John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A lot has been said about consumer protection. Deputy Durkan raised the matter in the context of vulture funds. He is perfectly right. Vulture funds and banks have moved back to an old position. I dealt with one bank today. I have to say that banks are not as engaging as they used to be in sorting out issues for costumers. They generally reach for the standard letter telling people to go to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman without investigating within their own corporate entities whether the person could be right or wrong. The person could be wrong, but they have to tell him or her that and produce evidence to that effect.

For example, I know of an elderly man who says he has €15,000 in the bank. He has his bank book. The bank, however, says it does not have that money and that he withdrew it. Is he not entitled to ask the bank for the documents to prove he withdrew the money? He is. The bank will not produce them and will not give him his €15,000. These are only small things which concern ordinary people trying to live difficult lives. I dealt with a similar case concerning AIB in which a young lady’s debt of €6,000 was passed from AIB through an interim bank to a vulture fund. She cannot cope with it. I engaged with all of those entities to try to solve that problem for her. I am going to send on those examples.

Recently, I came across a number of people who had applied for a mortgage but, because of ill health dating back maybe ten or 15 years, they were not given it, despite being almost over the line. Mental health issues were cited. The family in question holds down a job, has income and never had a problem with repayments. It is appalling for a bank to say that to people who are trying to get on with their lives under their own personal pressures. It is that kind of behaviour which brings them into disrepute. People turn to the Central Bank because they may not understand it does not investigate individual cases. I am raising these individual cases with the Central Bank on the basis that this practice is happening right across the board.