No truly Scottish banks anymore

Sir, - We no longer have a truly Scottish bank in Scotland.

The Bank of Scotland is just another title within the Lloyds Bank Group, the Clydesdale is owned by Australians, and the Royal Bank of Scotland is neither royal nor Scottish these days.

With regard to the latter, all business decisions are being made in London and branches are being closed all over Scotland with small businesses losing their relationship managers and forced to communicate with a call centre based in Birmingham.

The banks have become something of an embarrassment to Scotland.

Maybe it’s time they were required to drop ‘Scotland’ from their titles so as not to mislead the public as to their business focus and ownerships?

They also currently retain the right to plaster their brand names all over the banknotes that they continue to be allowed to issue.

Surely the Trades Description Act should be invoked.

Possibly a new ‘cause celebre’ for Holyrood to debate...

Derek Farmer. Knightsward Farm, Anstruther.

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The Bank of Scotland is just another title within the Lloyds Bank Group, the Clydesdale is ownedby Australians, and the Royal Bank of Scotland is neither royal nor Scottish these days

successfully exercised ‘control over our public finances’.

Those responsible for finance in organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in Scotland would wish they could get away with being quite so casually dismissive about the revelation in the report that £31m has to be repaid to the EU because of ‘irregularities’.

Meanwhile, it is stated that a further £16m of EU grants was given out that should not have been.

It seems from Mr Mackay’s lofty perspective the attitude is that it is only money. Keith Howell. White Moss,

West Linton.