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

I am concerned about lending institutions being not politically exposed but acting politically. That is something that myself and others have referred to in the past. They are strict and ruthless in the way they handle the powers and information they have over individuals. That would be justified on the basis that they need to know what people are doing but nobody knows what the banks are doing. When the financial crash came, nobody knew what they were doing until it dawned on us all and fell on our doorsteps all at the one time. The very fact that they do not seem to be in need of any kind of scrutiny other than to be able to say that politicians are dangerous and could do all kinds of things, so they want to make sure that does not happen. If anybody else does it, the lending institutions have been economic with the application of the rules that are there to protect customers. The conclusion that I come to in that regard is a serious one, which is the fact that customers do not matter anymore. Anything is justified in achieving their results. I am increasingly concerned about the extent to which they are open and willing to discuss matters with public representatives acting on behalf of the public. While some are happy to do so, a minority of institutions refuse to engage. They give no information, have no address, and will facilitate no meetings. They say, "Send us the proposal and we will have a look at it". That is very old fashioned law and it does not apply here yet. The EU should be cautious about allowing those kinds of things to happen because, ultimately, it can turn people against the EU, rightly or wrongly. I have said my piece on this many times before. I do not like secrecy.