Press Room

NatWest To Launch Mobile Banking Service
(11 July 2005)

NatWest today announced the launch of a mobile bank for Cornwall. The mobile bank, which will be unique in England and Wales is aimed at providing a number of rural areas with direct access to face to face banking facilities.

The mobile bank, which will be fully accessible, is planned to hit the road later in the summer and will run five days a week visiting several communities in Cornwall. Scheduled routes and times will allow customers to plan ahead and these routes will be reviewed regularly to reflect customer demand. Customers will be able to carry out a range of personal banking services onboard including: cashing cheques, making account deposits, paying bills, checking their balance, getting quotes for all major products, getting forms for opening accounts etc. There will also be a phone system onboard which will give customers a direct line to main areas of the bank e.g. mortgage, credit cards, insurance.

The NatWest mobile bank builds on the popularity of the 13 well established mobile banks reaching areas of Scotland provided by The Royal Bank of Scotland - a service which has been running since 1946. The NatWest mobile bank has been custom made and as such is designed to be fully DDA compliant with excellent access for customers with disabilities. Facilities include a wheelchair lift and an audio induction loop, which will benefit those who use hearing aids.

Paulette Rowe, Managing Director of NatWest, said: "There continues to be a need for greater access in rural areas and as such we are committed to improving access. The new mobile bank in Cornwall will complement our 20-strong traditional branch network in that area."

She concluded: "At a time when some organisations are closing branches, we firmly believe that our branch network and services, such as the new mobile bank, remain very important for the communities they serve."

Notes to Editors:

  • The bank will be manned by existing NatWest Customer Service Officers.
  • It provides a convenient service for those in more remote areas and with limited mobility.
  • It will offer the normal range of day to day banking services inc. paying in cash and cheques, cash withdrawals, making bill payments, ordering foreign currency and so on.