KING Felipe VI of Spain has publicly produced a breakdown of his assets – the first time a reigning monarch in the country has ever done so and an extremely rare move among royalty anywhere in the world.
'Pensioner-friendly' and 'human' banking law passed: What it means for customers
24/02/2022
BANKS nationwide will soon be required by law to put measures in place that guarantee everyone can use their services, even the elderly, technologically-illiterate and those with disabilities or diversities.
Spain's government has released details of new procedures all high-street financial entities will be obliged to follow to ensure 'inclusiveness' – that nobody is left out in the cold from a basic public service that is as essential to daily living as electricity, water, telecommunications and transport.
Although local councils and regional governments in more isolated, rural parts of Spain, or those with a high retired population, have been making waves for some time to get banks to make themselves accessible, the real driving force behind the changes is 78-year-old Carlos San Juan and his online petition, which has gathered close to 700,000 signatures.
The retired doctor says he does use the internet, but his knowledge of it is fairly basic and his main concern is other people his age and above who cannot, or do not have a connection, as well as those who cannot afford a computer or a bang-up-to-date SmartPhone compatible with banking Apps.
After a local high-street bank attempted to charge him for withdrawing money over the counter rather than from a cashpoint, Carlos' now-viral response was: “I'm elderly, not stupid.”
The national government's reaction to the 'elderly uprising' has been swift and complete, and acts as proof that it is, indeed, listening to the people it represents.
Six-monthly analyses and reports will be drawn up by the Financial Inclusion Observatory to make certain that all banks comply, and that the new measures are working, as well as making recommendations for improvements.
Here's an outline of new legal obligations placed on banks to ensure everybody can use them.
Toll-free telephone assistance
Telephone-based services, as an alternative to online, App-based or face-to-face assistance will be reinforced, and the protocol signed by Spain's banking community commits them to guaranteeing the caller will always be able to speak to a human, not a standard recorded message.
Phone lines will be free of charge, so that those who do not have internet access or cannot get to a bank in person will not be forced, by default, to pay more than everyone else for the 'privilege' of having and managing an account.
Free training for pensioners (and anyone else who thinks they need it)
Not all pensioners want, or are able, to learn how to use online banking, but some, even the very elderly, may feel their only barrier to using the service from the comfort of their own home is lack of knowledge – so they would welcome easy-to-follow, patient instruction on what to do.
And many customers, not even elderly ones, would already be able to use an internet banking system without prior teaching, but simply do not trust it; as recently as 20 years ago, transactions such as banking and shopping online were constantly under the spotlight due to fraud risk, and phishing scams were rife in the early 2000s, meaning a person who has gone most of his or her adult life without logging into a website to manage their account may still be very wary.
Specific training on online banking will address these concerns, explain how it has become very safe in the past couple of decades, and what to do or not to do to ensure those using the internet for their financial affairs are not at risk.
Additionally, training will cover fraud prevention – another general fear among those less-familiar with digital means. Even the most basic advice, such as how to recognise if an email purporting to be from your bank is genuine, about not clicking on links within emails, and what type of phone call is likely to be an attempted con rather than genuine customer service will put many minds at rest and prevent the more trusting among the public from falling victim to swindlers.
Workshops, courses, and similar sessions, one-off or regular, making use of local social centres or pensioners' organisations such as the U3A, will take place.
Increased opening hours
At the moment, unfortunately, this does not mean banks will start opening in afternoons as standard – the vast majority close at around 14.00, perhaps with one afternoon a week with opening from around 16.30 to 19.00, and are shut on bank holidays, Saturdays and Sundays.
But long queues or having to take an hour or two off work to pay bills over the counter will become a thing of the past.
Right now, banks only offer this facility on, typically, one day a week, and normally within a set, limited time slot – from 10.00 to noon on a Tuesday is common – meaning that if this clashes with a customer's GP or hospital appointment or they are unwell on that day, they have to wait a whole week to pay their bills.
Those who bank online do not have to worry, as they can do this on screen, or set up direct debits for regular bills; also, these can be settled at cashpoints by scanning the bar code or typing in the various reference numbers.
Only certain banking corporations can be used for paying bills at an ATM, although if your account is with a different one, this does not matter – your debit or credit card will simply be charged in the same way as if you pay at a shop.
Those who do not use debit or credit cards, or cannot use cashpoints will now be able to pay over the counter on any working day during normal opening hours.
