Worth Your Satang

- Siam City Bank has extended the deadline for opening five-month timedeposit accounts and special 16-month fixeddeposit accounts to September 15 and September 30, respectively.

The five-month time deposit provides interest of 3.8 per cent per annum. Minimum and maximum deposit amounts have been set at Bt10,000 and Bt30 million, with each subsequent deposit required to be a minimum of Bt10,000.

The 16-month fixed deposit features a rising interest rate every four months until it reaches 5.5 per cent per annum. Interest for the first four months is 3 per cent per annum, rising to 3.5 per cent from the fifth to the eighth months, then 4 per cent from the ninth to the 12th months and finally 5.5 per cent from the 13th to the 16th months. The minimum deposit required is Bt10,000 per account, and the bank will automatically shift money in the 16month fixeddeposit account to a threemonth fixeddeposit account after the account's maturity comes due.

- The Government Housing Bank has raised the ceiling for its mortgages in its "GHB for First Home" programme from Bt600,000 to Bt1.5 million.

Under the loan scheme, the bank charges interest on the first Bt600,000 of the mortgage at 5.893 per cent per annum for the first seven years, or 5.913 per cent per year for the first 10 years and 0.5 per cent minus the bank's minimum retail rate (MRR) for the remaining period, president Khan Prachuabmoh said.

For amounts exceeding Bt600,000 but not more than Bt1.5 million, the bank charges a floating interest rate based on the MRR. The programme is exclusively for lowincome owners who have maximum income of Bt20,000 per household per month, and it must be their first home.

- Kasikorn Asset Management will launch an initial public offering of the Bt3.2billion Centara Hotels and Resorts Leasehold Property Fund from September 818. The fund will take a 30-year lease of the fivestar Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui, and rental revenue is guaranteed for the first four years, with a yield of 9 per cent per year on average.

Minimum investment for the fund is Bt10,000.

- ING Funds (Thailand) is until Monday offering the ING Thai MM 26 fixedincome fund, with an expected return of 3.65 per cent per annum. The fund, sized at Bt5 billion with a threemonth maturity, will invest in high quality bonds issued by foreign governments, state enterprises, financial institutions and corporations. An initial minimum purchase of Bt10,000 is required.

- Primavest Asset Management is unveiling a new foreigninvestment fund, 80 per cent of which will be invested in unit trusts of Allianz Global Investor's Choice Equity Fund and 20 per cent in debt instruments or financial institutions' deposits. An initial minimum purchase of Bt10,000 is required. The fund's initial public offering will run through September 17.

- Krung Thai Asset Management has launched two fixedincome funds. The Bt2billion KT3M47, which will invest in principalprotected debt instruments, including Thai government bonds, financial institutions' promissory notes and negotiable certificate deposits and deposits, has a threemonth lifetime.

The initial public offering (IPO) for the fund, expected to provide returns of 3.65 per cent, will run until Tuesday.

KTFIF6M15, with threemonth maturity, will invest in euro commercial paper (ECP) issued by leading financial institutions. Initially, the fund will focus on putting money into ECP issued by financial institutions in Australia and Europe, as well as South Korea and other Asian countries.

The fund is expected to yield 4.3 per cent per annum, and its IPO will be available until Wednesday.

- Prudential Life Assurance policyholders can now pay their premiums free of charge at more than 6,000 Counter Service locations nationwide, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

- Holders of Easy Buy's Umay Plus card can enjoy zero interest for 12 months when they buy copying machines during the "Kyocera Mita Power Shock Sale 2008" until October 31.