Savings | Savings news, rates and offers

Newcastle Building Society is continuing to top the best buy tables with the launch of a new fixed rate bond offering up to 5.00% Gross/AER over five years, available from 1 July 2009.

Due to popular demand Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley is extending the offer on our competitive fixed-term savings accounts paying up to 4.15 per cent, allowing more customers to take full advantage of these great rates.

Andrew Hagger of Moneynet.co.uk comments on the latest savings launches: The internet savings market has been a hive of activity during the last ten days but Alliance & Leicester have now pipped their rivals to the number one best buy spot in the mainstream savings market with a new online account paying 3.15% gross/AER.

Coventry Building Society has re-launched its highly successful 50 Plus eSave account. The new 50 Plus eSave account pays a best buy rate of 3.25% (AER/gross pa) which is fixed for 12 months from the date of individual account opening and allows unlimited, penalty free access.

Alliance & Leicester launches Online Saver Issue 5 paying a market leading 3.15 per cent gross AER. With a minimum balance of just £1 and penalty free access available online, this account is ideal for savers looking for a great rate without any restrictions.

Easy access savings accounts have been the poor relation for some time now, with providers having been focusing on fixed rates and Cash ISAs this year, according to moneysupermarket.com.

Meeting the cost of a comfortable lifestyle is a bigger financial concern than dwindling savings for the nation, with 6.7 million people happy to raid their savings and investments to cover day-to-day outgoings, according to a study by LV=.