A major UK bank is facing criticism over a looming overhaul to its banking services which is set to impact nearly two million customers.
First direct will cease posting physical bank statements to its 1.9 million account holders starting September 1.
The banking institution announced that customers will transition to digital-only statements.
Account holders will need to access their financial records through the bank's mobile application or internet banking platform.
A major bank is making a big 'irritating' change
|GETTY
Customers can retrieve, save and print their statements electronically once the change takes effect.
The shift away from paper documentation represents a significant operational change for the bank, which has maintained traditional postal services for decades.
However, the announcement has triggered considerable discontent amongst account holders, particularly those who have banked with first direct for many years.
One customer expressed their frustration on Twitter/X, stating: "Been with @firstdirect for 25 years. They're fine except for one thing. I want a paper statement."
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First direct is updating customers
| PAAnother account holder shared their disappointment on Facebook, writing: "I just got an email from first direct telling me they will no longer send me paper bank statements."
A third customer simply described the change as "so irritating".
The bank has outlined procedures for accessing statements digitally once the transition occurs.
Through the mobile application, customers can navigate to the Balances section, tap the three-dot menu for their chosen account, and select 'Statements' to view their three most recent records.
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Bank customers are being told to prepare for the change
| GETTYHistorical statements remain accessible by selecting previous years.
The platform enables users to save, print or share documents using the download function.
For those preferring web access, logging into internet banking and clicking 'statements' in the upper right corner of the transactions page provides the same functionality.
Account holders can modify their preferences through the 'my details' section in online banking or by typing 'amend my statement' in the app's chatbot feature.