Madam, – I’ve just returned (1.15pm, April 6th) from my local branch of Bank of Ireland at Lower Rathmines Road in Dublin. The purpose of my visit was to exchange two €20 notes for eight €5 notes. You can imagine my surprise when the cashier informed me that he could not assist me as I did not have an account at the Bank of Ireland. I was somewhat surprised, to say the least, and decided to take my request to a more senior member of staff at a different counter (he had on a more expensive looking suit). I asked him was it Bank of Ireland policy to give change in such circumstances to existing account holders only. He looked somewhat perplexed and when pushed on the subject he advised that this was indeed the policy.
When pushed further for an explanation for such a draconian policy in what is a simple financial transaction, he informed me that it was to ensure the transaction was fully traceable.
I could only conjecture the state this country might now be in if this policy had been extended to the banks’ lending activities over the past few years. – Yours, etc,