Bank of Ireland has announced a range of supports for people moving current accounts to the bank ahead of Ulster Bank and KBC's exit from the Irish market.
The new supports include about 500 new Bank of Ireland staff to help with account opening, a dedicated phone line, an online hub as well as a range of tools and templates to help consumers make the move.
Bank of Ireland said that about 500 additional personnel will be put in place to support the opening of new current accounts. 420 of these jobs are temporary contract positions with the remaining 80 being redeployed from other parts of the bank.
Over 350 of these new staff are in place already with the bank working to fill the remaining roles.
A new dedicated online hub has been developed to guide people on how to close their existing current account, open a new account, make changes to regular payments and apply for credit products such as overdrafts.
Templates for letters to SEPA direct debit originators, payroll change instruction letters to employers, and credit payment redirection forms have also been developed to help consumers navigate the process.
An appointment form is available so customers can make an appointment to open an account, for those who need to do so in a branch.
A dedicated phone line has also been put in place - 0818 200 374 - to support account opening.
Henry Dummer, Director of Everyday Banking at Bank of Ireland, said that so far this year the bank has opened 81% more current accounts than the same time last year.
"We expect that trend to continue over the remainder of this year and into 2023 as the exiting banks roll out their phased approach of contacting customers," Mr Dummer said.
He said that as people receive letters from their departing bank and consider where to move, he would encourage them to review the practical guides on its website.
"The level of change we are seeing is unprecedented in Irish banking. We know that this will be a priority for consumers and businesses over the coming months." he said.
"It will be a priority for us too, and we will work hard to support new customers as best we can as they choose where to bank into the future," he added.
