Tag: choice

Scottish Building Society commits to passbooks to further support customers financially

SCOTTISH Building Society has doubled down on its commitment to offering its customers passbook accounts in a bid to support them with their financial needs.

The move comes after several major banks across the UK announced they would be removing passbooks, which provide a paper record of banking transactions, from their services.

Recently Virgin Money announced it would remove passbook savings accounts, resulting in 100,000 customers across the UK being told they will no longer be able to use them to pay in or withdraw cash in person.

Despite several banks now no longer offering the service, Scottish Building Society believes passbooks still have an important role to play in helping customers manage their finances.

Feeling reassured by physical evidence of how much they hold in their accounts many customers prefer to bank this way to manage their finances.

The rise in the cost-of-living crisis has prompted many people to revert back to using physical money in a bid to help them budget, with passbook savings accounts serving as a valuable tool in helping them to manage this.

Removing this service alongside many local branches closing risks leaving many customers feeling alone, particularly during this economic climate Scottish Building Society warned.

Scottish Building Society has made significant investment in its high street branches to provide accessible banking for all and enhance its physical presence in communities, with the society most recently opening a new relationship centre in Edinburgh in June last year.

Meanwhile, as part of its 175th anniversary celebrations, the building society launched the Scottish Building Society Foundation in May last year, an initiative designed to give back to Scottish communities with an incredible £175,000 designated to local charities and good causes across Scotland.

Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said: “As a mutual organisation owned by and run for the benefit of our members, we want to make sure we are providing customers with everything they need to manage their finances in a way which is easy for them and stress free.

“While online services are the main stay for a lot of customers, there is a large portion of people who are not confident in using online banking or simply don’t want to, and they can rightly feel aggrieved that they are facing the prospect of having to do so.

“At Scottish Building Society our purpose is to serve the local community, and this is why we will continue to offer passbooks as a vital tool for customers, as well as investing in our branches to provide accessible, in-person facilities which will serve their local communities.

“Simply put, we want to ensure our members have choice when it comes to managing their finances, and we believe in offering them that.”

Organ Donation: It’s good to talk!

Telling family is the top way Scots make organ decision known

Ahead of Scotland’s move to an opt out system of organ and tissue donation, new research has revealed telling family is the top way people have made their donation decision known. 

Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of people who have made their decision have told family what they’d like to happen, followed by over half (54 per cent) recording it on the NHS Organ Donor Register, and 27 per cent sharing it with friends.

The research also reveals one in ten (11 per cent) haven’t yet made their decision known to others – and today (17 December 2020) Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick outlined the importance of people recording their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and making family aware of their latest views on donation. 

The law changes to an opt out system from 26 March 2021, which means that if people aged 16 and over have not recorded a decision about donation, they will be considered as a possible donor when they die.

Under the new law, people can choose to be a donor, or opt out of donation, however sharing that decision with family remains vital, as family members will still be consulted to check what a loved ones latest views on donation were.  This is to ensure donation doesn’t proceed where it is against a person’s wishes. 

Of those surveyed who hadn’t shared their decision with family – over a third (38 per cent) said it was because they hadn’t got round to it yet, and almost a quarter (22 per cent) said they didn’t feel the need to raise it as it was a personal matter.

The Scottish Government is set to launch a national advertising campaign early next year to highlight what the change of law means, and the options people have, ahead of the March law change date.

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “With the introduction of Scotland’s opt out legislation on the horizon, we’re encouraging people to make time to record their donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, and share it with family. 

“Under the new law, family will always be asked about a loved one’s latest views on donation. We know organ donation isn’t something that comes up in everyday conversation but making a point of speaking about what you’d want to happen, means your family will be able to honour it.

“Everyone has a choice and regardless of whether you decide to be a donor, or opt out of donation, making that decision known is vital.”

For more about the law change, or to opt out, visit organdonationscotland.org or call 0300 123 123.