MP Ask Banks to 'Stop blocking resident's access to their own money'

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 14th Jul 2003

MP Vincent Cable has written to the national organisations representing banks and building societies after local residents told him that they had been stopped from gaining access to their own money because they could not produce the necessary ID;

"One retired couple had no passport, because they don't travel overseas, and no car licence, because they don't drive. Despite producing masses of papers proving who they were, the building society wouldn't allow them to draw money. I eventually had to contact the head of the building society and organise a home visit before the money could be released.

Then another lady was prevented from using her bank account for similar reasons".

"All of this is because of terrorism and money laundering by groups like Al Queda. But some of the banks are treating the new regulations with a total absence of commonsense. People who couldn't conceivably be terrorists are being caused great inconvenience because of a box-ticking mentality in some banks".

"I have asked the banks to issue guidelines to staff with more

flexibility".