I dare say he was none too pleased at that but because we had set up his cover through the right

I dare say he was none too pleased at that, but because we had set up his cover through the right company and in the right way, he had a very substantial cheque in his hands in seven days."Although quotations will always need to be on an individual basis, the following gives some guidelines.The quotation for a house in London SW3 (Chelsea/Knightsbridge) worth pounds 1,000,000, with contents valued at pounds 300,000 - of which pounds 200,000 is antiques, furniture, jewellery and so on - would be pounds 5,677 - including pounds 50 excess - with a well-known composite insurer. The premium quoted by a specialist insurer identified by broker - no excess - would be pounds 2,920.Gauntlet Heritage can be contacted on 0171-490 4163, and RK Harrison on 0171-423 4400.. National Savings offer a wide range of schemes at good interest rates and are safe - you are banking with the British Government, which doesn't like to lose voters. But recent falls in interest rates offered by banks, building societies and insurance companies has allowed the Treasury to cut rates on national savings, too.

Capital Bonds - a five-year investment - can be bought with pounds 100 but you can hold up to pounds 250,000 worth. The interest rate on the latest issue (26 January) has been cut to 6.65 per cent, is paid gross but is not tax- free, so if you are a taxpayer, you have to pay tax on it. If you cash the bonds in during the first year, you receive no interest. The age for Pensioners Bonds has just been cut to 60, which brought in pounds 423m in December alone as the under-65s rushed to buy them. The minimum investment is pounds 500, the maximum pounds 20,000, and the current issue earns a guaranteed 7 per cent paid gross every month; however, if you are subject to tax, so is it.First option bonds pay a fixed annual interest rate after basic-rate tax has been deducted at source. The current rate, guaranteed for a year, is 6.25 per cent gross for up to pounds 20,000, which means you will receive 5 per cent net when the tax rate on interest drops to 20 per cent in April. You can invest from pounds 1,000 to pounds 250,000 in these.Income bonds cost pounds 2,000; you can invest up to pounds 250,000.

If you have less than pounds 25,000, the interest, paid gross but taxable, is now 6.25 per cent, and 6.5 per cent if you hold more. Rates will vary in line with base rate.Children's bonus bonds can be bought only by or for under-16s. They are for five years, and reinvestable, paying a guaranteed 6.75 per cent free of all tax.Basic NS certificates pay 5.35 per cent tax-free and are guaranteed if held for five years You can start with pounds 100 and go up to pounds 10,000. Index- linked certificates are much the same but pay interest tax-free at 2.5 per cent above the rate of inflation if held for five years.Investment accounts can be started with pounds 20 and pay 5 per cent gross (taxable) on less than pounds 500, 5.5 per cent on pounds 500-plus, and 5.75 per cent on pounds 25,000 or more, but a month's notice is needed to withdraw Maximum investment is pounds 100,000 per account. These rates change if the base rate does.Ordinary accounts start at pounds 10, and go up to pounds 10,000. You have instant access but earn only 1.75 per cent gross on less than pounds 500 and 2.75 gross on sums over that if the account has been going for a calendar year The first pounds 70 of annual interest is tax-free.. Clerical & Medical, the mutual insurance company that is seeking a buyer, is offering investors a chance to buy an endowment policy with a lump sum investment from pounds 4,000 upwards.

The offer is targeted at investors with maturing Tessas who think current interest rates are unattractive. Single- premium endowment policies are relatively rare, and offer a combination of investment growth and life assurance. National Counties Building Society, based in Epsom, has launched a new Visa card that combines no annual fee with an initial interest rate of 14.9 per cent until July, when it rises to 18.9 per cent. It also offers pounds 75,000 free travel insurance, full banking facilities, and membership of a wine club. Mortgage Express is launching a negative equity mortgage lending up to 130 per cent of the value of the property.

The interest rate varies from 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent above current base rates and falls through the range as the amount of negative equity is reduced. The amount of negative equity is recalculated every year as the loan is repaid and the value of the property itself is linked to the Halifax house price index. Regular repayers can also earn a performance bonus, reducing rates by a further 0.25 point.TSB is offering new fixed- rate mortgages on 95 per cent loans at 5.99 per cent for three years, five years at 7.45 per cent, (or 8.19 per cent for 100 per cent loans) or 10 years fixed at 8.45 per cent.. The announcement of the terms for the sale of the Ministry of Defence's housing stock has met strong criticism. Housing professionals and the Opposition claim the Government will obtain large capital receipts for use as pre-election tax handouts but will commit future administrations to higher ongoing revenue overheads for the lease-back of many of the homes. There are about 60,000 MoD married quarters on 800 sites within the sale, some in areas of high-value housing, including Westminster, but many in less sought-after areas, such as next to RAF bases in East Anglia. The largest concentration of service homes is in and around London.