Latest news with #HALIFAX
Scottish Sun
02-08-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Halifax to make huge change to bank account used by thousands and it'll reward them with free cash
You'll have to meet one rule to qualify TAKING INTEREST Halifax to make huge change to bank account used by thousands and it'll reward them with free cash Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HALIFAX is making a huge change to a popular bank account used by thousands of customers. The retail bank is introducing credit interest on Reward Current Account balances from October 1. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The Reward Current Account comes with a £3 monthly fee, which is waived if you deposit at least £1,500 each month Credit: Getty This update means account holders can now earn cash rewards simply by maintaining a balance in their account. Halifax will pay interest on balances between £1 and £5,000, with two tiers of rates available. You'll earn 1% AER on balances between £1 and £3,999.99, while balances between £4,000 and £5,000 will attract a higher rate of 3% AER. For example, if you kept £2,000 in the account at all times, you would earn £30 in interest per year at the 1.5% AER. Meanwhile, if you kept £4,500 in the account, you would earn £60 on the first £4,000, with 1.5% AER applied. The remaining £500 would earn 3% AER, giving £15 in interest. In total, you would earn £75 per year. However, you won't earn any interest on balances above £5,000. The Reward Current Account carries a £3 monthly fee, which is waived if you deposit at least £1,500 each month. To qualify for credit interest payments from October, you'll also need to set up and pay out two separate direct debits each month in order to access the benefits. The Reward Current Account offers additional benefits, including fee-free spending abroad. Customers can also earn up to 15% cashback at selected retailers through Halifax's Cashback Extras programme. Switch bank accounts for free perks Halifax isn't the only bank offering credit interest on account deposits. Nationwide's FlexDirect account offers 5% APR on balances up to £1,500, while Santander's Edge Up account pays 2.5% on balances up to £25,000. The average bank customer has around £10,000 in savings, according to Raisin. With this in mind the average customer could still actually earn more interest by shopping around elsewhere. If your savings account pays less than the current inflation rate of 3.6%, it's time to look for a better deal. Plus, the Bank of England is expected to cut its base rate from 4.25% to 4% next week, which could make savings rates even lower. The base rate affects how much banks pay savers - when it drops, interest on savings usually goes down too. How this affects your savings depends on the type of account you have. Fixed-rate accounts won't change, but easy-access accounts can see their rates drop at any time. What types of savings accounts are available? THERE are four types of savings accounts: fixed, notice, easy access, and regular savers. Separately, there are ISAs or individual savings accounts which allow individuals to save up to £20,000 a year tax-free. But we've rounded up the main types of conventional savings accounts below. FIXED-RATE A fixed-rate savings account or fixed-rate bond offers some of the highest interest rates but comes at the cost of being unable to withdraw your cash within the agreed term. This means that your money is locked in, so even if interest rates increase you are unable to move your money and switch to a better account. Some providers give the option to withdraw, but it comes with a hefty fee. NOTICE Notice accounts offer slightly lower rates in exchange for more flexibility when accessing your cash. These accounts don't lock your cash away for as long as a typical fixed bond account. You'll need to give advance notice to your bank - up to 180 days in some cases - before you can make a withdrawal or you'll lose the interest. EASY-ACCESS An easy-access account does what it says on the tin and usually allows unlimited cash withdrawals. These accounts tend to offer lower returns, but they are a good option if you want the freedom to move your money without being charged a penalty fee. REGULAR SAVER These accounts pay some of the best returns as long as you pay in a set amount each month. You'll usually need to hold a current account with providers to access the best rates. However, if you have a lot of money to save, these accounts often come with monthly deposit limits. To help you get the best returns, we've listed the top savings rates for each account type below. What's on offer? If you're looking for a savings account without withdrawal limitations, then you'll want to opt for an easy-access saver. These do what they say on the tin and usually allow for unlimited cash withdrawals. The best easy access savings account available is from Cahoot, which pays 5% - and you only need to pay a minimum of £1 to set it up. This means that if you were to save £1,000 in this account, you would earn £50 a year in interest. Meanwhile, Oxbury Bank's easy access account offers customers 4.61% back on savings worth £1 or more. If you're okay with being less flexible about withdrawals, a top notice account could be a great option. These accounts offer better rates than easy-access accounts but still let you access your money more flexibly than a a