A round-upof other stories in brief.
Borrowers 'don't know interest rate'
Half of mortgage holders do not know what interest rate they are paying, a survey conducted on behalf of broker firm Blue Sky Mortgages has found.
The TNS mrbi survey asked 1,000 mortgage holders what was stopping them from seeking out the best deal. Some 17 per cent said they did not have the time to look around and 12 per cent had no interest in shopping around, while 62 per cent believed they had a good deal already.
Blue Sky Mortgages chief executive Ronan Morris said he believed there was a lot of inertia among consumers.
He encouraged borrowers to find out what rate they were on and check it against "best buy" mortgage tables in newspapers.
"Lenders want to hold on to their customers and will very often reduce the rate if it is requested."
TSB gives discount on 'green' loans
Homeowners who want to borrow money to make environmentally friendly improvements to their properties will be given a 1 per cent discount on personal loans by Permanent TSB as part of a new "green loan" scheme.
Loans will be available from a rate of 7.2 per cent to customers putting in insulation, double or triple glazing, solar energy systems, energy-efficient boilers or heaters, heat pumps, wind turbines and greenhouses.
"This scheme is an incentive for people to act sooner rather than later on an energy conservation idea they wish to implement," said the lender's head of marketing, Niall O'Grady.
The bank has set aside €10 million to test customer appetite for green lending policies. The minimum loan is €5,000 and the maximum is €35,000.
AIB offers online car insurance
AIB has launched an online car insurance product in association with Hibernian General Insurance. Discounts will be available to customers who apply for motor insurance via the AIB website.
The policy includes windscreen cover, breakdown assistance and replacement car cover.
Exhibition for first-time buyers
An exhibition aimed at first-time buyers takes place at Leisureland, Salthill, Galway, this Saturday and Sunday, and at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Little Island, Cork on March 10th and 11th.
It will feature information from estate agents, solicitors, builders, interior designers and advice organisations. The Affordable Homes Partnership, the financial regulator and the Consumers' Association will have stands there. See www.firsttimebuyersshow. ie for tickets.
NIB announces charity bond
National Irish Bank (NIB) has launched a new charity bond with a one-year fixed term and a capital guarantee. It will have a fixed rate of 3.55 per cent, with interest paid on maturity.
The minimum investment is €2,500 and the maximum is €650,000.
For every investment, NIB will donate €6 to the Marie Keating Foundation.
Two new funds at RaboDirect
RaboDirect has introduced two new investment funds on its Irish website aimed at people who want to invest in emerging markets.
RaboDirect general manager Greg McAweeney said the Blackrock Merrill Lynch India fund and the Robeco Chinese Equities funds had been added to reflect demand for funds investing in the fast-developing Chinese and Indian economies.
As with all RaboDirect funds, the minimum investment is €100. The annual management fee on the fund is 1.5 per cent and there are entry and exit charges of 0.75 per cent.
