Personal Finance: Loose Change

INTERACTIVE INVESTOR International (iii) has launched yet another of its internet centres, the credit card website (www.iii.co. uk/creditcards). The site is well suited to people with more than one credit card who want to get the best interest rate deal. It provides an overview of the 350 different credit cards available in the UK, including incentive scheme points, annual fees, interest free periods and charity support. There are currently mote than 42 million credit cards in use.

THE AVERAGE mortgage borrower can save pounds 1,500 (pounds 60 a year) over the lifetime of their mortgage if they switch their mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI) away from their bank or building society lender, a new survey by Insurance Times has discovered. It found that lenders charged on average a pounds 1 per pounds 100 cover more than brokers. Simon Burgess of brokers Goodfellows, which came top in the survey, with a premium of pounds 4.40 per pounds 100 of cover, said: "Lenders are creaming the public for every penny they can get." The lenders who came out worst were Abbey National, Barclays, HSBC, Co-Op and the Woolwich.