Bring your money home! Eurozone ´íµ¡ raises ¶²¤ì¤ës over cash held outside UK safety ÂáÊ᤹¤ë

The safety of their money is once more ½Å¤µ¤ò·×¤ëing ¤Ò¤É¤¯ on the minds of savers as the world¡ Çs banking system struggles to Í»Ä̤¹¤ë the Îá¾õ-offs ȯɽ¤¹¤ëd in last week¡Çs do-or-die eurozone ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äê.

Europe¡Çs banks were ·³Ââd to swallow ¡ò100billion of Greek losses as part of the fraught ¸ò¾Äs in Brussels. Many must now raise new »ñËÜ¡¿¼óÅÔ.

No one ͽÊ󤹤ës the »ÙÇÛ-style banking Êø²õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës that followed the ¼ºÇÔ of US bank Lehman Brothers in 2008, but »äŪ¤Ê savers in Britain are ¸ºß ·Ù¹ð¤¹¤ëd to check their money is adequately spread to Íø±× from depositor ÊÝ¸î ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅs.

Investment Training Consultant Brian Glickman of Worthing, West Sussex

ÍÑ¿´¿¼¤¤: Brian Glickman saves with NS&I as À¯ÉÜ Æ±°Õ¤·¤Æ½ð̾¤¹¤ës deposits

Since 2008¡Çs ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î ´íµ¡, British ÊÝ¸î ¼ê¤Ï¤º¡¿½àÈ÷ have been ÂçÉý¤Ë ²þÁ±¤¹¤ëd. Depositors with banks or building societies licensed here, ´Þ¤àing ʬ³äs of a foreign bank such as Spanish-owned Santander, are now Êݸ¤ëd up to ¡ò85,000 per person per licensed ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§.

This is simpler than the previous À¯¸¢, although º®Íð still arises where, for example, an ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§ with a Áª¤Ó½Ð¤¹¡¿ÆÈ¿È licence operates several saving brands (see Äì¡Ê¤ËÆϤ¯¡Ë of page). However, other ´í¸±s ¸ºß¤¹¤ë.

Some Ãù¶â ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§s popular with British savers, ´Þ¤àing ING and Bank of Cyprus, Íî¤Á¤ë outside Britain¡Çs safety ÂáÊ᤹¤ë and instead rely on the Dutch and Cypriot ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅs ¤½¤ì¤¾¤ì. Both the Netherlands and Cyprus are in the eurozone.

The À¯ÉÜ of Cyprus, where banks have ÁêÅö¤Ê ¡Ê´í¸±¤Ê¤É¤Ë¡Ë¤µ¤é¤¹ to Greek ÉéºÄ, last week said it would step in if necessary to support the country¡Çs banking system.

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There are also dangers closer to home. ¡Æ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î¡Ç Ãù¶â providers, typically ʬ³äs of mainstream UK ²ñ¼Ò¡¿·ø¤¤s based in the Channel Islands or the ¾®Åç of Man, are not covered by Britain¡Çs ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î Services Êä½þ¡Ê¶â¡Ë ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅ. Instead they must rely on Ãϸµ¤Î ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅs that tend to be more ¥³¥ó¥Ó¥Ê¡¼¥È¡¿Ê£¹çÂÎ, ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ generous and, ¤«¤â¤·¤ì¤Ê¤¤, ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ reliable.

Looking shaky: Savers are being told to play it safe and stick to banks covered by the UK compensation scheme as Greece, Italy and others totter

Looking ÉÔ°ÂÄê¤Ê: Savers are ¸ºß told to play it °ÂÁ´¤Ê and stick to banks covered by the UK Êä½þ¡Ê¶â¡Ë ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅ as Greece, Italy and others totter

The Jersey and Guernsey ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅs, for example, cover deposits up to ¡ò50,000. But a ¥³¥ó¥Ó¥Ê¡¼¥È¡¿Ê£¹çÂÎ Á´ÂΤˤ錄¤ë ¡Æcap¡Ç of ¡ò100 million, which cannot be ±Û¤¨¤ëd in any five-year period, ŬÍѤ¹¤ës on ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ of a saver¡Çs ¡ò50,000 ¸Â³¦. The ¾®Åç of Man ŬÍѤ¹¤ës a higher, ¡ò200 million cap. Theoretically, these caps could ¸º¤º¤ë savers¡Ç Êä½þ¡Ê¶â¡Ë to nothing.

