Best Life Insurance Provider – The Post Office

Best Online Life Insurance Provider – Marks & Spencer Money

Best Savings Account Provider – Birmingham Midshires

Best Online Savings Account Provider – Birmingham Midshires

Best Banking Provider - Halifax

Best Online Banking Provider - First Direct

Best Personal Loan Provider - Tesco Personal Finance

Best Online Personal Loan Provider – Nationwide

Best Credit Card Provider - Marks & Spencer Money

Best Online Credit Card Provider – Sainsbury’s Finance

Best Travel Insurance Provider – LV=

Best Online Travel Insurance Provider – Direct Line

Best Pet Insurance Provider – The Post Office

Best Online Pet Insurance Provider - Churchill

Best Motor Insurance Provider – The Co-operative Insurance

Best Online Motor Insurance Provider – Swiftcover.com

Best ISA Provider – Barclays

Best Online ISA Provider – First Direct

Best Breakdown Cover Provider – Green Flag

Best Online Breakdown Cover Provider – Tesco Personal Finance

Best Share Dealing Provider – TD Waterhouse

Best Online Share Dealing Provider - TD Waterhouse

Best Student Banking Provider - Halifax

Best Online Student Banking Provider - NatWest

Best Children’s Savings Account Provider – Leeds Building Society

Best Online Children’s Savings Account Provider – Nationwide

Best Home & Contents Insurance Provider – Sainsbury’s Finance

Best Online Home & Contents Insurance Provider – More Th>n

Best Private Medical Insurance Provider – AXA PPP Healthcare

Best Mortgage Provider - Abbey

Best Online Mortgage Provider – Woolwich, mortgages from Barclays

Best National Branch Network – NatWest

Best Regional Branch Network – Norwich & Peterborough Building Society

Best Overall Direct Provider – The Post Office

Best Overall Online Provider – Nationwide

Best Wedding Insurance Provider – Marks & Spencer Money

Best Online Wedding Insurance Provider – Marks & Spencer Money

However, the drop in the number of surveyors reporting price rises in the second quarter suggests that the rebound in other investment markets may be having an effect on sentiment says the latest arts and antiques survey published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

The number of surveyors reporting rising prices in all lots fell back to 7% from 19% in Q1, but remains in positive territory.

Contemporary art again saw the largest price falls and across all price brackets: 24% more surveyors reported a fall than a rise in prices of contemporary art with 33% more surveyors saying prices are dropping in the £5,000 to £50,000 tier.

In contrast to the contemporary arts market, the oil and watercolour sub-sector is still fairing well, recording a positive net balance overall of 5%, driven by positive results in the middle and top end of the market.

Meanwhile silverware, militaria and jewellery were the strongest sectors. Prices rose across the board in each of these categories with 39% more surveyors reporting a rise than a fall in silver, 32% more reporting a rise than a fall in militaria and 26% in jewellery.

The outlook for Q3 remains positive with demand expected to continue to grow. Two fifths more surveyors see demand rising rather than falling up from 39% in Q1. At the same time the number of surveyors expecting supply to increase has dropped back, although it is still positive.

RICS spokesperson Andrew Davies said: “It is clear that some sectors of the arts and antiques market are fairing better than others at the moment with the traditional ‘safe havens’ of jewellery and silverware still attracting the more cautious investor. However, with a more positive flow of news coming from the stock market and the housing market in recent months, we have seen a slight decrease in those wanting to invest at the top end as they switch back to more traditional forms of investment.

“The outlook for arts and antiques remains positive in the near-term as demand is strong and looks set to stay so.”

The findings reveal that the average earning expectations of 16-21 year old men is £44,600 in ten years time with the average earning expectations of young women being £34,800.

Young males expect to be earning £10,000 more than their female counterparts expect to earn in 10 years time. More than seven in 10 (71%) of 16 to 21 year olds still expect to get on the property ladder by the time they reach 30, compared to 72% two years ago.

More than 30% expect to be debt free before they are 34 years old compared to 32% two years ago. Over a quarter (27%) believe employers are more interested in experience than qualifications, with 15% believing employers prefer qualifications.

Andy Bayes, head of Abbey and Alliance & Leicester current accounts, said: “With so many young people looking to maintain their financial and lifestyle aspirations during these tough economic conditions, it is essential that those looking to start their career have access to good sources of advice, information and inspiration.”

The comparison site is challenging all savers in the UK to call their banks this week and check their savings rate.

Millions of savers have money languishing in accounts paying dismal rates, with some discontinued accounts (accounts no longer offered to new customers but kept running for existing ones) paying as little as 0.25% AER.

A five minute phone call could potentially boost their savings interest by £200 per year if they end up moving their money to a higher paying account (perhaps with another provider) - it could be the best paid five minute call they’ll ever make.

Research by Moneysupermarket has found that 31% of all savers have never even checked their savings rate and could be earning practically nothing on their hard earned cash. Nearly half of all savers have never changed their saving account. Of these, 48% have held their account for over a year so the rate will probably be significantly lower than when they opened their account - something they may not be aware of.

Kevin Mountford, head of savings at Moneysupermarket, said: “Many people stick with the same bank for a lifetime, and our findings show a third of savers opened their account over 10 years ago. But when it comes to savings this could be a big mistake.

“We are calling on everybody who is at all unsure about the return they are getting on their savings to contact their bank this week and check their savings rate directly. When times are tough, a simple action like checking the interest rate on your savings can pay dividends.”

Half of Brits who have checked the interest rate since taking out their account have been disappointed to see it has gone down. However, even this has not been enough to shake them out of their apathy - with just a quarter having switched savings accounts to get a better interest rate in the last year.

