SM Money: A quick click and you too could banish those bank queue

Sunday Mirror, May 21, 2000 by CHRIS PARKIN

TAKE a mouse to your bank account - it's got to be easier than joining an endless time-consuming line to a cashier in a High Street branch

That is the message being spelled out to clients on an increasing basis by Ireland's associated banks in Dublin.

"It's better to click than queue,"" was how one top banking group official put it yesterday.

He added: "Who wouldn't prefer to sit in the comfort of their home and net into a bank through a desk or lap-top computer, when the alternative is to travel to a branch and wait your turn.

"This way service is instant-aneous, more or less. The other way takes up so much time.""

So far - for the moment, at any rate - the Irish banks are not offering cash incentives to indulge in the hi-tech approach to their facilities.

At present, sheer convenience is the main incentive," the Bank of Ireland's Sheila O'Mahoney said.

"As well as everyday banking, we have a website that lets customers apply on line for mortgages and other loans and saving bonds.

"We are getting about three millions hits a month on that. You can get approval in principle for a mortgage or loan quite quickly.

"People are turning to the system because a lot of tasks are mundane ones that you can take up your lunchtime or other free periods doing - such as paying bills or credit cards or making transaction queries.

"Our service allows for paying bills and transferring funds, and it is constantly being updated.

"It takes a lot of hassle out of those everyday kind of business. All the information about these services is available at the fingertips of anyone.""

AIB Internet manager David Roberts said: "In any one month our Internet customers collectively conduct up to 160,000 banking sessions with us.

"They can view their bank accounts and balances, print off statements, get credit card balances and details of their most recent transactions - as well as seeing whether or not cheques have been paid and a lot of other business.

"And extra services are being lined up for the near future.

"It's a free access service and very fast. Customers have been quick to realise that it suits their present-day busy lifestyle.

"True, there is no cash incentive as such, but costs for electronic transactions are that much cheaper.""

Mr Roberts also looked forward to AIB's launch of a 24-hour on- line sales service to rival huge worldwide organisations like Amazon and Ebay.

To be known as Orbiscom, it will, unlike its rivals, say AIB, offer complete credit card security by requesting only limited number details from registered users.

Mr Roberts said: "It's a first in the world and quite an exciting development."

The growth figures from AIB, the biggest banking group in Ireland, vividly demonstrate the rapid rate of growth of Internet use by their customers.

Similar progress is demonstrated by statistics from the other commercial banks who have gone on-line for their clientbase, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank, with more sure to follow.

One thing is sure - the Internet route is here to stay and one day might make those lunchtime bank queue blues a quaint oddity from days gone by.