06/09/2017

Call For Govt To Ensure Bank Services Are Available In Rural Areas

The Government has been urged to intervene and ensure that cash and banking services are provided in towns and rural areas.

Fianna Fáil made the call as the Ulster Bank branch in Ballyhaunis is due to close on Friday, 08 September, and the loss of cash services in Bank of Ireland branches across Mayo.

Dara Calleary TD said: "Recent decisions by Ulster Bank to close 22 branches across the country and Bank of Ireland removing over the counter services from around 100 outlets is having a huge impact on customers, here in Mayo and right around Ireland.

"The Ulster Bank branch in Ballyhaunis is due to close its doors on Friday leaving its personal and business customers high and dry. Despite the fact the closure is only days away, there are still no details about what mobile services will be delivered to customers in Ballyhaunis and its surrounding areas.

"This closure, combined with the loss of an AIB branch a few years ago, and Bank of Ireland's decision to reduce over the counter and cash services, is a major inconvenience for bank customers.

"Banking services in rural areas are being eroded year on year and there is an urgent need for this situation to be addressed, particularly for people living in rural areas. These cutbacks present an opportunity for the Government to intervene to allocate the powers and resources to our Post Office and Credit Union network to provide the cash services that commercial banks no longer consider important.

"Post Offices need to expand their services to ensure their viability and Credit Unions already have a wealth of financial expertise to cope with providing additional cash facilities. Not only would this proposal breathe life back into these institutions, it would ensure that these essential services are available in every town across the country."

(CD/JP)

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

31 July 2019
Warning Over Unauthorised Loan Firm
The Central Bank of Ireland has published the name of an unauthorised firm offering financial services. Evolve Cash Limited is advertising loans on its website and claiming to be regulated by the Central Bank but it holds no authorisation from the Central Bank as a retail credit firm, moneylender or otherwise.
05 October 2017
Customers Affected By Tracker Mortgage Scandal Rises To 3,500
The number of Ulster Bank customers affected by the tracker mortgage scandal has risen from 2,000 to 3,500. At a meeting of the Oireachtas Finance Committee this morning, 05 October, Ulster Bank executives confirmed that the number of people affected by the scandal had risen.
07 December 2016
Central Bank Vacancies Raises Serious Questions
Almost 150 job vacancies at Central Bank raises serious questions about the capacity of the organisation to do its job effectively and to cope with any new financial services firms that may arrive in light of Brexit, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Finance, Michael McGrath TD has said.
10 May 2012
New Name For Northern Bank
Danske Bank has announced a new organisational set-up for its operations in Northern Ireland and Ireland. The new structure will take effect on 1 June 2012. The re-organisation mirrors a similar Group wide set-up being introduced in all Danske Bank operations.
18 January 2018
Tracker Mortgage Victims Deserve 'Real Answers'
Ulster Bank's tracker mortgage victims deserve real answers as to why they are being made to wait while other banks are further advanced with their redress and compensation schemes.