It’s interesting to really know your rights

Q. In 2002 I put $50,000 into a fixed interest account with the BNZ to mature in 2007.

The interest rate was good, or so it seemed, at 6 per cent. The problem is that I have belatedly discovered that interest is paid by multiplying the original sum by 6 per cent and then by five and paid in a lump sum at maturity.

As a result, the rate of interest on a compounded basis is a lot lower than 6 per cent and, in gross terms, I am nearly $2000 down on what I had anticipated.

Do banks have a requirement to present interest rates on a comparable basis or not?

Obviously the longer the term the worse the picture and the lower the true rate of interest quoted should be.

I appreciate there are tax considerations and, on a 39 per cent tax rate, the after-tax difference is less than $1000. But for low-rate taxpayers the impact would be large and, I feel, most unfair.

A. Too right.

And I think you are being generous to the bank. Your calculation that you are nearly $2000 down, before tax, assumes your interest could have been compounded each year.

If you use quarterly compounding, the difference is almost $2350.

To the BNZ's credit, though, spokesman Owen Gill said yesterday that it planned to remedy the situation. "We're working on isolating which customers are affected and trying to get in touch with them in the next couple of weeks."

I hope you're happier soon.

Other banks, however, also treat customers the way you were treated. 

In answer to your question about whether banks have to offer interest rates on a comparable basis, Graham Gill, of the Commerce Commission, says: "No.

"But they need to disclose how their interest rate is calculated. Under the Fair Trading Act, they couldn't provide information likely to mislead the customer."

He adds: "If the customer didn't ask, they might not have been misled."

Predictably, David Russell of the Consumers' Institute is stroppier. "They can be misleading by what they don't say as much as what they do say. If there's considerable significance and potential to mislead by not saying something, they may be caught under the Fair Trading Act."

Banks do have to give you an investment statement if you take out a term deposit, says Liam Mason, general counsel for the Securities Commission. And "investment statements can't be misleading or confusing".

But they don't have to be particularly specific.

"Because interest rates move, and banks do have different payment options, the investment statement will just have to say something along the lines of: 'Interest will be paid at the rate and frequency set out in the rate card or as agreed with our customer'."

The statement should describe how to find out interest rates. "That tends to be, 'talk to the bank staff'," says Mason.

Not everyone is hurt by infrequent compounding. If you are taking the interest out as it is paid, you are not affected.

And if you expect your tax rate to be lower at the end of the term - perhaps because you will be out of the workforce or retired - you might be better off with a term deposit that pays all interest at the end.

The same might also apply - especially to those in higher tax brackets - if the bank offers higher rates to those who receive all their interest at the end.

For everyone else, though, the more frequently you receive interest, the faster your money will grow.

What can people do about the situation?

* If you've already got a long-term deposit on which interest is not compounding frequently, and you're with the BNZ, wait to be contacted soon.

If you're with another bank, yell.

Banks have been known to change what they do - part way through an investment, mortgage or whatever - if they want to keep the customer happy.

Unsurprisingly, this is especially true for wealthier customers.

* Before getting a new term deposit, "The depositor should make an active choice of: (a) how often interest is credited and (b) how often it is paid out - subject of course to the options offered by the institution," says David Chaston of JDJL.

To find out who offers what, check out JDJL's website, www.interest.co.nz, and www.goodreturns.co.nz.

The two sites use different formats and suit different people.

From next Monday, www.interest.co.nz will include information from most financial institutions on how often term deposit interest is credited and how often you can take the interest out.

If you want to make your own calculations for different interest rates and different compounding, you can use the compound interest calculator on www.moneychimp.com.

Here's how to allow for resident withholding tax: if in the 19.5 per cent tax bracket (taxable income of less than $38,000), multiply your interest rate by 0.805, and use that rate in the calculator.

For those in the 33 per cent bracket (taxable income of $38,000 to $60,000), multiply your interest rate by 0.67. Those in the 39 per cent bracket should multiply their interest rate by 0.61.

Too hard? Basically, you want high interest and frequent compounding - while being aware that finance companies tend to pay higher interest but are riskier.

If all else fails, you can always invest for short periods and then reinvest your principal and interest. That way, you will get compounding.

Note, though, that you may receive lower interest for tying up your money for shorter periods, which might have the effect of offsetting any advantage.

* Lobby the banks to get them to change their default policies.

"In my opinion," says Chaston, "the bank default policies should be changed to where the arrangements are for interest to be credited on the most frequent option offered, and paid at the end of the agreed term."