Northern Rock plc Launches New Savings Website

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, England, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Rock plc has launched a new interactive savings website to make it easier for customers to find a Northern Rock savings product from the competitive range available.

The new savings (http://www.northernrock.co.uk/savings/) website follows the introduction of Northern Rock's award-winning Mortgages website, which was launched in April 2010.

The new site offers helpful advice and practical information, as well as full details on Northern Rock's savings products.

For those customers thinking about investing their savings, at-a-glance guides are available to help them choose which savings product, such as savings accounts or an ISA (http://www.northernrock.co.uk/savings/Learn/ISAs/ ); best suits their needs; whether they're new to Northern Rock or an existing Northern Rock customer. For those customers who are not sure which savings product they wish to use there is an in depth learning section explaining what Northern Rock's products are all about, and offering helpful advice and practical information. Customers will also be able to make use of a budget planner to help them plan their finances.

For those looking more closely into applying for a savings product, such as a Cash ISA (http://www.northernrock.co.uk/savings/Learn/ISAs/), the new website contains information about Northern Rock's entire suite of savings accounts (http://www.northernrock.co.uk/savings/) and a selector tool to help narrow down and filter their selection as well as a range of tools which help customers cut through the jargon. Customers will also have the option of being able to use a product calculator for each of Northern Rock's products to help work out their estimated return on investment.

Northern Rock has also made it easier for its existing customers to find their existing accounts and any supporting information they might need to manage them.

Customers can now select a suitable savings product, which they can save and come back to at a later date, or begin their application online. Or if they feel they need further information, customers can call the dedicated Northern Rock savings team at their UK based contact centre to find out more.

Andy Tate, customer and commercial director at Northern Rock said: "The new website is a fantastic tool, developed for our customers, with the aim of improving the whole process of evaluating and applying for a savings product.

"Research has shown that 66% of people looking for a savings product don't finalise opening an account for a number of reasons, such as not having a working printer or not posting their application.

"We've listened to our customers to find out what they are looking for on their savings journey, whether it be browsing or buying, and have created a platform where they can search for savings products based on their individual circumstances.

"We feel the new savings website will significantly improve the savings journey for our customers."

About Northern Rock:

Northern Rock plc is a new bank, authorised by the FSA as a deposit taker and mortgage lender from 1 January 2010. It offers savings accounts to customers in the UK and Ireland and mortgages to UK borrowers. The Northern Rock website also offers a mortgages calculator, which allows customers to easily find the mortgage that best suits their needs. New products are offered through both direct channels - including a national branch network - and mortgage intermediaries.

Northern Rock continues to operate within the compensatory measures agreed with the EC as part of the State Aid approval announced in October 2009.

    
    Media Contact:
    Jule Wilson
    Northern Rock House
    Gosforth
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE3 4PL
    +44(0)191-279-4676
    http://www.northernrock.co.uk