A new personal finance and insurance website, Finance2u.com, went online yesterday backed by an initial investment of £1.7 million. Finance2u.com is the latest in a cluster of sites selling financial products to emerge this year.

It will offer consumers a significant pool of information on financial matters and an online application service.

The venture, which was set up by a subsidiary of Vantage Technologies, has a relatively big budget behind it, including £500,000 for a press and television advertising campaign over the next three months.

Through the site it will be possible to research, compare and apply for loans, mortgages, insurance, credit cards, life assurance, pensions, savings and investments.

Visitors to the site will be able to search for products tailored to their personal circumstances and complete online applications for a number of Finance2u.com partners.

The site is also a source of information about personal finance topics. It has a news element, a stockbroking section supplied by Davy's, an extensive glossary and a wide range of useful calculators.