AIB says 70% of new customers can open accounts online

[Brendan Burgess]

AIB account openings reached record in May

Spike comes as Ulster Bank, KBC account holders make new arrangements

www.irishtimes.com

The bank said there was a 122 per cent increase in account openings in the week to May 29th as 11,000 customers opened current and deposit accounts with the bank, a record for AIB. That compared with last year’s average of 5,000 a week.

Account openings have increased by 61 per cent in the year to date, the bank said, with a total of 160,000 opened so far this year. Some 70 per cent of new customers can open an accounts via AIB’s online channels. The bank has also trained up to 700 temporary staff and redeployed staff to branches to provide support to customers.

 

[Paul F]

Some 70 per cent of new customers can open an accounts via AIB’s online channels.

I wouldn't be boasting about that figure if I were AIB. A chunk of the 30% who can't are those who previously (perhaps many years ago) had an account with AIB but no longer do. They have to go into a branch to open an account. This is apparently because they already have a "profile" on AIB's systems. In other words, it's a limitation of AIB's systems.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

I agree with you.

The headline should read "30% of AIB customers must make an appointment to open a bank account"

Brendan

 

[Alexander_]

So I'm looking at this https://aib.ie/our-products/current-accounts/basic-bank-account and it 'appears' to be easy to open a bank account with AIB online.


If I wasn't an AIB account holder before I wonder how realistic it is to set up the account online.

I see people commenting on other threads that AIB were making it difficult with respect to documentation:
I do see that photocopies of documents are not allowed. But who gets paper statements these days? Will they take digital bank statements as proof? Or will a paper copy of a statement need to requested.

 

[Paul O Mahoney]

I wouldn't be boasting about that figure if I were AIB. A chunk of the 30% who can't are those who previously (perhaps many years ago) had an account with AIB but no longer do. They have to go into a branch to open an account. This is apparently because they already have a "profile" on AIB's systems. In other words, it's a limitation of AIB's systems.

And how long are they " looking back".

 

[Paul F]

And how long are they " looking back".

My old AIB account was closed in early 2015 and I was still in their systems last year, so I'd say they are looking back to the beginning of online banking.

 

[Towger]

And how long are they " looking back".

I had to open a new account (to access money in an existing savings account, due to a limitation in their IT systems!) in December. To answer your question, at least 18 years. I had a laugh when they went through the long out of date details on my 'profile'. As Paul F says, it is a limitation of their IT Systems, one of many limitations which costs them time and money and cause Customers frustration.

 

[The Oggster]

Should they not be deleting these profiles after a few years? Especially with GDPR now? Or is it different rules for banks?

 

[Steven Barrett]

I wouldn't be boasting about that figure if I were AIB. A chunk of the 30% who can't are those who previously (perhaps many years ago) had an account with AIB but no longer do. They have to go into a branch to open an account. This is apparently because they already have a "profile" on AIB's systems. In other words, it's a limitation of AIB's systems.

I am with BoI, my wife with AIB. Our household account was with Ulster Bank. We were going to move the house account to AIB but couldn't do it online. We had to make an appointment to go to a branch and bring all our documents with us. No such issue with Bank of Ireland. It was very simple to open a new account with them.