Know your rights

As a saver you are protected by governmental statutes. Be aware of the following information, read the small print of your financial institution and clear your doubts directly with your provider.
Banking Codes
Banks and Building Societies follow  voluntary Banking Codes that follow standards of good banking practices to establish a fair relationship with their customers. They agree to clearly provide all the necessary information to choose and run an account. Codes also allow competition and market forces to work together to encourage more customer beneficial practices. You can obtain copies of the Banking Code from your financial institution’s branches or web site. Bare in mind that the Financial Service Authority (FSA) is not responsible for Banking Code enforcement. 
Compensation
If your financial institution collapses you will be partially protected by the Finacial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). It was created in 2001 to replace other existing protection schemes, and was introduced to protect customers of firms when they go out of business or into liquidation. Usually, compensation covers 100 per cent of the first ₤2000 and 90 per cent of the next ₤33,000. The maximum possible compensation is ₤37,000. The limits of your compensation apply to your individual circumstances relative to all deposits you hold with that institution. In the case of joint accounts, the FSCS would evenly split the deposit and proportionally grant compensation to both individuals.
ISA’s
Opening an ISA allows you the same rights as in bank and savings accounts (for cash ISA’s), investments (for life insurance) and gilts (for stocks and shares).  Your ISA should be run by a manager, who is authorized by Inland Revenue to deal with the various financial entities and unfortunately you need to pay. You are allowed to transfer your ISA to another run by a different manager if he/she accepts, but there are some charges involved. You cannot transfer your ISA to another with a different component. Shortly before the start of the next tax year your ISA manager must inform you about your rights to invest in ISAs in the upcoming term.
National Savings and Investments (NS&I)
When you buy NS&J products you are lending to the government; therefore all risks are minimized given that the government will rarely default on its debts. NS&I also follows a Banking Code. If you are unhappy about something you can complain to a customer service agent or refer to the Customer Relations Manager. If the matter cannot be resolved through the NS&I you can file a claim to the Independent Adjudicator who as of this year will be replaced by the Financial Ombudsman Service (www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk).