The Alliance and Leicester is passing on the Bank of England base rate cut to its customers by reducing the interest rate on most of the savings accounts it offers by the full 0.25 percent.
The changes by the Alliance and Leicester will come into effect on 2 May, with only a small number of accounts not having their interest rates cut. These will include the Premium Regular Saver, eSaver and their ISA products Premier ISA and Premier ISA 2.
One other Alliance and Leicester savings account, the Direct Saver, will have an interest rate cut of 0.23 percent rather than the full 0.25. Other financial institutions are expected to follow suit, looking at ways to improve their profitability and cash flow in these difficult times.
The Alliance and Leicester has extended the offer period on its 9 percent gross interest paying fixed rate savings account to give more customers the opportunity to benefit.
The one year deal is open to Alliance and Leicester customers who invest in the Balanced Savings and Investment Plan, which brings together the savings account already mentioned and an investment bond. The bond is designed to offer good returns over the medium term, typically around 5 years, while the savings account gives customers a great benefit in the short term.
Investment bonds have grown in popularity recently as investors look for safe homes for their money where growth can still be achieved and this Alliance and Leicester offer which combines the high interest savings account delivers all that and more.
A new Halifax savings account, offering an outstanding 10 percent interest rate for regular savers will be made available for a limited period of just 6 weeks, beginning on Monday.
The stand alone savings account requires a minimum monthly deposit of GBP500 each month to qualify and will also pay out an extra 2 percent interest should the customer place an extra GBP5,000 in a specified Halifax savings account. This would add up to 12 percent AER, something that the savings market does not normally see.
A Halifax spokesman stood by this market leading savings account and supported the way it promotes the habit of regular saving. It is a key part of consumers financial planning and this level of interest certainly gets attention.
