Savings

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.

It may sound like weirdy-beardy nonsense, but many savers can more than double their interest using my savings fountain concept.

The base rate has been held at its 0.5% historic low once again, the Bank of England announced today.

Families have seen their finances improve over the last year which has helped them boost their savings despite the recession, according to a report.

Banks will be made to display clearer information online and in branches on how much compensation savers could claim if their provider went bust. However, the new rules stop short of forcing banks to include the information on statements.

It is now just over a year since the Government's National Savings & Investments (NS&I) bank launched the latest batch of its popular inflation-beating, tax-free accounts, meaning many customers can now withdraw their cash virtually penalty-free.

Banks must be told to stop offering free current accounts if Britain wants to stamp out mis-selling scandals, a senior regulator said today.

Many savers with cash in Santander UK are worried about the safety of their money due to problems in Spain and the wider European economy. However, the bank stresses it is a separate entity to its Spanish parent, which therefore cannot raid UK cash.