Bank branch closures.

political analyst

Ulster Bank will close 22 branches across the country.

http://www.thejournal.ie/ulster-bank-close-branches-3302885-Mar2017/?utm_source=facebook_short

Considering that banks need a licence to operate in this country, is there no stipulation in the licence with regard to accessibility for elderly people who live in remote areas and people with special needs?

Zaph

political analyst wrote: »

Considering that banks need a licence to operate in this country, is there no stipulation in the licence with regard to accessibility for elderly people who live in remote areas and people with special needs?

No, a banking licence simply allows the bank to take deposits and provide other commercial banking activities. They're not like Bus Eireann or Aer Arann operating under PSO contracts, they're commercial businesses who are entitled to open and close branches where they deem them necessary.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I love how concern for we elderly is rolled out every time there's talk of closing a bank or a post office branch. If the branch isn't economical I wouldn't expect it to stay open for the odd time an 'elderly' customer wanders in. I'm getting on in years but I can manage to do 99% of my banking online and, being rural, will go to the nearest large town if I need to visit a branch.

If banks, which were heavily bailed out by the tax payer, were keeping uneconomical branches open there would be just as big an outcry at the waste of funds that entails.


Edit. I've just read that less that 30 people a day used the branches affected. High time they closed.

GhostyMcGhost

88 (branches) / 26 (counties)

3.3 branches per county. Seems fine

Honestly when was the last time time you were in a branch?

There's even a bank operating here (number26) with no branches. They allow lodgements in conjunction with retailers in their native Germany. Ulster bank seem to be doing similar with an post

Fratton Fred

RBS are still deep deep deep in the mire and are carrying out major restructuring.

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2017/0224/855029-royal-bank-of-scotland-results/

Beta Ray Bill

political analyst wrote: »

Ulster Bank will close 22 branches across the country.

http://www.thejournal.ie/ulster-bank-close-branches-3302885-Mar2017/?utm_source=facebook_short

Considering that banks need a licence to operate in this country, is there no stipulation in the licence with regard to accessibility for elderly people who live in remote areas and people with special needs?

Read that earlier

Feel terrible for the Staff that have been there since the year dot, and have done nothing but pick at their hole since they made one of the biggest Banking ****up's in history.
It must be awful for them getting a massive redundancy (Probably 5 or 6 weeks for every year) for doing a crap job.

Their voluntary redundancy schemes have been oversubscribed in the past, clearly a sign off what Crap place it is to work and what a crap bank it is.

I used bank with them until the **** up they had back 2012, never got a penny in compensation.
It's amazing that any of their branches are actually still open in 2017 in the Republic.
I wouldn't give them a penny to look after

The sooner they are gone the better!

Fratton Fred

grahambo wrote: »

Read that earlier

Feel terrible for the Staff that have been there since the year dot, and have done nothing but pick at their hole since they made one of the biggest Banking ****up's in history.
It must be awful for them getting a massive redundancy (Probably 5 or 6 weeks for every year) for doing a crap job.

Their voluntary redundancy schemes have been oversubscribed in the past, clearly a sign off what Crap place it is to work and what a crap bank it is.

I used bank with them until the **** up they had back 2012, never got a penny in compensation.
It's amazing that any of their branches are actually still open in 2017 in the Republic.
I wouldn't give them a penny to look after

The sooner they are gone the better!

The only reason they are still open, is because they have too much debt to close them down.

etselbbuns

All banking will be online in ten years.
We'll wonder how we ever countenanced physical bank outlets

Beta Ray Bill

Fratton Fred wrote: »

The only reason they are still open, is because they have too much debt to close them down.

Ah I know Yeah

But they should close every branch bar one in each major city.

Dublin
Cork
Limerick
Galway

And that should be it.
They keeping their finger in the pie in case things turn around for them.

The branches that are to close have less than 30 customers a day.
I wonder how many have less tan 40?

Anyone that banks with them needs to have their head examined!

A lot of them might as well be closed. When you cannot get cash out of a bank you know what a complete piss-take the "modern" bank is.

And don't get me started about ringing up my local branch and being now redirected to some anonymous person, 101 "press 1"/"press 5" etc buttons away, who picks up the phone from some centralised bank unit, and you start from scratch in telling them about yourself. Repeat same tomorrow, and every other day.

The "customer services" of these companies are truly designed by sociopathic bastards.

van_beano

grahambo wrote: »

Anyone that banks with them needs to have their head examined!

Ahh I wouldn't be so harsh, they're cheaper to Bank with than the likes of AIB or BOI, I've been with UB for years and the concept of banking or transaction fees was alien to me up to a couple of years ago when they started the €4 per month maintenance fee

Beta Ray Bill

van_beano wrote: »

Ahh I wouldn't be so harsh, they're cheaper to Bank with than the likes of AIB or BOI, I've been with UB for years and the concept of banking or transaction fees was alien to me up to a couple of years ago when they started the €4 per month maintenance fee

You're right!
That banking fee crap can go and get ****ed too!

KBC and Perm TSB have no fee's once there is a certain amount of cash going into your current account each month.

****ing banks,
I think if most people could get paid cash into hand (with the Tax all above board) they would.
It's literally safer under a Mattress than it is in their hands.

AlmightyCushion

political analyst wrote: »

Ulster Bank will close 22 branches across the country.

http://www.thejournal.ie/ulster-bank-close-branches-3302885-Mar2017/?utm_source=facebook_short

Considering that banks need a licence to operate in this country, is there no stipulation in the licence with regard to accessibility for elderly people who live in remote areas and people with special needs?

If there was it would be a disaster for competition. No new banks would enter the market because they'd be required to open a shítload of branches from the get go. There'd be no KBC, Number 24 or Pay By Fire. Also, plenty of old and disabled people get by with online and telephone banking.

van_beano

grahambo wrote: »

I think if most people could get paid cash into hand (with the Tax all above board) they would.
It's literally safer under a Mattress than it is in their hands.

I'd say we're heading in the opposite direction and towards a cashless society. The contactless card, Apple Pay, Android Pay etc concepts are leading people into doing their financial transactions this way. I'll stick with the Chip & Pin method myself.

I'd a major Row with UB to get a Chip & Pin card sent back out to me after they issued me with a Contactless one even though I didn't ask for one.

Have to agree that their CS is shocking!

biko

Ulster Bank says NO!

jimmycrackcorm

political analyst wrote:

Considering that banks need a licence to operate in this country, is there no stipulation in the licence with regard to accessibility for elderly people who live in remote areas and people with special needs?

So you're saying that if a new bank starts up in the country, say KBC, then they need to start opening branches in every little hamlet?

Beta Ray Bill

van_beano wrote: »

I'd say we're heading in the opposite direction and towards a cashless society. The contactless card, Apple Pay, Android Pay etc concepts are leading people into doing their financial transactions this way.

I wasn't really clear there. I mean if I could avoid dealing with a Bank, I would.
I rather let someone like Apple/Android Pay Manage my money.

I'd also rather get paid in BitCoins if I could, that would give the banks a REAL kick in the balls.

I hate them.
I used to work for them, the messing that goes on...

learn_more

etselbbuns wrote: »

All banking will be online in ten years.
We'll wonder how we ever countenanced physical bank outlets

I didn't know paper money was being phased out.

biko

Just give it time

Cashless society means the banks are free to set fees as they like, you are forced to use them.

AlmightyCushion

biko wrote: »

Just give it time

Cashless society means the banks are free to set fees as they like, you are forced to use them.

Eh, banks are already free to set any fees that they like and considering how difficult it is to do normal everyday tasks without a bank account you kinda forced to use one. e.g. Most employers pay wages via bank account, most bills are via direct debit, a mortgage requires a bank account, most landlords don't do cash payments. So how would it be any different with a cashless society?

alb

biko wrote: »

Just give it time

Cashless society means the banks are free to set fees as they like, you are forced to use them.

Unless cryptocurrency advances sufficiently. The freedom of cash, the convenience of digital. Here's hoping for a best of both worlds.

Nekarsulm

One of those branches are in a local town. UB had closed in the next town 9 miles away, and everyone had their accounts moved.
Now that branch is also closing
If you need to meet with staff the next nearest branches are 12 miles in either direction, so 24 miles between branches now.
The original closure was mainly because they had one large business customer, a Dairy Co-Op, who banked there, and by extension, so did all the co-Op's customers. However the Co-Op moved to BoI, as they offered more favorable terms, and with the loss of trade, UB closed the branch and sold the building.
The Co-Op bought the bank building for less money than the bank had spent putting a new roof on a couple of years earlier!
RBS seem to be making a gradual withdrawal from rural areas, and I dont believe that lack of footfall was the reason at all.

AlmightyCushion

Nekarsulm wrote: »

One of those branches are in a local town. UB had closed in the next town 9 miles away, and everyone had their accounts moved.
Now that branch is also closing
If you need to meet with staff the next nearest branches are 12 miles in either direction, so 24 miles between branches now.
The original closure was mainly because they had one large business customer, a Dairy Co-Op, who banked there, and by extension, so did all the co-Op's customers. However the Co-Op moved to BoI, as they offered more favorable terms, and with the loss of trade, UB closed the branch and sold the building.
The Co-Op bought the bank building for less money than the bank had spent putting a new roof on a couple of years earlier!
RBS seem to be making a gradual withdrawal from rural areas, and I dont believe that lack of footfall was the reason at all.

A spokesperson for the bank said an average of 150 customers used the branches that are closing in the past week, that’s 30 per day.

On average, there are 30 people per day using these branches. That is very low footfall. The example you provided shows a huge drop in footfall and yet you don't believe the lack of footfall has anything to do with it? If not, footfall, what do you think is responsible?

fiachr_a

biko wrote: »

Ulster Bank says NO!

But Henry Hippo says yes!

Nekarsulm

I can speak of the remaining one near me, and its always busy. I suppose when they say "an average" footfall, some could have 120 customers a day and others only a dozen.
Our local branch has a so called manager, but if you want to make an appointment to discuss a loan or overdraft, he won't see you.
He takes your number and someone with a blocked number rings from Galway the next day.
What is the point of that? He might as well not be there at all, and the personal interaction between bank and customer is lost.

political analyst

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

So you're saying that if a new bank starts up in the country, say KBC, then they need to start opening branches in every little hamlet?

KBC is a niche bank - Ulster Bank has been in business for much longer than thus more easily recognisable to the general public and also does a lot of business with the general public (unlike the now-defunct Anglo).