Northern banks facing Competition Commission investigation

The British Competition Commission is to investigate the North's four main banks at the request of the Office of Fair Trading.

The move follows complaints about the current account fees charged by Ulster Bank, Northern Bank, First Trust and Bank of Ireland.

The OFT upheld the complaint and has referred the matter to the Competition Commission for further investigation.

In a statement, the body said there were features of the personal current account market in the North which were suspected of restricting competition.