In short

Today's other personal finance stories in brief

Ethical stocks in UK valued at over £6bn

Ethical investment is more popular in the UK than ever before, according to new figures from Ethical Investment Research Services (Eiris).

Eiris said the £6.1 billion (€8.9 billion) in ethical retail funds in the UK represented about half a million separate accounts.

This is up from around 137,000 accounts in 1997, when less than £1.5 billion was invested.

Investors' concerns have evolved, according to Ted Scott, manager of the F&C Stewardship Growth and Income funds.

"Our investors are also becoming increasingly aware of evolving problems such as sweatshops in emerging markets, childhood obesity and climate change," he said.

In Ireland, Friends First, Hibernian and Dolmen Stockbrokers offer funds where ethical or socially responsible criteria are used for selecting stocks.

Hibernian agrees deal with An Post

Hibernian Insurance has reached an agreement with An Post that allows its home insurance customers to access the An Post mailminder service free for one month.

Hibernian, which insures one in three homes in Ireland, said that burglaries were the third most frequent source of claims and the most expensive claims to settle.

The mailminder service solves the problem of post building up while customers are away, which is a signal to burglars that the house is unattended, by suspending mail delivery for a specified time.

New Anglo offer guarantees capital

Anglo Irish Bank has launched a new investment product that gives capital protection over a three-and-a-half year term.

The Capital Plus Account gives a minimum gross return at maturity of 4.5 per cent, which is equal to a compound annual return of 1.25 per cent.

It also offers the possibility of further returns based on the performances of European property companies and high-dividend stocks.

The bank said it had seen strong demand for exposure to property-related returns without any downside risk to clients' funds.