Abbey's Curate's Easter Egg

Abbey's Curate's Easter Egg

Abbey has presented its with profits policy holders with something of a curate's egg for Easter.

Despite benefiting from improved investment performance on with profits funds, Abbey will pay no annual bonuses on Scottish Provident, Abbey National Life and Scottish Mutual policies.

How nice of them!

However, they are going to reduce Market Value Reductions (MVR's), the penalties for early surrender, for some policyholders and reintroduce terminal bonuses on some long-term policies.

Abbey's Scottish Provident fund had a return of 10.5% last year, with Abbey National Life and Scottish Mutual showing 9.5% for the same period.

MVR's have been reduced by 6%. As noted, there are no annual bonuses declared for 2004, except where the policies carry guaranteed bonuses.

Scottish Mutual's traditional 25 year maturing endowments now pay a terminal bonus of 30%, an increase of 5%. The 15 year policies now receive a 5% terminal bonus, no change on the previous period.

Abbey National Life 10 year pension plans receive a 5% terminal bonus, introduced for single premium policies, and 1% for regular premiums. Scottish Provident?s 20 year endowment terminal bonus goes up from 0% to 7%.

These "improvements" are on the backs of large cuts in the past. So don't bother getting the champagne out!

At this rate, if MVR's continue to decline, investors will at least be able to take their money out and put it somewhere more useful instead.

At the end of the day endowment policy holders are being screwed left, right and centre!