Press Release

Moneyspider.com

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

30 July 2007

HIGH STREET HORROR FUNDS PLAGUE INVESTORS - MONEYSPIDER.COM RESEARCH REVEALS HOW BIG BANKS DELIVER GRIM RETURNS

-                        Abysmal performance by popular 'High Street' funds

-                        Abbey and NatWest top the horror ratings

-                        Household name no guarantee of top performance

-                        Smaller investment houses shine with consistently high fund ratings

BIG banks' fund groups let down investors as investment fund data analyst Moneyspider.com (www.moneyspider.com) unmasks the 'horrors of the High Street' - with a raft of shocking performances exposed.

As fall out from the US credit market continues to rock global indices, thousands of UK investors are likely to be particularly vulnerable, as the latest Moneyspider.com research unearths derisory results from unwieldy, juggernaut funds.

Moneyspider.com's ranking table issued today shows that High Street lenders running big selling funds are being completely outclassed by small, relatively unknown fund management houses.

NatWest and Abbey - two of the UK's biggest fund managers - have the unwelcome distinction of managing the lowest number of A and B rated funds*, meaning that investors are missing out on the opportunity to make decent profits from their funds.

Funds from Halifax and HSBC also belong to the chamber of horrors category.

"This research will come as a shock to the many private investors who have put their money into these big brand funds - and it highlights the dangers of simply relying on a well known name to deliver top returns," says Moneyspider.com's Tony Ahearne.

"Where investment is concerned, familiarity certainly doesn't breed content."

Leading the 'High Street horrors' table is Abbey, Just six of Abbey's 25 funds received a top A or B rating from Moneyspider.com.

"This means that only 24 per cent of all Abbey funds have A or B ratings - a fact which should ring alarm bells in investors' heads - especially given the volatility of the past few days," says Ahearne.

In stark comparison, over 90 per cent of niche manager First State Investments UK Ltd funds have top-class A and B ratings

Artemis Fund Managers comes second in the research table with 9 out of its 10 funds being A or B rated.Others in the top four include Rathbone Unit Trust Management and St James's Place.

"Many investors will be losing money hand over fist by staying in poorly performing funds - but a simple check by Moneyspider.com will deliver an instant analysis, updated daily, and will clearly pinpoint the top performers compared with the horrors," he adds.

"Keeping a close eye on your fund's performance is crucial to investing successfully as our research proves," adds Ahearne.

"In rapidly changing market conditions, as we are currently experiencing, knowing how a specific fund in which you are invested is performing and - equally important - how other funds compare, is simply good financial common sense."

'High Street Horrors' fund groups by percentage of Moneyspider-rated A and B funds: June 2007

Top-performing fund groups by percentage of Moneyspider-rated A and B funds

Source: Moneyspider.com/Financial Express 30.06.07

* To be eligible for inclusion in the Moneyspider.com table rankings, groups must have at least 10 funds.Of those 10 funds, each must have a performance history of at least one year.

- Ends-

Editor's notes

Moneyspider was launched in April 2004 and is a totally independent investment research and information company for private investors. Moneyspider constantly monitors all 2,000 or so funds available to UK investors and provides online personal reports that are updated on a daily basis showing current valuation and performance of all funds in one place.

The Moneyspider Rating® provides a unique assessment of the performance of each fund measured against four key parameters:

• Sector ranking: a comparison with all other funds in the same sector as your fund (based on the sector definitions used by the Investment Management Association).
  
• All funds ranking: a comparison with all other 2000 or so Unit Trusts and Open Ended Investment Company funds available to UK investors.
  
• FTSE 100: a comparison of the total return of the fund with the total return of the FTSE 100 index (comprising the UK's 100 largest companies), providing a consistent benchmark for each fund.
  
• Cash: a comparison of the fund's performance with the return from an equivalent amount deposited in a 90 day non-high interest access account.

Moneyspider is an appointed representative of Anthony, Bryant & Company (Investment Consultants) Limited of 25 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1NS, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The contents of this press release are not intended, and should not be construed as, advice, a recommendation or as an inducement to buy or sell any investment. Moneyspider relies on information regarding investments that is provided by third parties and accepts no liability (including that arising from negligence) for the accuracy of such information.