The IT gremlins are at it again! As you may have noticed they stole some apostrophes from Paul's newsletter text. So here is another attempt. I hope you receive it with the requisite number of apostrophes this time.

Dear listener,

Promises, promises. That’s my name for today’s programme. But the producer prefers “quick, quick, slow?” as we dance elegantly through the top item. The counter-theme running under is banks, banks, banks. (And no jokes please about harmony, old fiddles, or discords).

Enough, enough – on with the show. Eight years (eight years, two months and two days in fact) after Money Box was promised by the banks (you’ll hear the clip) that they would soon be moving money electronically between accounts more quickly than the standard three (working) days, they are finally doing it. On Tuesday the new faster payments (for the 21st century) system will be in place to move money from one bank account to another in a different bank almost instantly – a couple of hours at most. So when will a Tuesday 27th payment actually reach another account in another bank? We give the thirteen different answers.

Meanwhile in the High Court another long-running saga looks set to take even longer as the banks appeal against the ruling in April that the Office of Fair Trading could judge whether their overdraft charges were fair or not. The banks say the charges are a payment for a service and hence not subject to the fairness rules. And they’re taking their view to the Court of Appeal. And it could go further. Don’t expect a final decision this side of whenever.

Your luggage goes missing. You make a claim. The insurance company doesn’t believe your list of lost items – precisely because you’ve provided such a detailed list. Aaaarrgghhh. What happens next?

And – to complete our bank reminiscences theme – six weeks ago one of Britain’s major High Street banks (I put it like that to build the tension) promised savers “a great customer service” from its “re-engineered processes” when they applied for its top paying ISA. Have they had it? Have they High Street!

Unless something dramatic happens in the next few hours that will be the major content of Money Box which is live on Saturday at noon. It’s repeated Sunday at nine pm or you can listen online at any time. Or download the podcast for your MP3 player or subscribe to get it sent every week. Or borrow your cousin’s cassette….

Best wishes,

Paul Lewis

PS Don’t forget the live preview of Money Box on BBC1 Breakfast between 8.45 and 9 on Saturday morning

e-mail Paul Lewis