Woodkirk Stone
Bank of Ireland has announced a series of support measures for people transferring current accounts to the bank ahead of Ulster Bank and KBC’s exit from the Irish market.
New supports include around 500 new Bank of Ireland staff to help with account opening, a dedicated phone line, an online hub and a range of tools and templates to help consumers make the switch .
Bank of Ireland said around 500 additional staff will be put in place to support the opening of new current accounts. 420 of these jobs are temporary contract positions, with the other 80 being redeployed from other parts of the bank.
Over 350 of these new employees are already in place and the bank is working to fill the remaining roles.
A new dedicated online hub has been developed to guide people on how to close their existing checking account, open a new account, make changes to regular payments and apply for credit products such as overdrafts.
Sample letters to SEPA direct debit originators, payroll change instruction letters to employers and credit payment redirection forms have also been developed to help consumers navigate the process.
An appointment form is available so that customers can make an appointment to open an account, for those who need it in branch.
A dedicated telephone line has also been set up – 0818 200 374 – to facilitate account opening.
Henry Dummer, director of day-to-day banking at Bank of Ireland, said so far this year the bank has opened 81% more current accounts than in the same period last year.
“We expect this trend to continue through the remainder of this year and into 2023 as outgoing banks roll out their phased approach to customer contact,” Dummer said.
He said as people received letters from their home bank and considered where to move, he would encourage them to consult the how-to guides on his website.
“The level of change we are seeing is unprecedented in the Irish banking sector. We know this will be a priority for consumers and businesses over the coming months.” he said.
“This will also be a priority for us, and we will work hard to support new customers as best we can as they choose where to bank in the future,” he added.