Having looked at the savings habits of the nation the Halifax can now highlight which parts of the country save the most, and the least.
Top of the Halifax savings league is London, with an average savings balance of over GBP14,200. In second place was South Buckinghamshire, followed by Shrewsbury to make up the top 3 saving locations. The top performing savers outside the south of England can be found in Derbyshire, having an average savings pot of just over GBP11,600.
A spokesman from the Halifax was pleased to see how good the average figures were but did hope that those without such levels of savings would aim to increase the amount they save.
9 out of 10 Brits believe it is important to save according to a study carried out by the Nationwide Building Society.
Although it is good to see so many people recognising the importance of having a fund of money to call upon should it be needed only around 55 percent of people actually put money aside on a regular basis. Approximately 25 percent of people save money occasionally whilst almost 20 percent do not have savings at all.
This situation is not through choice in many instances though,as a Nationwide Building Society spokesman explained. With the cost of simply paying bills, buying food and running a car stampeding ever higher it becomes financially impossible for many people to save regularly, if at all. This is a shame since some of the best savings rates for many years are now available to customers.
See how Nationwide Building Society savings accounts compare at Moneygossip.co.uk
The Halifax has just announced that the Web Saver Extra savings account it offers will have an increased rate of interest, up now to 6.35 percent gross.
The increased rate offer is applicable to all customers be they new or existing ones and it is valid on balances as little as GBP1, the minimum amount needed to open the account, up to GBP100,000. Halifax Web Saver Extra account holders are able to manage their savings online and are allowed one withdrawal each year without affecting their interest payment. Any subsequent withdrawals will see thirty days loss of interest on the value of the withdrawal.
This particular Halifax savings account has been very popular with customers enjoying an excellent rate of interest, payment of which is made annually and added to the account.