Barclays maintains Defined Returns as UK base rates fall

The latest issue of Barclays Wealth's best-selling Defined Returns Plan (DRP) will launch with the same terms as the preceding series, offering investors a compelling alternative to falling cash rates.

Launching on 2 March, the new issue continues to offer three investment options for investors seeking greater potential returns than that offered by deposit accounts, particularly in light of the Bank of England's recent decision to cut the UK Bank rate to 1%.

DRP CP offers a fixed return of either:

12 per cent - three-year option
22 per cent - four-year option
32 per cent - five-year option

All three investments offer full capital protection when held for their full terms and will deliver their stated return provided the FTSE 100 at maturity is equal to or higher than its level at the starting date.

As with all our protected investments marketed through independent financial advisers, DRP CP is issued by Barclays Bank PLC. The investments can be sold before their maturity but their value may be less than the amount invested.

Investors seeking tax-free gains can take advantage of Barclays Wealth's dual ISA facility across 2008/09 and 2009/10, or alternatively use their CGT exemption.

Colin Dickie, director, Barclays Wealth, says: "With the Bank of England cutting the base rate to 1% there is an even bigger incentive for investors to secure the competitive terms we have been able to maintain from the last issue.

"Terms in general for protected investments will be lower this year than last but they will still be far in excess of anything investors can potentially find outside unprotected equities, which of course carry a much higher risk. The DRP CP has been hugely popular with investors seeking more certainty and security in the current environment and we expect that to continue with the new issue being, in relative terms, even more attractive than the last."