The Director of Consumer Affairs has criticised banks for restricting certain services to customers and for branch closures.
Ms Carmel Foley told a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance and Public Services she was concerned by the withdrawal of a number of service including swipe facilities for paying credit card bills, selling bank drafts and other products to non-customers as well as credit transfers without pre-enclosed slips.
Ms Foley said the significant restrictions were those which related to over the counter services and cheque encashment procedures.
Decisions by some banks had restricted customers to their own branch outlets continue to have a serious impact on ordinary citizens, she said.
The Director also expressed her dismay over the number of bank closures recently given that Ireland has only half the EU area average of bank branches per 1 million inhabitants.
Ms Foley said: "Although the banking industry was actively promoting the use of alternative banking facilities, it had not invested in the infrastructure, such as ATM’s and electronic funds transfer point of sale terminals necessary to make these new channels viable alternatives."
