Daylight 強盗 at cashpoints

By SEAN POULTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Updated: 00:00 BST, 22 May 2002

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BANKS are introducing 料金s for cash machines in a 一連の stealthy moves that have 乱暴／暴力を加えるd 消費者 groups. Some High Street banks are ready to 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 up to £1.25 a time at machines which were 以前 解放する／自由な. They are also 脅すing to axe hundreds of '穴を開ける in the 塀で囲む' machines - おもに i n remote 場所s - which they （人命などを）奪う，主張する are making losses.

The 決定／判定勝ち（する）s mean thousands of 顧客s, 特に in 田舎の areas, will have to travel many miles to find a cashpoint where they do not have to 支払う／賃金 to 接近 their money. The 議論の的になる moves come against a background of 大規模な 利益（をあげる）s at the big banks and 飛行機で行く in the 直面する of a 約束 made いっそう少なく than two years ago not to 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金.

同盟 & Leicester has already introduced some 800 new machines, many in 田舎の 地位，任命する offices and 石油 駅／配置するs, which 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 £1.25 to 顧客s of other banks. It is also looking at 変えるing a number of machines in its 網状組織 of 2,000 (a)自動的な／(n)自動拳銃 Teller Machines. At the same time Abbey 国家の is 脅すing to shut 負かす／撃墜する 100 loss-making machines, おもに in remote 場所s.

The 転換 comes まっただ中に （疑いを）晴らす 証拠 that new, 独立した・無所属 操作者s are keen to 取って代わる these machines with ATMs 非難する up to £1.50 a time to everyone using them. 産業 分析家s see this as the thin end of the wedge, with thousands of 解放する／自由な machines likely to be 取って代わるd by ATMs with 料金s. To 追加する to 顧客s' problems, the 独立した・無所属 操作者s are 任命する／導入するing machines in 出口s like restaurants and shops, making them much harder to find than 伝統的な 場所／位置s in shopping centres and High Streets.

The 国家の 協会 of Bank 顧客s 怒って 非難するd the move to shut 負かす／撃墜する ATMs or 課す 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s. 広報担当者 Stuart Cliffe said: 'The banks introduced cash machines as a cheaper 代案／選択肢 to 支店s and 反対する staff. Now they are 脅すing even to do away with these. We are looking at losing machines which 供給する 決定的な cash services in 田舎の and remote areas without 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金. Many people will find they have no 代案／選択肢 but to 支払う／賃金 a 料金.' He 追加するd: '顧客s will be horrified. The 産業 gave the impression that 非難する had been 支配するd out, but we seem to be 支援する to the bad old days. There is ample 証拠 that the banks are making 超過 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s. But they have shown no shame, and now they appea r to have 設立する a new way to make a 急速な／放蕩な buck.'

The banks, however, （人命などを）奪う，主張する that 顧客s are willing to 支払う／賃金 what they call a 'convenience 料金'. Peter Brown of 同盟 & Leicester, which made a pre-税金 利益（をあげる） of £396m last year, said: 'We are having to look at some machines to see whether they are still viable on a 料金-解放する／自由な basis. We may have to bring in 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s. The 代案／選択肢 is that, without a 料金, these machines would not be viable and we would have to look at 身を引くing them. This is a convenience 料金. The point we 強調する／ストレス is that people have a choice whether they want to use the machine or not. We make it very （疑いを）晴らす to 使用者s.'

The bank said its 政策 was to have a mix of 解放する／自由な and 非難する machines, but Brown could not put a 人物／姿／数字 on the number of 解放する／自由な machines which will be 変えるd. 同盟 & Leicester does not 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 its own 1.7m 経常収支 支えるもの／所有者s

Abbey 国家の, which made pre-税金 利益（をあげる）s of almost £ 2bn last year, said a 削減 in the 量 it is 許すd to 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 other banks for 取引，協定ing with their 顧客s - an 普通の／平均（する） of 24p - has made many machines uneconomic. Andrew Pople, managing director of 小売 banking, said it was looking at 除去するing 100 of its 1,400 'remote' machines - those not on the bank's own 前提s. In all, the bank has some 3,000 cashpoints. Pople said: 'We are having to look at 限界ing or 減ずるing our costs. We are looking at 場所／位置s which are most ごくわずかの and will start 減ずるing over the next year.'

The bank said it would not 除去する a cashpoint where it was the last one in town, or the only 代案／選択肢 was one which 課すd a 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金. But Pople 認める: '最終的に it will create more 適切な時期s for people to come in on the basis of 適用するing a 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金.'

Patrick Fraser, editor of 小売 Banking International, 警告するd that other banks are likely to follow. He said: 'I 推定する／予想する hundreds or thousands a year will move away from banks to 独立した・無所属 service providers. And the 顧客s will 結局最後にはーなる 支払う／賃金ing more. The logic is that Abbey 国家の will take its machines out because it can't make a 利益（をあげる） and they will be 取って代わるd by 独立した・無所属 providers who can 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 a 料金 so they can make a 利益（をあげる）,' he told the BBC 無線で通信する 4 Today programme.

Already the 広大な 大多数 of new machines 任命する／導入するd each year 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 everyone using them. 専門家s 予報する almost half the cashpoints throughout the country will be 徴収するing 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s within the next three years.

Two years ago Barclays led a 運動 to introduce 料金s of around £1 a time on ATMs, 刺激するing 普及した public 怒り／怒る and a splt within the 産業. Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Lloyds TSB and Abbey 国家の all 課すd 'disloyalty 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s', but others, 含むing 全国的な, the Co-op Bank and the 王室の Bank of Scotland, resisted the tempation to make extra millions from such 料金s.

Barclays and its 支持者s were 結局 軍隊d to climb 負かす／撃墜する in the 直面する of a 猛烈な／残忍な and 支えるd public （激しい）反発. After months of 顧客 抗議するs and ロビーing by 消費者 groups, the 料金s were scrapped in January last year. Now the 産業 seems to be trying to 達成する the same result without 警報ing the public.