Kutxabank and Laboral Kutxa will serve customers over 65 years of age in person

Kutxabank and Laboral Kutxa They will reinforce face-to-face attention to customers over 65 years of age, after the agreement within the banking system. The first will increase the hours of face-to-face attention to customers over 65 years of age, which will be attended from 08:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from March, 15th. Laboral Kutxa will offer this assistance from next week (09:00-14:00). Likewise, both will strengthen telephone service and facilitate the use of ATMs.

The two Basque entities will assume, in this way, the bases of the sectoral agreement reached by the entities of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB) and the Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks (CECA)which includes this extension of face-to-face care hours for the elderly.

This measure comes after the mobilization of retirees for the cut in face-to-face services in State banks, in addition to the closure of offices throughout Spain, which was reflected in the more than 600,000 signatures presented this month before the Ministry of Economy against the “financial exclusion” of the elderly.

Extended hours of face-to-face attention in branches, personalized and preferential telephone assistance, and ATMs with simplified language are some of the measures of the protocol signed this Monday by the bank to improve the access of the elderly and people with disabilities to their services, explained this Monday at a press conference the Minister of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calvino.

“If it is found that they are insufficient or could be improved, we will have to see together how to extend or improve them,” said Calviño, who has announced the program that the Executive will follow in its desire to watch over the client.

Protocol

They have also committed to facilitating a preferential telephone service, at no additional cost and through a personal interlocutor, for older customers. If they are users to whom services are provided without an office, the hours will be, at least, from 09:00 to 18:00.

The protocol guarantees accessibility at the technical level and simplicity of ATMs, mobile applications and web pagesoffering versions with adapted and simplified language and visualization.

In case of failure, the ATMs will be repaired in a maximum of two working days and will report the nearest alternative point.

The document plans to reinforce the financial, digital and fraud prevention education offered by entities to older customers, through workshops, seminars or similar tools.

To guarantee the application of these measures, the Financial Inclusion Observatorycreated a few months ago by the bank, will carry out a six-monthly follow-up.

This supervision will be completed by the Bank of Spainwhich will prepare an annual report to monitor the situation and the measures adopted to guarantee the access of the Spanish population to banking services.