All articles by Hannah Smithies

Nationwide ramps up digital offering

Until recently Nationwide’s digital offeringhas lagged far behind the UK’s major retail banks. More recently however, the building society hasbeen pushing towards a new digital age. Head of group digital development Daryl Wilkinson talks to Hannah Smithies about the bank’s digital strategy for 2014 and beyond

Ensuring optimal customer service and relationship management

As banks move further away from face-to-face transactions ensuring customer satisfaction has become increasingly difficult. As a result, spending on CRM software is booming as banks strive to keep customers happy. Hannah Smithies investigates

RBS, NatWest suffers payday mobile banking outage

Thousands of customers were once again blocked from their NatWest and RBS mobile banking apps 28 March as the system collapsed under payday traffic.

Wearable banking gathers pace

Wearable digital devices have captured the imagination of gadget-lovers around the world including a growing number of the more innovative retail banks. As Hannah Smithies reports, there is more to this sector than cool digital watches and the much anticipated launch of Google Glass

Bank of England warns against risky mortgage lending

The Bank of England has advised all banks approving mortgages to carefully consider the risk of spikes in interest rates when making their decision.

ECB president praises banks making an effort to address finances

Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) president has opined that euro zone retail banks face a period of “creative destruction” that would be healthy for the economy.

FCA launches investigation into largest UK payday lenders

The Financial Conduct Authority has announced its intention to review the biggest payday lenders in the UK in its new capacity as regulator of consumer credit.

UK watchdog FCA reports improvement in banks’ sales practices

Sugura Bank has launched a strategic platform built with the help of tech company Accenture.

The platform further personalises and customises the products and services the bank offers to its customers.

TSB ranked worst UK bank by customer service

UK bank TSB, which split from Lloyds in 2013, has been named the worst bank in terms of customer service in a survey of 9000 people led by MoneySavingExpert.com.