What kinds of bank accounts are offered by the banks in your country?
2. What is a mortgage? How do people usually arrange and repay their mortgages?
3. Do you think bank customers are happy with the way their bank accounts and mortgage accounts are handled? What could be done to improve the system?
Reading tasks
A. Understanding main points
Mark these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text. Find the part of the text that gives the correct information.
The One account...
1. combines savings and debts in the same account. 2. cuts the cost of borrowing. 3. pays higher interest than other accounts. 4. provides you with a chequebook and bank cards. 5. limits the number of withdrawals you can make. 6. offers you an agreed overdraft facility of thousands of pounds. 7. requires you to pay your salary into it. 8. requires that you pay off your mortgage in fixed regular instalments. 9. sets a fixed term for your mortgage repayment. 10. allows you to pay off your mortgage whenever you want. 11. is only offered to married couples. 12. calculates interest on a daily basis.
B. Understanding details
A potential customer asks questions about the One account. Find the answers.
1. My house is valued at £50,000. Can I borrow £60,000?
2. My house is valued at £50,000. I need an 80% mortgage. Can I borrow an extra £10,000?
3. I plan to retire in 20 years. Can I have 25 years to pay off my mortgage?
4. I want to pay off some of the capital on my mortgage early. Do you make a charge for this?
5. I want to pay off some of the capital on my mortgage early. Will you credit the repayments immediately?
6. If interest rates go up, does that mean I'll have to pay more?