Record low interest rates and multi-billion-pound emergency support measures from the Bank of England are costing savers nearly £18 billion a year, research showed today.
Banks will be forced to ring-fence savers' cash from their risky casino-style investment arms to protect deposits and avoid a run like that which brought down Northern Rock in 2007.
Nationwide savings customers should sign up to a free service to make sure they're alerted when their rate drops, or in the less likely event the building society boosts returns.
It is now just over a year since the Government's National Savings & Investments (NS&I) bank launched the latest batch of its popular inflation-beating, tax-free accounts, meaning many customers can now withdraw their cash virtually penalty-free.
Banks will be made to display clearer information online and in branches on how much compensation savers could claim if their provider went bust. However, the new rules stop short of forcing banks to include the information on statements.