And face-to-face customer service must be available, as a minimum, between 09.00 and 14.00 Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
At least one person must be available in every branch to attend to customers, although currently, there is no obligation for those on different desks to prioritise this when there is a long queue – branches with three 'business banking' agents attending to a very light workload whilst the sole 'personal banking' agent deals with a line of people stretching out through the door are not likely to change their operations overnight.
Priority queue for the 65-plus age group
Customers of pension age, and with disabilities, will be placed in a priority queue and attended to first whenever there is a backlog in the branch, which will be welcome news for those of restricted mobility or the very elderly who are physically incapable of standing for an hour or so waiting to be seen.
Whilst not thought to be compulsory, it is hoped that this will involve a separate line or several for priority customers with sufficient staff to attend to each, in addition to a 'main' queue, to avoid a situation where financially-savvy and physically-active 60-somethings do not constantly push pregnant women or mums with small children to the back until she runs out of time to be seen to before the branch shuts. The idea of priority attention for pensioners is to help those who genuinely need it or who are not able-bodied enough to wait around for ages on foot, so customers in general should exercise social responsibility and not simply see being 65-plus as a licence to queue-jump.
This community spirit includes young and non-disabled adults offering less-mobile or older customers the option to go ahead of them in the queue, before the new procedures become law, unless you are in a hurry – rather like letting someone with one or two items overtake you at a supermarket checkout when you have a full trolley.
Cashpoints to be accessible and in working order
Any ATM with a technical fault that leaves it out of order must be fixed within a maximum of two working days, according to the new protocol.
This is not just about convenience, but about health and safety: Even though there may be another branch with a working cashpoint a five-minute walk up the road, for an elderly person or one of restricted mobility, having to go a greater distance can be arduous, painful and tiring.
Also, when withdrawing cash at night or in winter evenings, it means extra walking in the dark, which can be frightening for elderly persons and lone women.
Simplified versions of cashpoints, websites and Apps
Websites, mobile phone Apps, and cashpoint machines must be made as simple to use as possible for the general public and, if necessary, an 'extra' function built in with adapted language, larger text, audio, big buttons and similar for older people or those with eyesight problems to be able to use them.
Technology solutions for the very elderly are starting to become more mainstream – such as tablets with built-in internet, large font, the option for carers or relatives to customise icons (with a photo of themselves, for example, and the words 'ring [name of person]', or 'watch the news') – so that no digital knowledge whatsoever is needed. These and similar solutions will be rolled out to ATM machines – an example might be rewording the icon 'consult historic transactions' as 'see how much money I've got', or 'effect withdrawal' to 'get money'.
Specific training for staff
Customer-facing employees in banks, either present in branches or working the phones, will be given full training on how to assist older or disabled customers.
This is likely to involve how to explain things in ordinary, everyday language rather than using terms which, to a bank employee or a younger, working adult may sound familiar, but to an elderly or even middle-aged client could sound too technical and esoteric.
Speaking clearly so as to be audible to someone hard of hearing, being patient and extra-helpful to callers or visitors who do not understand, and appreciating that a very elderly customer or one with cognitive difficulties might get confused with notes and coins or need prompting and hands-on assistance are among aspects of personal service which are key to this clientèle.
An overall 'human' approach with plenty of sensitivity – not trying to hurry or fluster someone who has trouble explaining what they want, or has speech difficulties (following a stroke, brain damage, or as a result of a neurodegenerative condition such as Parkinson's, as an example) – will be the foundation for training given to staff who deal directly with the public.
It might also include sign-language courses to be able to communicate with deaf customers, and 'awareness' training, like not expecting a non-hearing customer to phone them and instead agreeing to communicate by email or in person.
More branches, or at least cashpoints, in sparsely-populated areas
It's long been a thorny issue with residents and local councils in the estimated 53% of Spain's territory that is in danger of 'depopulation' – villages becoming 'extinct' through ageing – that there are few banks, and those that they do have keep closing down as they do not generate a profit for the company.
Even in villages of just a few hundred inhabitants which are a couple of minutes' drive from a large town or bustling coastal tourism hotspot, it is still inconvenient. Local authorities and residents staged protests and signed petitions in La Xara and Jesús Pobre (northern Alicante province) when their sole bank branches announced plans to shut down; even though both villages are 'owned' by Dénia, a beach holiday haven of 45,000 inhabitants barely five minutes by car along a main road – meaning they are not exactly 'remote' or 'isolated' – the fact that they each have a high percentage of over-75s among their headcount means those who cannot drive or cannot afford a car are unable to reach their nearest branch.
