Mr. Patrick Farrell:

Branches play a key role in meeting customers, understanding their issues or problems and helping them to build a case, whether they are in difficulty or looking to do something new. Ultimately, the front-line staff in the bank are the lenders but there are credit underwriting decisions around that. The credit underwriting is centralised but the lenders at the front line assist the customer. They are professional, qualified people and we have processes through which we bring the customer, whether that is for a new business or a customer in difficulty. The front-line staff play a key role in advising customers, getting them ready and helping them. We are supported by central colleagues, particularly in credit underwriting from a central perspective.