fixed-bond. RCI Bank UK's 95 day notice account offers savers 4.7% back with a minimum £1,000 deposit, for example. This means that if you were to save £1,000 in this account, you would earn £47 a year in interest. Meanwhile, Oxbury Bank's 120-day notice account offers 4.65%, requiring a minimum deposit of £1,000. If you want to lock your money away and keep the same savings rate for a set time, a fixed bond is a good choice. The best fixed rate currently offered is Castle Community Bank's one-year fixed bond, which pays 4.52%, requiring a minimum deposit of £1,000. Meanwhile, GB Bank's one-year fixed bond offers 4.5% back on a deposit of £1 or more. This means that if you were to save £1,000 in this account, you would earn £45 a year in interest. If you want to build a habit of saving a set amount of money each month, a regular savings account could pay you dividends. Principality Building Society's Six Month Regular Saver offers 7.5% interest on savings. It allows customers to save between £1 and £200 a month. Save in the maximum, and you'll earn 25.81 in interest. While regular savings accounts look attractive due to the high interest rates on offer, they are not right for all savers. You can't use a regular savings account to earn interest on a lump sum. The amount you can save into the account each month will be limited, typically to somewhere between £200 and £500. Therefore, if you have more to save, it would be wise to consider one of the other accounts mentioned above.
Globe and Mail
31-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Sound Blade Medical Appoints Neil Barman, M.D. as Chief Executive Officer
Founder Jeremy Brown, Ph.D. to continue as Chief Technical Officer, driving scientific vision HALIFAX, NS, July 31, 2025 /CNW/ -- Sound Blade Medical, Inc., a leader in handheld histotripsy therapy, today announced the appointment of Neil Barman, M.D. as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Barman, a physician-executive with more than two decades of medical technology leadership experience, previously served as the company's Chief Operating Officer and will now guide Sound Blade through its next phase of clinical development.
Scottish Sun
23-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Halifax to quietly axe key perk that could see you win £100,000 – and customers will be fuming
Plus we share how savers can be entered into draws to win thousands of pounds IN IT TO WIN IT IN IT TO WIN IT Halifax to quietly axe key perk that could see you win £100,000 – and customers will be fuming Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HALIFAX is stopping its popular Savers Prize Draw - which gives customers the chance to win up to £100,000 every month. The competition has been a key perk for savers since it launched in 2011, but the final draw is to take place in September this year. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Halifax is getting rid of its savers prize draw in September Credit: Getty Each month there are three prizes of £100,000, 100 prizes of £1,000 and 1,500 of £100. To be in with a chance, you have to keep £5,000 or more in a qualifying account for a month, and be registered to take part. There has also sometimes been a 'superdraw' with a much higher top prize, including one of £500,000. Halifax customers were today told the draw would be closing in a message sent out on the bank's messaging service. It said: 'Our Savers Prize Draw is coming to an end. Before it closes, you'll automatically be entered into the remaining prize draws if you qualify. 'We'll let winners know within one month of the draw taking place, so it's a good idea to make sure your contact details are up to date.' A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group told The Sun: "Our customers' expectations continue to change, and we are taking the opportunity to look at how we can reward customers in different ways in the future. "Our Savers' prize draw has made a huge difference to thousands of customers, with over £100million awarded since our first draw in 2011" The draw was popular because it gave people the chance of winning big money without the risk of losing anything, although the odds were unclear. It also meant missing out on savings accounts run by other banks with higher interest rates. Fresh wave of bank branches set to close for good in June If you like the idea of being in with a chance of winning a decent cash prize, without buying tickets, an alternative is buying Premium Bonds, which work in a similar way. Every £1 saved into Premium Bonds has a one in 22,000 chance of winning something, with the maximum prize being £1million every month. WHAT BANKS OFFER SIMILAR SERVICE There are plenty of other banks which offer similar services for customers. For example, the Association of British Credit Unions runs a PrizeSaver draw for customers. Credit unions are not-for-profit organisations offering local people or selected industries loans and savings accounts. You can take part if you're a member of a credit union linked to the scheme. Find out more about participating unions at You only need £1 to enter the draw and balances are capped at £200. Elsehwere, Kent Reliance runs a monthly prize draw for customers with savings of £100 or more, or with a mortgage account balance of £1,000 or more. It is one entry per person. If a joint account, then the first named account holder will be entered into the draw.
