Sir, – It is clear that the Irish post office, once a place to simply post a letter or collect one’s pension, has evolved into a hub of financial transactions. It is also quite clear that the financial transaction needs of Irish citizens are changing from those of the past.
It amazes me to see long queues almost every day outside our local post office while we have three banks in the town that are almost defying logic to try to persuade us to stay away from their counters and to bank online. Furthermore, AIB and PTSB recently announced a raft of branch closures where, in some cases, towns and suburbs will be minus two banks.
We do not need three different banks in any town or city suburb; and post offices were not designed for the use to which they are now put on a daily basis.
Is it not possible and quite simple to create one financial transaction centre (ie a nameless bank) in each town and suburb which could transact for all subscribing banks under the one secure roof and take on many of the financial functions now carried out in post offices, and thus creating a safer, more efficient and more secure environment for both staff and customers? – Yours, etc,