Banks tight-lipped on credit cards despite electoral roll plans
UK banks have not committed themselves to making it easier for Guernsey residents to obtain credit cards, despite plans for the States to make new electoral roll information available to credit reference agencies.
While there are still a couple of banks, HSBC and Butterfield, that will provide new local customers with cards, others will not and will only support existing customers.
But in the report by Home Affairs on the preparation of a new electoral roll ahead of next year’s election, it is suggesting that this information could be provided to credit reference agencies.
‘This follows representations from the Committee for Economic Development in response to increasing concerns expressed by business and consumers, about the lack of access to certain banking services,’ said the policy letter.
‘Providing the ability for credit reference agencies to access the electoral roll data will assist in the verification services which they provide to banks and credit card companies.’
A spokesman for NatWest International said it welcomed the proposals and ‘[we] recognise the benefits, both for customers applying for a broad range of financial services products, and for banks looking to introduce new products’.
Lloyds Bank said it was unable to comment. ‘We do not have sufficient understanding of the detail proposed at this time.’
It said that it continued to support existing customers with credit cards.
While nobody from Barclays was prepared to comment, it was made clear that since Barclaycard is within its UK ring-fenced bank, anyone applying for a new card must have a UK address.
