Ms Michelle Byrne:

I do not have specific detail on the exact training the staff receive. However, our members had experts from their vulnerable customers units engage with front-line staff to ensure they are appropriately trained so that they can deal appropriately and empathetically with any impacted homeowners who come forward. Engagements are at local branch level and at centralised level. Depending on what the need may be for an individual customer, whether it be support with financial difficulty or an application for credit that needs to be made, the customer is routed through the appropriate division within each lender.

In regard to vulnerability, there was an ask for all impacted customers to be treated as vulnerable. We said to the redress focus group that we do not believe that is the appropriate approach but that if impacted homeowners want to be deemed vulnerable, they can opt in to that. They can signal that preference to their lender and be treated through the vulnerable customer unit which would have a different process in place.