31 August 2006
HBOS's plan to introduce more free ATMs into the UK's poorest communities does not go far enough, it has been claimed.
Commenting on the initiative, Nationwide Building Society has questioned why HBOS is not committed to making free machines available for all.
John Givens, campaigns manager with Nationwide, reiterated the building society's call for everyone to be able to access their own money without incurring a fee, although he did concede that the less-well off are hardest hit by fee-charging ATMs.
"Nationwide does campaign strongly for universal access to free cash machines. Everybody should be able to access their own money without being charged fees," he argued.
Mr Givens acknowledged the reasons for focusing the initiative on poorer communities; stating that poor people may struggle to afford the fee to access their cash and are also doubly penalised as they tend to withdraw smaller amounts, meaning they can be charged up to 15 per cent to access their own money.
Nationwide contends that it is not fair to ask customers to pay to access their money, claiming public backing and citing a poll which found that more than nine in ten people agree.
There are currently 59,000 cash machines in the UK, around 25,500 of which charge.
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