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.
A new international bond has been introduced by the Alliance and Leicester which is a limited edition fixed interest rate for one year.
Investors can sign up for the bond from now and, with a minimum investment requirement of GBP50,000, enjoy an interest rate of 6.65 percent gross if taking the interest payment at the end of the year or 6.45 percent should interest be paid monthly. The Alliance and Leicester fixed rate bond is available to both new and existing customers as long as funding does not come from money already held by Alliance and Leicester.
An Alliance and Leicester spokesman, when discussing the new bond at its launch said that they always endeavoured to offer the best interest rate they could and this particular bond should be very popular in what is a highly competitive market.
According to information from the Abbey National savings division the people of the UK have been putting their money away to pay for a summer holiday, with Europe being the most popular choice.
With the value of the pound dropping against the Euro this means that summer holidays will cost more this year, meaning consumers need to save more for their break. With the average holiday costing over GBP1,600 it is good that the people of the UK have been saving their money to cover this cost, although a small percentage will be using their credit cards to pay.
The monthly cost for the average holiday is a little under GBP140, which could have earned the full amount needed in one of the excellent Abbey National savings accounts.
