Bank of Scotland - Competition in banking welcome

THE tantalising prospect of real competition in the Irish financial market, something that is blatantly lacking, could be significantly enhanced today.

A high street bank will be opening the first of 46 branches with the stated and laudable aim of giving punters a better deal.

There is a deplorable absence of meaningful competition between financial institutions, a scenario which has long been the subject of scathing criticism in one report after another, and rightly so.