Savings

If you've taken advantage of your tax-free ISA allowance every year since the accounts were introduced in 1999, you should check how much you've saved as you may now have breached the UK's £85,000 safe savings limit.

Banks that pay ultra-low interest rates on savings accounts because customers tend not to switch away may face a crackdown from the industry watchdog.

ISAs transform into NISAs (New ISAs) today, meaning everyone can now put £15,000 into cash or shares savings without paying tax on it.

16 and 17-year-olds can save up to £19,000 tax-free this year under today's ISA revamp, meaning they could net £100s in interest if they put the maximum amount away.

Plans for giant "pooled" pension schemes which could boost people's chances of getting a better retirement income have been unveiled in the Queen's Speech, while a 5p charge for plastic bags will also be introduced in England.

If you opened a Santander Direct ISA Saver last year, check your rate now. If you haven't upgraded, it could now be paying as little as 0.5%.

Borrowers can now get 18 months interest-free spending for a year and a half, plus up to 3% cashback with Santander's new 123 credit card deal.

Pensioners will be able to buy top-ups of as much as £25 in extra state pension per week from autumn next year under Government plans.

Savers can get up to 2.75% tax-free interest on cash put into an ISA. But with the deadline looming you need to use your ISA allowance now or you'll lose it.