Girobank rings the changes

GIROBANK has extended its telephone banking operation to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, writes Vivien Goldsmith.

Firstdirect, National Westminster's Actionline, National & Provincial Building Society, TSB, Clydesdale and Royal Bank of Scotland already run round-the-clock banking services. All allow customers to check balances, ask for a statement, pay bills and transfer funds.

National Westminster's Prime Line, which has a human operator, Bank of Scotland and the Co-op run telephone banking in more limited hours. Bank of Scotland's, for instance, operates from 7 am to 1 am and from 7 am to 11 pm at weekends.

Lloyds is starting a trial telephone banking service between 8 am and 10 pm in March. Barclays has a telephone pilot in the East Midlands, the South and South-east and is considering a nationwide service.