This is now going to stop – Spain's new legal procedures for banks mean they are no longer allowed to make branch-closure decisions based on profit alone. To start with, every single village of fewer than 10,000 residents must, by law, have at least one cashpoint.
A cashpoint does not necessarily make up for the loss of an actual bank premises, though, and it is likely that the new Financial Inclusion Observatory and its sister ombudsman organisation, the Financial Customers' Protection Authority (Autoridad de Defensa de los Clientes Financieros), will have considerable clout in dissuading corporations from closing branches.
They may not be able to compel banks to stay open or even threaten to fine them for shutting, but may give them a stern warning if they choose not to.
Other measures for villages which, despite having a compulsory cashpoint, have no bank, are expected to be developed over time as the Financial Inclusion Observatory monitors and reports on how the new law provisions are working out.
The Bank of Spain, which has the last word in branch operations, has come on board, and will supervise the process and issue annual reports.
What authorities say
Economy minister Nadia Calviño and Bank of Spain governor Pablo Hernández de Cos, along with the banking and financial services associations AEB (covering banks), CECA (covering building societies) and UNACC, drew up this new protocol in a bid to make the services 'more human and more sustainable', reflecting 'social responsibility and commitment', in light of the 'accelerated digitalisation of national companies'.
This, according to Hernández de Cos, is a 'phenomenon which has clear benefits for the public', but needs to be complemented by the traditional route for those who are unable to go with the technological flow.
Chairman of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), José María Roldán, stresses that the digital revolution in the sector has not been a bad thing at all, provided it does not come at a cost to 'offline' services offered in parallel.
“Without it, we wouldn't have survived the pandemic,” he insists.
Lockdowns, social distancing and working from home, plus a preference for contactless payments rather than cash which has been handled multiple times by strangers, mean internet-based everything has allowed the world to continue behind closed doors – jobs, school, shopping and financial services.
“It's no exaggeration to say that in just one year of the pandemic, Spain has achieved transformations that otherwise would have needed a decade,” Roldán recalls.
Related Topics
BANKS nationwide will soon be required by law to put measures in place that guarantee everyone can use their services, even the elderly, technologically-illiterate and those with disabilities or diversities.
Spain's government has released details of new procedures all high-street financial entities will be obliged to follow to ensure 'inclusiveness' – that nobody is left out in the cold from a basic public service that is as essential to daily living as electricity, water, telecommunications and transport.
Although local councils and regional governments in more isolated, rural parts of Spain, or those with a high retired population, have been making waves for some time to get banks to make themselves accessible, the real driving force behind the changes is 78-year-old Carlos San Juan and his online petition, which has gathered close to 700,000 signatures.
The retired doctor says he does use the internet, but his knowledge of it is fairly basic and his main concern is other people his age and above who cannot, or do not have a connection, as well as those who cannot afford a computer or a bang-up-to-date SmartPhone compatible with banking Apps.
After a local high-street bank attempted to charge him for withdrawing money over the counter rather than from a cashpoint, Carlos' now-viral response was: “I'm elderly, not stupid.”
The national government's reaction to the 'elderly uprising' has been swift and complete, and acts as proof that it is, indeed, listening to the people it represents.
Six-monthly analyses and reports will be drawn up by the Financial Inclusion Observatory to make certain that all banks comply, and that the new measures are working, as well as making recommendations for improvements.
Here's an outline of new legal obligations placed on banks to ensure everybody can use them.
Toll-free telephone assistance
Telephone-based services, as an alternative to online, App-based or face-to-face assistance will be reinforced, and the protocol signed by Spain's banking community commits them to guaranteeing the caller will always be able to speak to a human, not a standard recorded message.
Phone lines will be free of charge, so that those who do not have internet access or cannot get to a bank in person will not be forced, by default, to pay more than everyone else for the 'privilege' of having and managing an account.
Free training for pensioners (and anyone else who thinks they need it)
Not all pensioners want, or are able, to learn how to use online banking, but some, even the very elderly, may feel their only barrier to using the service from the comfort of their own home is lack of knowledge – so they would welcome easy-to-follow, patient instruction on what to do.
