Online guarantee from Halifax

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

Halifax Bank is to offer customers who use its online banking facilities free anti-virus computer software and an anti-fraud guarantee. The move comes after Egg, the Internet bank owned by the Prudential, was a victim last week of an attempted cyberspace bank raid.

The anti-virus software, which would normally cost £20, will be made available to Halifax Online and Intelligent Finance customers along with ongoing anti-virus updates.

The Online Guarantee will be displayed on both the Halifax Online and Intelligent Finance web sites and will state that any loss from an account through fraud will be reimbursed in full.

The anti-virus package will be available from the end of September, either by downloading it from the Internet or by installing a CD-rom.

Intelligent Finance was due to be launched last month but was delayed by a technical glitch around how much capacity the service would be able to cope with.

On Friday Halifax said it had resolved the problem and would now try out the service first on staff before extending it to the general public. No date has been set for a public launch.

Intelligent Finance will offer savings, personal loans, mortgages, a current account and credit card. It will link up accounts or products to provide a better interest rate on savings or borrowings.

Halifax Online currently has 250,000 registered customers and offers sharedealing, savings, insurance, mortgage search facilities and applications for current accounts, loans, credit cards and travel insurance.

David Walkden, Halifax Online general manager, said: 'These initiatives mean that our customers will have the peace of mind of knowing that their own PCs are protected against any computer viruses as well as having the security if the Halifax Online Guarantee.'

Egg described the amount of money it lost in the 'bank raid' last week as 'minimal'.

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