With only days to go before the launch of the tax-free Junior ISA, the Coalition's replacement for the Child Trust Fund, High Street banks seem completely underwhelmed.
RBS will have one available by the end of November. HSBC is "building" its version. Maybe it'll be ready by the end of the year.
Santander has nothing in place: it's "considering options". And Barclays has "nothing lined up".
Why? If these banks thought the product would be a big seller, you'd have thought they would have something in place for zero-hour.
So probably they don't think huge sums are likely to be invested.
Unlike Child Trust Funds, which were turbo-charged with £250 from the taxpayer, there is no free money on offer to tempt parents to open the new ISAs.
Of the big players, only Nationwide Building Society is a contender. Its Junior Cash ISA, on offer from 1st November, will pay 3% including a bonus for the first year.
UPDATE: Halifax
and Bank of Scotland say they will be offering a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA in November
2011, likely to be later in the month.
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