And many customers, not even elderly ones, would already be able to use an internet banking system without prior teaching, but simply do not trust it; as recently as 20 years ago, transactions such as banking and shopping online were constantly under the spotlight due to fraud risk, and phishing scams were rife in the early 2000s, meaning a person who has gone most of his or her adult life without logging into a website to manage their account may still be very wary.
Specific training on online banking will address these concerns, explain how it has become very safe in the past couple of decades, and what to do or not to do to ensure those using the internet for their financial affairs are not at risk.
Additionally, training will cover fraud prevention – another general fear among those less-familiar with digital means. Even the most basic advice, such as how to recognise if an email purporting to be from your bank is genuine, about not clicking on links within emails, and what type of phone call is likely to be an attempted con rather than genuine customer service will put many minds at rest and prevent the more trusting among the public from falling victim to swindlers.
Workshops, courses, and similar sessions, one-off or regular, making use of local social centres or pensioners' organisations such as the U3A, will take place.
Increased opening hours
At the moment, unfortunately, this does not mean banks will start opening in afternoons as standard – the vast majority close at around 14.00, perhaps with one afternoon a week with opening from around 16.30 to 19.00, and are shut on bank holidays, Saturdays and Sundays.
But long queues or having to take an hour or two off work to pay bills over the counter will become a thing of the past.
Right now, banks only offer this facility on, typically, one day a week, and normally within a set, limited time slot – from 10.00 to noon on a Tuesday is common – meaning that if this clashes with a customer's GP or hospital appointment or they are unwell on that day, they have to wait a whole week to pay their bills.
Those who bank online do not have to worry, as they can do this on screen, or set up direct debits for regular bills; also, these can be settled at cashpoints by scanning the bar code or typing in the various reference numbers.
Only certain banking corporations can be used for paying bills at an ATM, although if your account is with a different one, this does not matter – your debit or credit card will simply be charged in the same way as if you pay at a shop.
Those who do not use debit or credit cards, or cannot use cashpoints will now be able to pay over the counter on any working day during normal opening hours.
And face-to-face customer service must be available, as a minimum, between 09.00 and 14.00 Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
At least one person must be available in every branch to attend to customers, although currently, there is no obligation for those on different desks to prioritise this when there is a long queue – branches with three 'business banking' agents attending to a very light workload whilst the sole 'personal banking' agent deals with a line of people stretching out through the door are not likely to change their operations overnight.
Priority queue for the 65-plus age group
Customers of pension age, and with disabilities, will be placed in a priority queue and attended to first whenever there is a backlog in the branch, which will be welcome news for those of restricted mobility or the very elderly who are physically incapable of standing for an hour or so waiting to be seen.
Whilst not thought to be compulsory, it is hoped that this will involve a separate line or several for priority customers with sufficient staff to attend to each, in addition to a 'main' queue, to avoid a situation where financially-savvy and physically-active 60-somethings do not constantly push pregnant women or mums with small children to the back until she runs out of time to be seen to before the branch shuts. The idea of priority attention for pensioners is to help those who genuinely need it or who are not able-bodied enough to wait around for ages on foot, so customers in general should exercise social responsibility and not simply see being 65-plus as a licence to queue-jump.
This community spirit includes young and non-disabled adults offering less-mobile or older customers the option to go ahead of them in the queue, before the new procedures become law, unless you are in a hurry – rather like letting someone with one or two items overtake you at a supermarket checkout when you have a full trolley.
Cashpoints to be accessible and in working order
Any ATM with a technical fault that leaves it out of order must be fixed within a maximum of two working days, according to the new protocol.
This is not just about convenience, but about health and safety: Even though there may be another branch with a working cashpoint a five-minute walk up the road, for an elderly person or one of restricted mobility, having to go a greater distance can be arduous, painful and tiring.
Also, when withdrawing cash at night or in winter evenings, it means extra walking in the dark, which can be frightening for elderly persons and lone women.
Simplified versions of cashpoints, websites and Apps
Websites, mobile phone Apps, and cashpoint machines must be made as simple to use as possible for the general public and, if necessary, an 'extra' function built in with adapted language, larger text, audio, big buttons and similar for older people or those with eyesight problems to be able to use them.
