A new Poppy Bond from the Coventry Building Society offers a top rate of 3.55% for 18 months, and it will even help savers contribute to charity, writes Thisismoney.co.uk. Of the money invested, 0.05% will be donated to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. After basic tax, the bond will pay 2.84%, on a minimum investment of £1. The rate is fixed until 30 April 2013, or alternatively savers can take monthly income at 3.49%. The second best 18-month savings plan comes from Yorkshire Bank – it pays 3.5%.
• Do you have a drawer full of old European currencies? There is still time to turn this into cash, writes Lucy Tobin in the Evening Standard. Take the old notes to a specialist foreign-currency dealer and walk out with sterling. But hurry, after February it will be too late.
• Nationwide is opening the door for new mortgage customers with 10% deposits, writes Tricia Phillips in the Daily Mirror. Previously, only existing customers and those with Flex accounts were offered the deal. Nationwide offers a three-year fix at 5.39% or a five-year fix at 5.69%, both with a reduced arrangement fee of £499. But shop around using a site such as Moneyfacts.co.uk – other deals include a three-year fix from Chelsea, at 4.89% with a £199 fee, and a 4.99% deal from the Woolwich with no fee.
• A headline regular saver’s rate of 8% looks tempting, says Sylvia Morris at Thisismoney.co.uk. But be wary. Regular savings plans can be great for those willing to commit to monthly savings, but a better option may be a cash Isa with tax- free interest. This is especially true if the top-earning savings account comes with strict conditions. The latest 8% offer from HSBC, for example, is only open to customers running a current account charging as much as £15 per month.
• Which? has criticised financial advisers at banks and building societies after 32 out of 37 gave poor investment advice to mystery shoppers, including failing to reveal commission payments, or clearly establish a customer’s risk profile. Which? recommends using an independent financial adviser instead.