonus Cash ISA. Notice/Term: None. Interest Paid: Anniversary. Access: Online.
■ Post Office Money (postoffice. co.uk) – Gross: 0.90%. Min Inv: £100. Account: Online ISA. Notice/Term: None. Interest Paid: Yearly. Access: Online.
Source: Moneyfacts, www. moneyfacts.co.uk. (01603) 476 204 (all rates subject to change without notice).
■ Best buy mortgage deals:
■ HSBC (0808 256 6876) – Rate: 1.19%. Fixed until: 30.6.19. Max LTV: 75%. Min Fee: £999. Incentive: Yes
■ Santander (0800 100802) – Rate: 1.59%. Fixed until: 2.7.19. Max LTV: 85%. Min Fee: £999. Incentive: Yes
■ Yorkshire BS (0345 120 0874) – Rate: 1.42%. Fixed until: 30.4.20. Max LTV: 65%. Min Fee: £995. Incentive: No
■ Coventry BS (0800 121 8899) – Rate: 2.29%. Fixed until: 30.6.20. Max LTV: 90%. Min Fee: £999. Incentive: Yes
■ Virgin Money (0330 057 1701) – Rate: 1.87%. Fixed until: 1.7.22. Max LTV: 65%. Min Fee: £995. Incentive: Yes
Source: Moneyfacts, www. moneyfacts.co.uk. (01603) 476 204 (all rates subject to change without notice).