Bank managers asked to explain ATM problems in Kells

Representatives of the two main banks in Kells - AIB and Bank of Ireland - are to be invited to meet Kells Town Councillors over problems with customers' access to their money at bank ATMs over weekends. The council had written to the banks to reflect customers' complaints about service at weekends and the banks' replies were considered at a meeting of the council last week. Cllr Bryan Reilly said he noticed different tones in the two letters. He said that Bank of Ireland had put up its hands and acknowledged that there had been a problem, while the AIB reply was dismissive. He said the council did not want to go to the banking Ombudsman; it was more interested in having a machine available so that customers could withdraw their own money. "The AIB shouldn't be so offensive. It would be no harm to ask the two managers to come here and to get a response from them," he said. Cllr Sean Drew said the AIB letter was "a bit of a fob off". He said that the bank's decision to close at lunchtime did not suit a lot of members of the community.