Re-organising your finances? Check out this round-up of the very best current deals for savings, mortgages and cash ISAs.
A New Year means a fresh start for many of us -- you may have vowed to get fit and healthy, spend more time with your family, or maybe even to sort out your finances. And while I can't help you with the first two, I can certainly try with the third!
One of the most popular areas to tackle is savings -- many of us open market leading accounts, move all of our money over and then forget about them. However, with three interest rates rises since August, some accounts have simply failed to keep up, meaning your hard earned cash could be suffering.
And that's not all. If your current mortgage deal is coming to an end, you need to start thinking about remortgaging, if you don't want to wind up paying your lender's highly expensive standard variable rate (SVR).
So to save you spending hours ploughing through websites and newspapers, here is a round-up of some of the best savings accounts, cash ISAs, and mortgages on the market today.
Mortgages
January is proving to be a great month to buy a house or remortgage, as lenders are offering very competitive rates in a bid to get the New Year off to a flying start. And with the Bank of England raising interest rates again on Thursday, you'll have to be fast to snap up the good deals before the lenders revoke them! I had a check for the best remortgage deals available through our Mortgage Service:
Top deals (at time of writing) include:
Lender | Rate | Deal | Fee | Min deposit | Expires? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nationwide BS | 4.84% | 2-yr fix | £799 | 10% | |
Woolwich | 4.98% | 5-yr fix | £1,495 | 20% | 17/1/07 |
First Direct | 3-yr tracker | £99 | 20% | 31/1/07 | |
Hinckley & Rugby BS | Lifetime tracker | £599 | 5% |
* Rate is BoE base rate +0.19% for 18 months, then +0.75% for the following 18 months. This hasn't taken into account base rate rise on 11/1/07.
As you can see, if you're quick you can sign up for the Woolwich's 5 year fix at just 4.98%. However, those with smaller mortgages may want to look elsewhere due to the large arrangement fee (£1,495).
First Direct's 3-year tracker offers full flexible features, unlimited overpayments and can be linked to a First Direct current account. It also comes with a very low fee (£99) but again, you'll have to be quick as it finishes at the end of January.
If you do want a fixed rate deal, don't delay -- those low rates are being snapped up, or pulled by lenders very rapidly. Find out more here.
ISAs
If you've not already used your £3,000 allowance, a top notch, tax-free cash ISA can be a great home for your cash. And here are the Best Buy accounts of the moment:
Provider | Account | Gross rate | AER | Notice/Term | Min. deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kent Reliance BS | Direct mini cash ISA | 5.46% | 5.46% | None | £1 |
Yorkshire BS | 30 Day Notice ISA | 5.50% | 5.50% | 30 days | £10 |
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) | Direct ISA | 5.80% | 5.80% | None | £1k |
Portman BS | 15 Day Notice ISA | 5.80% | 5.40% | 15 days | £1k |
Tipton & Cosely BS | Premier ISA | 5.65% | 5.47% | 30 days | £3k |
Many providers have yet to respond to Thursday's Base rate increase. However, at the time of writing, one of the quickest to act had been NS&I, raising its Direct ISA rate by 0.25% AER immediately, meaning it now offers a fantastic 5.8%AER, and making it the current top place to stash £1,000 or more. However, it doesn't allow transfers in from other providers, so should you wish to move your existing ISA(s), the Yorkshire, Portman or Tipton accounts could be suitable choices, depending on your attitude to notice periods.
Note that Portman and Tipton both offer initial introductory bonuses -- for a fairer comparison look at the AER percentages.
For those wishing to open their account with £1+, the Kent Reliance BS or Yorkshire BS (£10+) currently offer the best deals, provided you can put up with a 30 day notice period to get at your cash.
Savings
Used up that ISA allowance? Not a problem; move that money into a high interest savings account, instead:
Provider | Account | AER | Min. deposit | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
HiSAVE | 5.65% | £1 | The gross rate will be 0.25%AER above base rate until 31.12.07 | |
Icesave | Easy Access | 5.45% | £250 | Guaranteed to exceed base rate by 0.25% until 1.10.2009. |
Alliance & Leicester (A&L) | Direct Saver | 5.64% | £5k | No interest earned in any month a withdrawal is made. |
Scarborough BS | Click & Save | 5.5% | £1k | Rate includes 1% bonus until 31.01.2008, then 0.5% bonus until 31.01.2009. Minimum withdrawal £1k. |
Derbyshire BS | iSaver | 5.4% | £1+ | Rate guaranteed to be 0.4%AER above base rate for 6 months. |
Bradford & Bingley | e-savings 2 | 5.35% | £1k |
Again, many of the lenders had failed to act upon the latest interest rate rise at time of writing. However, one of the few to respond was ICICI, increasing the rate on its HiSAVE account immediately to a market leading 5.65%.
If you're the sort that hates to move their money each year, the Icesave account offers a fantastic guarantee to beat the base rate until October 2009, giving you a year and a half of laziness!
It's worth remembering that high paying accounts, unsurprisingly, can be quite popular, meaning that your application can take longer than you'd hope. If you can, open the account with just a pound and transfer more over once it's up and running, as this means the bulk of your cash will still be earning interest.
Some accounts that stipulate a higher minimum deposit, such as the Icesave account, for example, will allow you to do this (though obviously, your cash will only earn the market leading rate when you've met the specified minimum deposit.)
And don't forget to be tax clever -- if you and your partner trust each other, stashing your savings in the lowest bracket taxpayer's name can mean you keep much more of your interest.
Of course, by the time you read this article, some other providers will have raised their rates in line with the Bank of England's base rate. Nevertheless, you should still get a good idea regarding where the Best buy products are, and which ones you'd like to switch to. Don't forget, you can search the market and even apply for a number of these Best Buys, right here, at The Fool.
So get to work and move that cash/mortgage/loan -- and keep more of your hard earned money!
More: Earn Over 12% On Your Savings | 133 Savings Accounts To Avoid