When looking at moving in or out of equities or deposit accounts, the first question to ask is of course whether such a switch is allowed.

EBS, for example, is one of the few institutions that allows both kinds of switches (into deposit from equity and into equity from deposit), with other providers only permitting one-way switches.

Figures from the building society show that the vast majority of customers looking to tweak their SSIAs last year were more interested in getting into deposit-based SSIAs than their equity sisters.

A spokesman for EBS said 318 people elected to move into equity-based accounts and out of deposit in 2003.

Almost three times as many customers sought to do the opposite, with 902 people taking this option, whether because they wanted to lock in their equity gains or because they could simply no longer stomach the stock-market roller-coaster. Both switches are free.

At AIB, a switch from deposit to the equity-based alternative is impossible. The bank says it does not offer the facility "for technical reasons".

In any case, there have not been many requests to make this switch, according to an AIB spokeswoman.

Switching from equities into deposits is possible, although again requests to do so came from a "very small number" of customers", according to the spokeswoman.

The bank did not quantify this small number but said it represented less than 0.5 per cent of its total SSIA client base. AIB does not charge for this facility.

The percentage of customers seeking to transfer out of Irish Life's equity SSIAs into the deposit alternatives of its sister institution, Permanent TSB, was slightly higher, at 1 per cent of customers or 630 individuals.

Again, the switch was free, with moving in the opposite direction not an option at the two companies.

Bank of Ireland does not offer deposit-to-equity switches either, but reports between 550 and 600 switches in the other direction last year.

Again, such changes are free.