Cover aims to put women back in the pink

Sheila's wheels, the company that specialises in insuring women drivers, is extending its range to include home insurance. Sheilas' Wheels says the policy includes features that will appeal specifically to women homeowners, such as new-for-old cover on clothes and alternative accommodation if supplies of water, gas and electricity are lost (although Cash is not sure why men would be any happier to live in houses without utilities).

It also offers free online access to CreditExpert's identity fraud detection and assistance service (worth £80 a year), which helps identity-fraud victims to restore their credit rating. And there is a 15 per cent discount on buildings and content cover if purchased online at www.sheilaswheels.com.

Online policyholders also benefit from one year's free family legal protection, which includes legal representation for the policyholder's offspring if they do not gain entry to the school of their choice. The policy also gives assistance in finding emergency registered childminders while a policyholder is attending jury service.

Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for Sheilas' Wheels, says: 'We've made sure that we know what women want when it comes to home insurance and understand the concerns and priorities of today's modern woman, whether they're single, a wife, a partner or a mother.'

Log on to trace your lost cash - or let it go to charity

A website connecting people with 'lost' bank and building society accounts was launched last week. Mylostaccount.org.uk brings together the three existing schemes run by the banks, building societies and National Savings & Investments to help people trace money that has been lying dormant for years.

An estimated £500m or more is unclaimed, largely because it is lying in forgotten childhood accounts or in accounts overlooked by executors when someone dies, or because of people failing to update their details when they move house.

The website can be used by either an account holder or a nominated representative, and claims will be dealt with within three months. You need to put in as much information as you have available, including married and maiden names and previous addresses.

'It [Mylostaccount.org.uk] is a key part of the industry's commitment to make further steps toward uniting customers with their money in advance of the statute-backed unclaimed assets scheme,' says Angela Knight, chief executive of the British Bankers' Association.

Unclaimed assets are defined as money that has not been accessed for at least 15 years. Next year a government-backed scheme will come into effect, and such money will be transferred for use in community causes.

N&P aims to make saving a family affair

Families with children under 18 can put their savings in a specific 'family saver' from Norwich & Peterborough (N&P) building society.

Its range of new family-oriented accounts includes an easy access account for day-to-day savings for parents, paying 4.75 per cent interest; a fixed, high-earning 8 per cent family regular saver; and a young saver account with a variable rate of 5.8 per cent for children and teenagers who want to open an account in their own name.

All the family accounts require a minimum opening deposit of only £1. You can put a maximum of £250 a month into the regular saver account. There are no penalties for withdrawing money on the easy-access accounts and all can be operated by telephone [phone]), online (familieslovenpbs.co.uk) or by visiting a branch.

'Families are increasingly hard-hit by the rising cost of day-to-day bills,' says Gary Lacey of N&P. 'Many accounts aren't tailored to help families, as they tend to be restricted or have a relatively high minimum investment. These products will help their money work harder.'

According to Rachel Thrussell, head of savings at Moneyfacts, N&P's family accounts offer some of the best 'no-strings-attached' rates. 'Very few institutions offer savings accounts designed to meet the specific requirements of families with dependent children, so it is really refreshing to see this,' she said.