well i can see a BIG drawback - its only available to abbey & b&b mortgage holders ! i largely agree with maxsteam though . we`ve seen these headline grabbing deals from others but they are rarely worth the hassle of moving your account.

i looked at the principality dave but there is no withdrawal/transfer out option so you really are fixed for 3 years .. which imho is too long. at least with the bm fixed bond you can get at your cash albeit with a 90 day interest penalty. as i am currently a non-taxpayer i still prefer the bm option but thanks for your suggestions.

well access i couldnt agree more with your sentiments. it just sickens me that they can get away with "false headline advertising". if the 5.48% relates to just year 3 they should damn well say so. lots of them are LYING like this and also hideaway the fact that they drop your money into virtually no-interest accounts if instructions ...

so the headline rate is 5.48% on the comparison sites. interest rates are as follows: year 1 is 3.5% year 2 is 4.5% year 3 is 5.5% as far as i can see the average interest rate over the 3 years has to therefore be 4.5%. even if you compound the interest it is still ony 4.7% ... so can someone smarter than me explain how they arrive at 5.48% ...

b`ham midshires have advised me that my isa is about to mature so i will no longer be getting interest at 6.15%. however they have generously offered me the opportunity to transfer the proceeds into a "direct isa" paying me 1.5% or a 1 year fix at 2.5%. wow - hold the front page !! i already have an instant phone extra a/c with them ...

if i was in your position i`d go for 18 months too ! these banks/bsocs are all trying to lock in fixed cash for 3-5 years because they expect rates to rise in that time imho. im not at all keen on locking my cash up for more than a year ahead.

the whole thing has become a joke. i have an isa maturing this week and they have offered me a transfer into a 1 year fixed rate isa at a paltry 1.5%. i can get 3.15% on a phone account with instant access (well 3-4 banking days to transfer the cash - also a huge geat joke in this electronic age !!) WITH THE SAME OUTFIT - birmingham midshires. ...

sorry to read about your situation with abbey roy. i cant add much to the above advice. i can tell you though that abbey are on my blacklist of companies i will never deal with again, along with the halifax. 2 of the most inefficient, careless & clueless groups of cowboys i have ever dealt with in over 45 years - i wouldnt trust either with ...

access said "A & L is 24hrs surprised Halifax isn't." im not surprised. i wouldnt let halifax look after a kiddies sweet jar. in my experience the worst excuse for a bank ive ever had the misfortune to deal with in nearly 40 years. i took them to the fsa over their appalling service .. and won. they couldnt even manage to get my ...

well you have to laugh really. alliance and leicester have offered a debit card & since then nationwide have contacted her to say that one is on the way ! i reckon they must read these forums ;)