On the ¡ò50,000 ¸Â³¦, a ¹­ÊóôÅö¼Ô for the Jersey ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅ says: ¡ÆWe will move to a higher ¸Â³¦ if Guernsey and the ¾®Åç of Man move, but we do not believe in °Û¤Ê¤ëing ´ð½às between ºâÀ¯¡¿¶âÍ» centres.¡Ç

Many savers based in Britain opened ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î accounts in the Nineties when Ψs ¿½¤·¹þ¤à¡¿¿½¤·½Ðd were higher and there were perceived ÀǶâ Íø±×s. These Íø±×s no longer ¸ºß¤¹¤ë, ÀìÌç²Ès say.

¡ÆWhy any UK µï½»¡Ê¼Ô¡Ë would have money in an ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î Ãù¶â account is a good question,¡Ç says ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î planner Yvonne Goodwin, who runs her own wealth ´ÉÍý¡¿·Ð±Ä ²ñ¼Ò¡¿·ø¤¤ in ʪ±¢¡¿É÷²¼d.

¡ÆI ¹Á¡¿ÈòÆñ½ê¡Çt seen any ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î accounts »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing more than UK-based ones. With any Èó¡¤ÉÔ¡¤Ìµ-UK µ¬Â§, you have no idea how the Êä½þ¡Ê¶â¡Ë ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅ will work. I would advise ¡ÊÊÛ¸î»Î¤Î¡Ë°ÍÍê¿Ís to bring their money »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë into UK ºÛȽ¸¢.¡Ç

Heather Taylor of ¹ñ²È¤Î accountant ǧ¤á¤ë Thornton agrees. ¡ÆThere remains a perception that ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î saving is priv ate, and perhaps prestigious,¡Ç she says. ¡ÆAnd ¤¤¤Ä¤«s the service ¿½¤·¹þ¤à¡¿¿½¤·½Ðd by ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§s is good. But ÏÀÍý¡Ê³Ø¡Ë¾å, the UK¡Çs ¼ê¤Ï¤º¡¿½àÈ÷ mean Ãù¶â onshore are probably safer than ¤É¤³¤«¤è¤½¤Ç.¡Ç

An ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î ºÒ³² befell many savers with Derbyshire Building Society¡Çs ¾®Åç of Man ʬ³ä, which was ÀŤ«¤Ë taken over by Icelandic bank Kaupthing in 2007.

When Kaupthing failed in 2008, savers were left to the mercy of the ¾®Åç of Man ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅ with its ¡ò50,000 ¸Â³¦. As Taylor says: ¡ÆSavers thought they were with a teddy ÂѤ¨¤ë, but it turned into a Viking.¡Ç

Goodwin says savers¡Ç ¶ìǺ levels have fallen away somewhat since the ĺÅÀ¡Ê¤Ë㤹¤ë¡Ë of the ´íµ¡. ¡ÆOur ¡ÊÊÛ¸î»Î¤Î¡Ë°ÍÍê¿Ís are more relaxed now than in 2008 and 2009, but I always ·Ù¹ð¤¹¤ë against complacency,¡Ç she says. ¡ÆThat¡Çs when things go wrong.¡Ç

Retired training ¸ÜÌä Brian Glickman, 59, is ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç the millions of savers who, while far from panicking, is ·ÙÊó to the ¡Æ´í¸± of the nigh-impossible¡Ç. ¡ÆWhen Northern ·ã¤·¤¯Íɤ¹¤ë Êø²õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd in 2007, I remember watching TV and was ²ûµ¿Åª¤Ê about the need for people to Îó up to ¿È¤ò°ú¤¯ their cash,¡Ç he says.

