28 June 2006
Despite the fact Basic Bank Accounts have been very popular since their creation in 2003, the Citizen Advice Bureau says changes need to be made to make them available to even more.
According to the British Bankers' Association, 130,500 post office-accessible Basic Bank Accounts were opened during the first three months of 2006 and also 44,400 existing accounts upgraded and switched to fuller featured accounts.
A Citizens' Advice spokesperson said: "There are some changes that we want to see in the functioning of these accounts. For example it takes longer to clear a cheque when you put it in and it costs you more as well."
The spokesperson added that many of the complaints Citizens' Advice deal with involve the administration of these basic accounts.
"Our report showed that banks refused customers because they didn't have the right ID when in fact they could be more flexible about ID. For example they often ask people to have a passport or a driving licence and a number of our clients had neither of those things and therefore couldn't open a bank account. Banks can be more flexible and can use utilities bills and things like that."
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