Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All my life, I have been in injury time. There are several issues to which I wish to refer quickly. I would have thought it be very simple, once the customer agreed on the bank or lending entity to which they wanted their funds transferred, for the selling banks to meet the incoming bank electronically and transfer the account and have done with it, whatever the facilities were.

A matter that needs to be considered is the extent to which overdrafts, as opposed to debit cards or credit cards, are available to the customer when transferring. I would have thought that whatever facilities the customer had with his or her previous bank for a long number of years would transfer with the accounts and that it would not be necessary for the customer to start from scratch and make new applications.

I am aware of the difference between the interest rates applicable in relation to overdrafts when compared with credit cards. It is a huge difference. My point is that a little more flexibility in relation to overdrafts would be hugely appreciated by bank customers who may be borrowing.

I am looking at other things here that I had written down-----