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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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MP slams Royal Bank of Scotland for putting profits over people with ATM charge plans
August 30, 2011 11:39 AM
Berwick's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith has called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the bosses of the largely nationalised bank RBS to abandon plans that would see thousands of customers unable to use cash machines operated by other banks.
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 83 per cent owned by the taxpayer, will soon stop its 'basic' RBS and NatWest account holders from using other banks' ATMs. RBS has ATMs in Hide Hill and at Morrison's in Berwick, as well as in towns just over the border including Eyemouth, Duns and Kelso.
It has been confirmed that existing customers with 'basic' accounts are set to lose access to all ATMs except those operated by RBS.
Opponents of this move have argued that the change will have a disproportionate impact on poorer customers. The 'basic' account, which offers access to a limited range of services, is often used by people on lower incomes as it does not require a credit check before it is set up.
Consumer group Which? has estimated that customers could lose access to around 80% of the free cash machines in the UK .
Sir Alan said:
"RBS needs to understand that public money comes with public obligations. They need to act in the interests of the people who own them and not just their bottom line.
"Doing this will hurt people for whom every penny matters. RBS need to think again quickly."
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