Bank branch closures are causing distress to disabled people - Greg Wright

Footfall has, for example, reduced in many towns and villages. It has also caused distress for people with disabilities, who valued the personal service provided by their local bank branch. More than half of bank customers with disabilities feel that branch closures have negatively affected their ability to access vital banking services, according to a new Which? survey.

Which? said financial firms have a legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure people are not excluded.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) also sets out guidelines for financial firms to follow when dealing with vulnerable customers and it’s important these are respected.

The FCA’s new consumer duty, which will be introduced this summer, will require firms to support staff to identify signs of vulnerability and set up systems that enable customers to disclose their needs if they choose.

Since January 2015, Britain’s banks and building societies have closed – or announced the closure – of around 5,695 branches. These closures have been a hammer blow to loyal disabled customers who preferred to do their banking face to face.

The Which? survey indicated that alternatives put in place to plug gaps left by branches closing can be inadequate.

More than a third (35 per cent) of people surveyed find it "fairly or very difficult” to speak to their bank over the phone, while more than one in five (21 per cent) struggle with security features such as card readers or remembering passwords.

New security checks for online card payments, known as strong customer authentication, also proved problematic for just under two-fifths (39 per cent) of those surveyed.

Some said this was down to running out of time, or issues receiving security codes due to a poor mobile signal.

Sam Richardson, deputy editor of Which? Money, said: “Bank branch closures can have significant impacts on local communities and in particular those living with disabilities, who are among the most likely people in society to rely on both cash and in-person banking services.

“Which? believes that banks must consider the impact on disabled customers’ ability to access vital face-to-face banking services before they shut physical branches, as our research shows alternative services often aren’t up to scratch.”

The ball is now in the regulator’s court. The FCA must monitor the performances of the major banks.

Have they honoured the spirit of the new consumer duty rules? And if not, what steps will be taken to ensure the needs of disabled customers are respected?

Greg Wright is the deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post