Scottish Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Halifax to axe key bank account perk for thousands of customers within days
Has your bank made any changes? We'd love to hear from you please email: money@ TAKE NOTE Halifax to axe key bank account perk for thousands of customers within days HALIFAX will axe a key bank account perk for thousands of customers within days, The Sun can reveal. The high street lender, part of Lloyds Banking Group, is getting rid of "Extras" for Rewards current account holders to make way for new changes. 1 The bank is getting rid of a rewards feature for customers Credit: Getty Currently, Halifax charges a £3 monthly fee to run this bank account and customers are given freebies in return for hitting certain targets. For example, customers can get £5 paid into their bank account or a free cinema ticket if they either spend £500 on their debit card each month or hold a balance of over £5,000. But the bank has plans to close down this service come September, meaning customers who meet these targets will no longer get a reward. To prepare for this, Halifax has told customers that from June 17 they will no longer be able to add Reward Extras to their account or renew an existing Reward Extras offer. It comes as part of a refresh of the banking offer, which will see new features added. This includes fee-free debit card spending abroad and a £100 interest free arranged overdraft to existing and new eligible Reward account customers. Rewards customers are currently charged a 2.99% fee for using their debit card abroad. That means customers are currently charged an extra £2.99 for using their debit card to pay £100 abroad. Halifax said it is waving the fee for Rewards users come August 1. Customers who meet the requirements will also be allowed to enter into a £100 overdraft and not face any interest. Fresh wave of bank branches set to close for good in June A Halifax spokesperson: 'We're updating the features on our Reward account, introducing fee-free debit card spending abroad, with more benefits to come later in the year.' All Reward customers should be aware of the changes from July, giving everyone at least two months' notice. If the service no longer feels right for holders, they can close the account and choose to bank elsewhere. It comes as Lloyds recently hiked the cost of its Club Lloyds account from £3 to £5. The packaged account provides extra benefits including a Disney plus subscription, cashback rewards, and access to linked savings accounts with preferential interest rates. OTHER BANK CHANGES This comes as the Co-operative Bank announced it would be increasing the monthly charge on its Everyday Extra package bank account in July. Currently, customers pay a monthly fee of £15, totalling £180 a year. But starting from July 1, this fee will increase to £18 a month—an extra £36 annually. Elsewhere, Skipton Building Society said that from June 9 a total of 92 types of savings accounts will have its interest lowered. The moves comes after rate-setters on the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee cut the base rate from 4.5% to 4.25%. Leeds Building Society said it will lower the interest on 58 of its saving accounts. That includes its Five Access Saver which will have its interest rates lowered from 3.77% AER to 3.55% come June 27.
Toronto Sun
28-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Nova Scotia RCMP confirm children were seen in public a day before they disappeared
Published May 28, 2025 • 1 minute read Lilly Sullivan, age 6, left, and Jack Sullivan, age 4. Photo by RCMP HALIFAX — RCMP in northeastern Nova Scotia confirmed today that two children who disappeared almost four weeks ago were last seen in public with family members on May 1, the day before they were reported missing. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The confirmation of their whereabouts on that day is important because police were previously told six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan were at school on April 29 and were kept home in rural Lansdowne Station, N.S., until they went missing on May 2. In a statement released today, the Mounties also said they are asking the public for more video footage from the area to help with their investigation. In particular, investigators are asking for dashcam footage or any other video from along Gairloch Road — where the family's home is located — recorded between noon on April 28 and noon of May 2. RCMP say investigators have already collected hours of video footage from local residents, some of whom have confirmed turning over recordings from motion-activated trail cameras. Extensive ground and air searches have covered more than five square kilometres of heavily wooded terrain. Police have repeatedly said there is no evidence to suggest the children were abducted. Canada Crime Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls
