Article Abstract:
British banks have needed to modernise for some time. In 1993 they are all cutting staff, extending automation, selling products in branches and gaining income from fees. The Banking, Insurance and Finance Union states that 70,000 jobs have gone between 1990 and 1993. Many branches have closed due to increased use of technology. Remaining branches are being re-modelled as sales outlets with self-service facilities. Midland's Firstdirect telephone bank is gaining over 10,000 new accounts every month.
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Article Abstract:
Firstdirect offers telephone banking 24-hours a day, even on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day and Boxind Day 1991 it handled over 1,200 phone calls and this is expected to double in 1992. It has over 350,000 accounts. It receives 12,000 enquiries a day on average, half of which are out of normal banking hours. The 1,000 staff work shifts at the Leeds headquarters. Most customers telephone once a month. Customers ring, even after midnight, to pay bills, order cheque books and check their balance.
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The plan by Yorkshire and Britannia building societies to connect their branch networks, has attracted interest from a number of unnamed mid-range mutuals, according to Ian Cornish of Yorkshire. The move will be the first time the societies, the third and fourth largest in the UK, have offered rival customers access to services over the counter free of charge. Although Coventry Building Society claims it is not currently interested in the scheme, it is planning to monitor its popularity.
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