How does the easy access online tracker work?
- The interest rate is variable and tracks at the fixed ‘margin’ below the Bank of England (BoE) base rate. Today’s BoE base rate is 4.50% and you can monitor the latest base rate on its website at bankofengland.co.uk.
- On balances of £20,000 and over, you’ll earn interest on the whole balance.
- If your balance is under £20,000 at any time you will not earn interest.
- Interest is calculated daily and paid on the anniversary of the date you met the £20,000 minimum balance, and then annually after this – or on closure if that’s sooner.
- If the anniversary falls on a weekend or bank holiday your interest will be credited on the next working day.
AER means Annual Equivalent Rate, which illustrates what the interest would be if it was compounded annually.
Gross is the interest rate without the deduction of income tax. Interest is paid gross to your account.
Can HTB change the interest rate?
- The interest rate is variable, so it can change at any time.
- There are two types of variable rates, ‘managed’ and ‘tracker’. This is a tracker variable rate, which means it moves down and up in line with the Bank of England base rate.
- If the base rate changes, the new interest rate on your account will apply without notice, no more than 5 business days following a change in the base rate.
- On balances of £20,000 and over, you’ll earn interest on the whole balance.
- If your balance is under £20,000 at any time you will not earn interest.
- This interest rate on this account will never drop below 0.00%.
- We may vary the margin:
- If we increase the margin (decrease your rate) you will be given at least 14 days’ notice before the change comes into effect.
- If we reduce the margin (increase your rate), you will be given less notice.
What would the estimated balance be after 12 months based on a £20,000 deposit?
- £20,000 invested in this account would earn £880.00 interest by the end of the term.
This is for illustrative purposes only and assumes interest is paid and compounded annually and the Bank of England base rate, as mentioned above, remains unchanged during the 12 month period. The illustrative example does not consider withdrawals or the individual circumstances of a customer.
How do I open and manage the account?
- You can open an account by completing an application form on our website. We will complete some checks and let you know if we need anything else to help complete your application.
- This account is available to anyone aged 18 or over and a permanent resident in the United Kingdom.
- Once your account is open, you can manage it online through our online portal here, by secure message when logged in or by telephone on 020 7862 6222 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, excluding bank holidays).
- You can make payments into the account but will only start earning interest when the minimum balance is reached, after which you’ll earn interest on the whole balance.
- The minimum account balance to earn interest is £20,000.
- The maximum account balance is £1m, excluding interest earned.
- Unfunded accounts will be closed after 14 days.
Can I withdraw money?
- Yes − this is an online easy access account, so you can make an unlimited number of withdrawals online.
- Once closed, this account cannot be reinstated.
- Withdrawals made before 1pm on a working day will be paid the same day. For anything after 1pm this will be paid the next working day.
Additional information
- You won’t earn any interest until the account reaches the minimum balance, or if it drops below it in the future.
- All payments must be made to − and from − your nominated bank account or into another account with us.
- You can make as many payments into the account as you like up to the maximum balance.
- Payments received before 1pm on a working day will be paid the same day. For anything after 1pm this will be paid the next working day.
- If you are seeking certainty on an interest rate, have less than the minimum balance to invest or would prefer not to manage your account online, this account may not be the best option for you.
- We will not deduct tax from your interest. It is your responsibility to declare to HMRC any tax due on interest.
- Hampshire Trust Bank is an authorised deposit taker and your eligible deposits with us are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK’s deposit protection scheme, up to the applicable limit. The FSCS protects most depositors up to £85,000.
- Read our full terms and conditions here.