Lloyds TSB and Bank of Scotland (BoS) will scrap overdraft charges for many customers who slip into the red this autumn. However, they are raising fees for customers who pay for an overdraft facility.
Banks will be forced to ring-fence savers' cash from their risky casino-style investment arms to protect deposits and avoid a run like that which brought down Northern Rock in 2007.
Nationwide savings customers should sign up to a free service to make sure they're alerted when their rate drops, or in the less likely event the building society boosts returns.
Mobile phone payment technology took another step forward with the launch of a scheme allowing people to take cash from an ATM without using their debit card.