The financial emergency all of a sudden has baffled people across the globe who are now becoming extra cautious while saving money.

Although the warning stories of Bradford and Bingley, RBS and Lehmann Brothers might have us all quaking in our boots when it comes to investment funds and even the regular current bank account, now is not quite the time to return to the kind of activities usually perpetrated by gangster movies and start keeping your life savings shoved under your mattress in a shoebox. Whilst many of us don't care about gaining masses of interest on our bank balance, it does at least serve to keep your cash in a secure place.

The best advice is to shop around: either go online and do your research or, if you have time, visit local branches of all the main national banks, in order to decipher what type of account, and what type of bank, is going to give you the best returns and the most security. If you are over 21, perhaps recently graduated and are just beginning to earn properly, now might be a good time to think or switching out of your old student or graduate bank account, and move on to something which will allow you a higher rate of AER.

With this in mind, perhaps now is a good time to begin searching for the bank accounts which actually can assure security as well as the added bonus of high interest rates and gains. Whether you have been with the same high street branch for years, or if you have only just begun banking, there are different types of current accounts to suit you.

Take a look at some of the offers from high street names such as Alliance and Leicester, where you can pick up a Premier current account with between 8% and 12% AER, and even get one exclusively online. As long as you can guarantee at least 500 a month going in, you could be entitled to some extra savings with the PlusSaver system which could ensure a 4.50% gross AER additional benefit at the end of the year. Just be thankful that you are not the banker who has to battle with the markets everyday in order to keep you happy.