ISAs

The interest rate paid on NS&I's Direct ISA will decrease from 5.30% per annum to 4.80% following the decrease in the Bank of England base rate by 0.50%.

Newcastle Building Society has announced the launch of a new best buy Secure ISA with a rate of 6.20%. This account is being launched to compliment the Newcastle's market leading ISA+ (Plus) account.

first direct has launched a market leading fixed rate cash e-ISA at 5.85% AER (6.125% tax free). The cash e-ISA is available until 6 November and the rate fixed until 15 June 2009.

Family Investments announced an exclusive partnership with Post Office Financial Services to provide its customers with both cash and stocks and shares ISAs which are now available via its 13,000 strong branch network and via the Post Office website.

The Post Office has extended its savings range by launching a cash ISA paying a leading rate of 6.25 per cent.

Commenting on ISA providers aiming to speed up the cash transfer and opening process to a maximum of two weeks, Kevin Mountford, head of savings at moneysupermarket.com, said: "It's great news that the industry has finally recognised there is a problem with ISAs.

Virgin Money has welcomed new guidelines by the British Banking Association (BBA) to improve the process of ISA transfers.

In response to the announcement from the BBA, BSA and TISA on Cash ISA transfer best practice, Halifax can confirm that it fully supports the new guidelines and in addition is re-launching its ISA Rate Promise.

The British Bankers' Association, the Building Societies Association and the Tax Incentivised Savings Association have published new guidelines to speed up the transfer of cash ISAs between providers and to improve the efficiency of the process.

Britons are being forced to use hard earned savings to meet the rising cost of living, according to new research from Abbey Savings. The study found that on average ISA savers have withdrawn £579 each (£6 billion in total), which equates to 26 per cent of the average ISA subscription for 2007/2008.

Leeds Building Society's Inflation Buster ISA, which is guaranteed to beat inflation by paying RPI plus 2.5%, would pay a tax free return of 7.1% if RPI over the term is equal to 4.6%, which is the latest figure released by the Office for National Statistics for June 2008.

Britannia has launched a new one-year fixed rate ISA paying 6.30% Tax Free /AER fixed to 30th September 2009.

The Co-operative Investments has discounted the initial charge on a range of unit trusts by two per cent.

Skipton Building Society has launched a new Fixed Rate Cash ISA with the great rate of 6.50% gross.

From today, Monday 7 July, Nationwide Building Society has temporarily closed its cash ISAs, including Fixed Rate ISA Bonds, to customers transferring their ISA from other providers.

Alliance & Leicester has launched a new competitive tax-free savings account. The Easy ISA is a cash ISA and is available immediately, at all Alliance & Leicester branches or online at alliance-leicester.co.uk.

Leeds Building Society is set to launch another version of its Inflation Buster ISA, available from Monday June 2nd, which has proved very popular with customers looking for a real return on their savings.

Leeds Building Society is set to launch another version of its Inflation Buster ISA, available from Monday June 2nd, which has proved very popular with customers looking for a real return on their savings. The new account is guaranteed to beat inflation by 2.50%.

Against the backdrop of a difficult market, end of tax year figures from retail stockbroker, The Share Centre, show a defiant 30 per cent rise in the number of Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) opened, compared with the same period in 2007.

From today Abbey's Super ISA stands alone as the only ISA product in the market offering 10 per cent, if customers put an equal amount or more into any Abbey investment product. Minimum investment is £1 into the Super ISA, and £1500 into an Abbey investment product.

HMRC's recent publication of ISA statistics confirmed that record number of investors are putting their savings into the Government's flagship savings scheme-the ISA.

Alliance & Leicester’s Premier ISA Issue 2 paying 10% pa gross/AER, available to new customers opening an Alliance & Leicester Premier current account, will only be available for one more week – the offer ends Sunday 20 April 2008.

One in four people (25%) say they have regrets about how they have managed their savings in the last tax year according to new research from Selftrade, the online execution only broker.

Following the Bank of England Base Rate change, the M&S variable Cash ISA rate has changed from 5.25% to 5.00% AER/tax-free with effect from today, Friday 11th April 2008.

The interest rate paid on NS&I's Direct ISA will decrease from 5.55% per annum to 5.30% following today's decrease in the Bank of England base rate by 0.25%.