Should banks be made to keep branches open?

I AGREE that the branch closure policy is not helping local economies, but banks’ balance sheets (Letters). One way to ensure the banks return to their original function would be for the Government to make it a condition of their licence to have a physical presence in our High Streets. They should be required to provide staff to help customers who wish to avoid the online virtual banking nightmare they are attempting to impose on everyone. And every branch should have a choice between self-service machines, where you have to push buttons to choose between four unhelpful options, and a human being you can talk to about your financial needs. ALAN BOWER, Salford.

DESPITE the TSB computer debacle, the banks still want customers to bank online and are closing branches.

Mrs SUSAN SLOCOMBE, Llanon, Dyfed.

I UNDERSTAND the High Street banks need to reduce costs and that means closing branches. But what happens when a customer needs to ask complicated questions? You can’t run a bank on an electronic call centre-only basis. After I was twice a victim of identity theft, it was only with the help of a real person in a branch that I resolved the problem. If it is too expensive for each bank to have a High Street presence, can’t they share the costs of a multi-brand branch? MALCOLM DOUGLASS, London SE12. BANK managers once used their years of experience when considering the needs of their customers. Now they are salesmen, marketing products that suit the needs of the bank. They don’t need experience because all the decisions are made by the head office computer.

D. TRAYLER, Hornchurch, Essex.