STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
MY FATHER lent £2,100 to the government in 1938. This sum was repaid this March by the Government, with a tiny bit of interest. Please could you tell me what £2,100 in 1938 would be worth in today’s money?
E. B., Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. The 3.5 pc War Loan was the most widely held of any UK government bond, with more than 120,000 holders. It was issued in 1932 by then Chancellor Neville Chamberlain and, as you say, was repaid this March.
Your father’s contribution of £2,100 in 1938 would be worth £127,625.16 today. I AM a customer of TSB. You recently said that customers of TSB received shares when the bank floated on the stock exchange. I never received any — is this right?
R. D., Lewes, E. Sussex. OUr story should have said that partners of TSB (ie its staff), received shares, not customers. We apologise for the confusion this may have caused. I HEARD that people mis-sold identity insurance when they were issued new credit and debit cards can claim for compensation. Is this correct?
D. T., Durham. The City regulator ordered a firm called CPP to write to millions of its customers who could potentially claim compensation after the firm was found to have widely mis- sold identity insurance.
The window to apply for a payout has closed. If you have a policy with a different company, you may still be able to claim. I HAVE five cash Isas with Halifax that mature at different times. This year, the first one comes to an end and I want to transfer it to a fixed-rate Isa that still has three years to run. Halifax says I can’t. Is that right?
M. M., by email. YeS. When you open a fixedrate Isa, there is a short time, if any, in which you can add to the account.
With halifax it is 60 days. Some providers give you less time.
For example, with Virgin Money it’s 30 days, while Nationwide won’t let you add any more money once the account is open. A COMPANY wrote to me out of the blue and said I had won a £47,000 jackpot. I was told I would receive the cash in 48 hours. It never came. I think it’s a scandal.
R. C., Blantyre, S. Lanarkshire. IgNOre this letter — it’s a wellknown scam. You will never win a lottery if you didn’t enter it in the first place.