Mountford continued: “The banks seem reluctant to make it easy for customers to know when the rate has dropped. The changes may be there in the small print, but as a quarter of savers only skim read the terms and conditions from their bank, and 15% read nothing at all, most will miss these all important announcements - something the banks no doubt rely on.

“Consumers need to take responsibility for checking rates either by reading statements clearly, or using their initiative to call their providers. For those with money in poor-paying accounts a quick phone call could be all it takes to find out your rate, and then visit Moneysupermarket to see how it compares to the best deals currently available. You should then move your savings and make your money work much harder for you.”

There has been a significant shift in Britons’ saving behaviour as taking that first step onto the property ladder becomes priority, according to Birmingham Midshires.

Over the past six months young savers are starting to become more realistic about their future as the percentage of savers saving for ‘nothing in particular’ has fallen by 2%, showing they are now become more goal orientated.

Climbing onto the property ladder is now the main focus, with a quarter of savers aged 25 to 34 now saving for a property, compared with a fifth in July 2008.

Further research also shows that one in 10 British savers aged 35 to 44 are now saving for a deposit on a house, compared with 8% seven months ago. Although London is traditionally the home for those saving for a deposit, property markets in East Anglia and Wales stand to benefit from the new age saver. The percentage of people in Wales now saving for this particular goal has increased from six to 16% since July 2008.

Yet this is not the only big-ticket purchase that is inspiring young Britons to save. Financial circumstance are now influencing the likelihood of weddings as the percentage of people aged 25 to 34 saving for that special day has increased by 4% to 10%.

Tim Hague, director of savings at Birmingham Midshire, said: “This research shows a change in the mindset of Britons over the last seven months. One positive thing to come out of the current financial uncertainty may be a renewed understanding of the importance of saving money in advance of making big purchases. The need for people to prepare for their financial future is increasingly important.”

The survey reveals over 10 million adults intend to use their credit card in the first part of the year for daily purchases such as grocery shopping, reflecting the extent to which the credit crunch has impacted on people’s finances over the last year.

The research shows that 2.6 million people intend to spend even more on their credit cards than last year, with an average spend in January of £318. The trend of relying on credit to fund day-to-day spending is not unique to one particular social group and is affecting credit card holders across the UK.

Worryingly, the trend looks set to continue, with 4.1 million card holders planning to spend less on each purchase but use their cards more frequently for general living costs throughout the whole of 2009.

Post Office head of lending Az Alibhai said: “In the current climate, many people have little choice but to rely on their credit cards to fund more expensive purchases. However, what is worrying, is the trend for people to continue to rely on their cards for basic day-to-day purchases, which could be expensive if you only pay off the minimum amount on your credit card each month and have a high rate of interest.”

But it has also prompted one in five couples to talk more openly about their finances. This willingness to talk openly about money will almost certainly help the one in 10 couples who have seen the main breadwinner in their relationship change in the last twelve months.

Almost two-thirds of these couples have seen the main breadwinner change because one of them has either lost their job or had a pay cut, while over 39% have switched places following a new job, promotion or pay rise.

Carl Scheible, managing director of PayPal UK, said: “As the recession becomes reality, British couples are facing new challenges within their relationships. It’s good to see that difficult times are prompting us to talk about money, as it’s far easier to cope with financial worries when we’re open with each other about them.”

It could be argued there has never been a more important time to put money aside to help people prepare for an uncertain future which is why these results are a particular concern.

The research also revealed 46% of consumers save regularly, 31% save occasionally and 23% save nothing at all. Only a quarter of consumers think they save what they need to, with 60% admitting a shortfall.

Andy McQueen, savings director at Nationwide, said: “We are concerned about the number of consumers who are not saving at the moment, as a proportion think that now is a bad time to save. We understand that as household finances are stretched, saving can be a challenge but it’s never been more important to build up savings to act as a buffer in uncertain times.

“We think consumers may find it easier to save if they first considered the type of saver they think they are so they can create a savings plan that works for them and choose an account that’s right for their needs. Interest rates are lower than we have seen in the last few years, but it’s still just as important for people to regularly put money aside for a rainy day.”

The Building Societies Association has urged the Bank of England not to reduce its rate any further as recent swinging cuts are hurting savers.

Adrian Coles, director general of the BSA, said the cuts in interest rates, which have fallen rapidly from 5% at the beginning of October, had had a severe impact on savers.

He said: “The reductions, from 5.75pc prior to the run on Northern Rock in 2007 to 1.5pc, have seen incomes from savings drop by almost 75pc, although the full impact of the base rate cuts has not actually been passed on to many savers.”

The BSA, whose members account for more than a fifth of all mortgage lending and more than a fifth of all savings accounts, also pointed out that a rate cut would mean trouble for pensioners dependent on their interest income from their savings rather than their pension.

Mr Coles said: “Prices would have to fall by an unimaginable 75% for pensioners just to maintain their basic living standards.”

Falling interest rates have benefited borrowers with variable-rate mortgages, but the BSA said research had shown that mortgage availability was now a greater concern to borrowers than costs.

Typically, lenders favour lower interest rates as they make it cheaper to borrow and stimulate house buying. But Coles said the difficulty of saving a large enough deposit and obtaining a mortgage was now far more of a problem for potential house buyers than the cost of repaying the interest on their loans.

He said: “Mortgage availability, rather than the cost of mortgages, has become a more pressing issue over the past few months. This suggests that what is important to potential borrowers is maintaining the flow of mortgage funds to the market rather than reducing interest rates further.

“We need to ensure that those with at least some capacity to supply funds for mortgage lending – personal savers – are encouraged to do just that.”