The Nationwide Building Society is readying itself for the provision of savings products to customers in the Republic of Ireland.
As long as the proposal is approved by both the FSA and the Irish equivalent then the Nationwide Building Society will begin selling savings products to Irish customers by telephone, online and through the post. The move is being seen as a good strategic option for the Nationwide as it expands their geographic coverage and increases the funding options.
Industry commentators have said that the Nationwide Building Society is already in a strong financial position so this step into Eire is set to improve that position still further.
Alliance and Leicester fixed rate bonds have enjoyed some interest rate changes, with the one year fixed rate product going up from 6.5 percent to 6.65 percent AER.
All the fixed rate bonds provided by Alliance and Leicester will payout on a monthly basis should that be preferable to the customer, with the balance invested needing to be between GBP2,500 and GBP2 million to be eligible for monthly payments. The minimum amount needed to invest in one of these bonds is GBP1,000.
The benefit of fixed rate bonds is the security of the capital invested as well as there being a set, guaranteed, return said an Alliance and Leicester spokesman. This means customers know exactly what they will receive back from their investment, enabling them to plan more effectively.
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.
