Bank of Ireland to open 61 branches on Saturdays to help new customers

Bank of Ireland is to open 61 branches around the country for four Saturdays in October to help customers moving their current accounts from Ulster Bank and KBC, which are currently in the process of leaving the Irish market.

Bank of Ireland said advisers will be on hand in each branch to provide information on moving accounts and to support customers in the account opening process. The banks will be open from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays beginning October 1st.

Customers who are ready to move their account can do so on the day and will need to provide at least one form of photo ID and one form of proof of address. The opening of branches will involve a €1 million investment by Bank of Ireland.

“In the first six months of 2022 we opened more current accounts than we did for the whole of 2021, and we expect that trend to continue,” Bank of Ireland director of retail Susan Russell said. “So far this year we have implemented a range of measures to support customers as they move accounts, including significantly increasing resources in contact centres and streamlining our online account opening process.

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“Now, as many Ulster Bank customers reach the end of their six month notice period to close their account, we are further ramping up supports for customers who wish to open a current account,” she added.

Ms Russell said the process involves making a number of changes, including to direct debits that may be set up. “We appreciate some people may want face-to-face support and may not have the chance to visit a branch during the week,” she said.

“By opening 61 of our branches for four consecutive Saturdays in October customers can get advice in person or open an account with us there and then.

The move follows the introduction in recent weeks of the bank’s multi-product application form, allowing customers to open a new current account and apply for credit cards and overdrafts in one online application.

The bank said the branches that will open on Saturdays were selected using a number of criteria including footfall to the branch and proximity to an Ulster Bank branch.