Fergus Finlay: Bank advertising makes me sick to the stomach

One CEO might be looking for the return of top management bonuses, but spare a thought for all the heartbroken old ladies saying goodbye to their old sitting rooms, among other everyday scenarios

Francesca McDonagh, chief executive of the Bank of Ireland who along with the other bank bosses could do with their TV adverts showing more of the small print and less of the tear-jerking images.  File photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

I’ve always been inclined to the view that banking hypocrisy ought to be illegal, at the very least an offence punishable by a large fine. Every time I see a banking advert on the telly, I want to put my foot through the screen because the hypocrisy is so palpable.

Here’s one that’s driving me mad at the moment. A young woman is on the screen, standing on a bridge on the Liffey, with Liberty Hall (good old Larkin and Connolly) in the background. A caption says she’s Anna O’Connor, a climate campaigner, and she’s telling us we have to do more for the environment.