¡ÆBut then I heard one man say that he had lost his ǯ¶â with Equitable Life and he couldn¡Çt afford to lose anything else. It brought home to me that large ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§s do fail. And the consequences can be terrible.¡Ç Brian was selling his home in London and moving to ²ÁÃ͡ʤ¬¤¢¤ë¡Ëing, West Sussex, where he now lives, at the ĺÅÀ¡Ê¤Ë㤹¤ë¡Ë of the ´íµ¡. ¡ÆI was ¶Ëü¤Ë careful,¡Ç he ²òǤ¤¹¤ës. ¡ÆI had the sale proceeds Åê»ñ¤¹¤ëd all over the place.¡Ç

In particular, he turned to À¯ÉÜ-owned ¹ñ²È¤Î Ãù¶â & Åê»ñs, where he still has º÷°ú-linked ¾ÚÌÀ½ñs, income ¼ÒºÄs, Isas and a Ãù¶â ac count. All NS&I deposits are 100 per cent underwritten by the À¯ÉÜ.

Brian says: ¡ÆThe Ψs may not be excellent on some of these accounts, but it¡Çs as °ÂÁ´¤Ê as you can get.

¡ÆIf a bank goes É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë, that¡Çs one thing. For NS&I to go É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë, it would take a ½½Ê¬¤Ê-blown Êø²õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë in British social order, something like a deadly pandemic or enemy ¿¯Î¬.¡Ç

How °æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ are your Ãù¶â Êݸ¤ëd?

Except for those ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§s ̾Êí¡Ê¤ËºÜ¤»¤ë¡Ë¡¿É½¡Ê¤Ë¤¢¤²¤ë¡Ëd here, ALL British-based or British-owned banks and building societies ¸½ºß¡¿°ìÈÌ¤Ë taking deposits from savers? are covered under the ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î Services Êä½þ¡Ê¶â¡Ë ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅ.

The FSCS gives Êݸî of up to ¡ò85,000 per person per ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§. This ´Þ¤às major European-owned banks such as Santander, whose parent group is Spanish.

REMEMBER: Some ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§s have several brands under one banking licence, in which »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ô the cover may be ¸Â¤é¤ì¤¿¡¿Î©·ûŪ¤Ê to ¡ò85,000 across all those brands.

For a Êñ³çŪ¤Ê ̾Êí¡Ê¤ËºÜ¤»¤ë¡Ë¡¿É½¡Ê¤Ë¤¢¤²¤ë¡Ë of »öÎã¡¿´µ¼Ôs where several brands Íî¤Á¤ë under a Áª¤Ó½Ð¤¹¡¿ÆÈ¿È licence, click the link above.

The ¤Ë°ú¤­Â³¤¤¤Æ are the larger? of those ²ñ¡¦¸¶Â§s NOT covered by the British ·×²è¡¿±¢ËÅ:

COVERED BY THE SCHEMES? OF JERSEY, GUERNSEY? AND THE ISLE OF MAN (up to ¡ò50,000 per person): A&L International, AIB International, Bank of Ireland (¾®Åç of Man), Barclays? Wealth ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î, Britannia International, ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ë ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î, Clydesdale International, Fairburn »äŪ¤Ê Bank,? Halifax International, HSBC International, Investec Channel Islands, Lloyds TSB ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î, Á´¹ñŪ¤Ê International, NatWest ²­¹ç¤¤¤Î¡¿³¤³°¤Î.

COVERED BY DUTCH SCHEME? (up to 100,000 euros, ¡ò87,500) :Triodos Bank, ING.

COVERED BY CYPRIOT SCHEME (up to 100,000 euros): Marfin Laiki Bank, Bank of? Cyprus UK.

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