Personal finance: Cashpoints - Speedy loans

The Woolwich has launched a rapid remortgage service aimed at the 40 per cent of home owners who think it is too much hassle to change their loan to another bank or building society. The Rapid Remortgage service will give customers a firm offer within two hours and there are no fees, no forms and no legal expenses for the customer. The snag is you can only borrow 60 per cent of the value of your home and there is only one mortgage on offer - a capped rate of 6.35 per cent until 2003. Call 0645 757575.

Barclays Global Investors is launching a new traded endowment fund. The BGI Endowment Fund III is an investment trust that will buy second- hand with-profits endowment policies. It has a projected annual return of 11.1 per cent a year. The fund is aimed at long-term investors, as it will pay out over the last five years of its life, in the years 2009 to 2013. BGI's last two endowment funds were both oversubscribed and have been trading at a premium of 4 per cent. Minimum investment is pounds 2,000. For a mini-prospectus call 0800 448860.

If you cannot get legal aid, you can still take your case to court. A leaflet from Greystoke Insurance (in co-operation with the Consumers' Association and the Lord Chancellor's Office) outlines the options, including legal expenses insurance and "no-win, no-fee" deals. Free copies of Your Legal Options are available in Citizens' Advice Bureaux or by calling 0181-771 7772.