Technology solutions for the very elderly are starting to become more mainstream – such as tablets with built-in internet, large font, the option for carers or relatives to customise icons (with a photo of themselves, for example, and the words 'ring [name of person]', or 'watch the news') – so that no digital knowledge whatsoever is needed. These and similar solutions will be rolled out to ATM machines – an example might be rewording the icon 'consult historic transactions' as 'see how much money I've got', or 'effect withdrawal' to 'get money'.
Specific training for staff
Customer-facing employees in banks, either present in branches or working the phones, will be given full training on how to assist older or disabled customers.
This is likely to involve how to explain things in ordinary, everyday language rather than using terms which, to a bank employee or a younger, working adult may sound familiar, but to an elderly or even middle-aged client could sound too technical and esoteric.
Speaking clearly so as to be audible to someone hard of hearing, being patient and extra-helpful to callers or visitors who do not understand, and appreciating that a very elderly customer or one with cognitive difficulties might get confused with notes and coins or need prompting and hands-on assistance are among aspects of personal service which are key to this clientèle.
An overall 'human' approach with plenty of sensitivity – not trying to hurry or fluster someone who has trouble explaining what they want, or has speech difficulties (following a stroke, brain damage, or as a result of a neurodegenerative condition such as Parkinson's, as an example) – will be the foundation for training given to staff who deal directly with the public.
It might also include sign-language courses to be able to communicate with deaf customers, and 'awareness' training, like not expecting a non-hearing customer to phone them and instead agreeing to communicate by email or in person.
More branches, or at least cashpoints, in sparsely-populated areas
It's long been a thorny issue with residents and local councils in the estimated 53% of Spain's territory that is in danger of 'depopulation' – villages becoming 'extinct' through ageing – that there are few banks, and those that they do have keep closing down as they do not generate a profit for the company.
Even in villages of just a few hundred inhabitants which are a couple of minutes' drive from a large town or bustling coastal tourism hotspot, it is still inconvenient. Local authorities and residents staged protests and signed petitions in La Xara and Jesús Pobre (northern Alicante province) when their sole bank branches announced plans to shut down; even though both villages are 'owned' by Dénia, a beach holiday haven of 45,000 inhabitants barely five minutes by car along a main road – meaning they are not exactly 'remote' or 'isolated' – the fact that they each have a high percentage of over-75s among their headcount means those who cannot drive or cannot afford a car are unable to reach their nearest branch.
This is now going to stop – Spain's new legal procedures for banks mean they are no longer allowed to make branch-closure decisions based on profit alone. To start with, every single village of fewer than 10,000 residents must, by law, have at least one cashpoint.
A cashpoint does not necessarily make up for the loss of an actual bank premises, though, and it is likely that the new Financial Inclusion Observatory and its sister ombudsman organisation, the Financial Customers' Protection Authority (Autoridad de Defensa de los Clientes Financieros), will have considerable clout in dissuading corporations from closing branches.
They may not be able to compel banks to stay open or even threaten to fine them for shutting, but may give them a stern warning if they choose not to.
Other measures for villages which, despite having a compulsory cashpoint, have no bank, are expected to be developed over time as the Financial Inclusion Observatory monitors and reports on how the new law provisions are working out.
The Bank of Spain, which has the last word in branch operations, has come on board, and will supervise the process and issue annual reports.
What authorities say
Economy minister Nadia Calviño and Bank of Spain governor Pablo Hernández de Cos, along with the banking and financial services associations AEB (covering banks), CECA (covering building societies) and UNACC, drew up this new protocol in a bid to make the services 'more human and more sustainable', reflecting 'social responsibility and commitment', in light of the 'accelerated digitalisation of national companies'.
This, according to Hernández de Cos, is a 'phenomenon which has clear benefits for the public', but needs to be complemented by the traditional route for those who are unable to go with the technological flow.
Chairman of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), José María Roldán, stresses that the digital revolution in the sector has not been a bad thing at all, provided it does not come at a cost to 'offline' services offered in parallel.
“Without it, we wouldn't have survived the pandemic,” he insists.
Lockdowns, social distancing and working from home, plus a preference for contactless payments rather than cash which has been handled multiple times by strangers, mean internet-based everything has allowed the world to continue behind closed doors – jobs, school, shopping and financial services.
“It's no exaggeration to say that in just one year of the pandemic, Spain has achieved transformations that otherwise would have needed a decade,” Roldán recalls.
Related Topics
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