Natwest Bank has just announced its latest student current account offers, with interest free overdrafts, laptop savings and reduced rail fares all available.
This time of year sees all the major banks introducing their student offers, and the one from the Natwest Bank looks like a very good one. Of particular interest to students is the size of the overdraft, which starts at GBP1,250 with the Natwest, going up to GBP2,000 by year five. They are also offering a GBP100 discount of Asus laptops as well as GBP50 off 3 mobile broadband.
The Natwest current account for students also makes it easier for them to travel, with a railcard that can save over GBP120 per year on travel. For anyone thinking of signing up online do it before the end of October and the Natwest will throw in a Microsoft Lifecam as well as everything else they offer.
Late last week Citibank warned the markets that more big writedowns were expected in quarter 2. They are also looking at more credit losses in the face of what they called unprecedented conditions in the market.
Following the announcement shares on the NYSE fell by over 4 percent, recovering by the end of trading though still down 1 percent. The markets have already seen disappointing results from other major financial players, leading many to feel that the credit crunch is going to hurt companies for some time to come. Citibank made a lot of their money in the sub-prime lending market so have been hit hard by the meltdown in this area.
As well as the mortgage difficulties they experienced Citibank are now seeing the credit crunch hitting their credit card arm too, with business really slowing down as consumers feel the need to rein in their spending.
The investment management team at Legal and General are anticipating recession in the UK as early as this year.
The economic indicators the Legal and General people are looking at are highlighting an imminent recession. These indicators include the level of borrowing, reduced spending and the relative inability to access extra funds. In combination these factors are really making the British public take notice of the economy and consider their own positions.
Further driving the problem is the fact that the global economy is struggling, so it is not an isolated UK issue. Consumers in the UK are keeping a wary eye on the situation says Legal and General, which automatically means they are less free with their spending and tend to be much more conservative in their decisions.
