A round-up of today's other stores in brief.

Banks declare better interest rates for savers

Competition between AIB and Anglo Irish Bank on fixed-term deposit accounts has led to the introduction of better deals for savers.

On Monday, AIB launched a market-leading rate of 8.35 per cent on two-year fixed-term deposits, for savers with a lump sum of between €6,000 and €50,000. The offer is open until March 7th.

Two days later, Anglo introduced a two-year fixed- term deposit rate of 8.8 per cent for new customers. Customers can access 10 per cent of their funds during the term. The rate is available until February 28th and applies to sums of €1,000-€1 million.

For equity-linked accounts, AIB said it would pay the first monthly premium of up to €1,000 for customers who take out a versatile investment plan, or up to €599 for those who start a savings incentive plan before March 30th.

Big increase in bridal borrowings

Young brides borrowed 38 per cent more to fund their wedding last year than they did in 2005, with the average Irish wedding estimated to cost more than €30,000, according to loan provider GE Money.

On average, people borrowing to pay for a wedding took out €12,400, 26 per cent more than 2005. Among women in their 20s, the increase was 38 per cent.

Growth fund shifts out of construction

Gartmore's Irish growth fund has shifted away from the construction sector in favour of airlines and food- related stocks.

Last autumn, close to 20 per cent of Gartmore's portfolio was invested in construction companies Kingspan, CRH and Grafton Group. Details of the portfolio's current composition reveal that these companies have been dropped from the fund's 10 largest holdings.

Fund manager Gervaise Williams said the reduced exposure to construction did not reflect a negative outlook for that sector.

The Irish airline industry is now heavily favoured by the fund due to the limited supply of short-haul aircraft in Europe. Food stocks are favoured for their low market valuations.

Farmers using land value to invest

More farmers are seeking to use the value of their land assets to increase their personal wealth, according to a survey by business and property consultants Farrelly and Mitchell.

Nearly 60 per cent of the 200 farmers surveyed said the intended to use the value locked up in their land to secure borrowings for off- farm investments in the next 12 months. More than half intend to invest more than €100,000.

North rental boom 'may have peaked'

The buy-to-let boom in Northern Ireland may have reached its peak following a 120 per cent increase in the size of its private rented accommodation sector over the past 15 years, according to a study led by housing expert Paddy Gray.

Many small-scale landlords are buying their way into the market, but half of these have loans worth 76 per cent or more of their properties, leaving them vulnerable to rate increases or vacant periods.