Natwest Bank’s decision to close accounts if customers racially abuse its staff isn’t about the numbers closed, but about the staff feeling supported and understanding that the bank has their back, said Alan Ferguson, senior corporate account manager at NatWest.
Speaking in the final part of a series of debates titled: ‘Making mental wellbeing and inclusivity working practices in the mortgage advice market’ Ferguson outlined the context and intention behind the change.
The bank published its own racial equality report in October last year setting out its plans to support black, Asian and minority customers, colleagues and communities.
Ferguson added: “The bank changed its terms and conditions in May – that’s to encourage and help to protect our staff to understand that they don’t have to suffer racial discrimination on the frontline.”
“You’d like to think in a modern society that you shouldn’t need to put that in your terms and conditions. Most importantly it’s not about how many accounts we actually have to close, it’s about the staff feeling supported and they understand it’s there and that the bank has their back,” said Ferguson.
With thanks to our panel:
Michele Golunska, CEO at Sesame Bankhall Group, (SBG) Martin Reynolds, chief executive of Simplybiz Mortgages, Alan Ferguson, senior corporate account, manager at NatWest, Harpreet Butoy, wellbeing and inclusion champion at NatWest
Victoria Hartley is contributing editor at Mortgage Solutions, Specialist Lending Solutions, Your Money and Your Mortgage at London-based publishing company AE3 Media.
She has an MA in Radio from Goldsmiths after gaining a 2:1 in a Comparative American Studies BA at Warwick University. She also holds a TEFL qualification and taught overseas in Mexico and Japan from 1994 to 1997.
Her role includes editorial oversight of the news, analysis and features, event content management and strategic and editorial consultancy for the AE3 Media group. She is an experienced video, broadcast and live-event host and regularly chairs web and podcast debates and interviews.
Multiple award nominations have resulted in two wins: Santander Media Awards, trade journalist of the year and Headlinemoney Awards, mortgage journalist of the year (B2B). Here is one of the award-winning pieces: https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2011/07/21/exclusive-tale-bailey-fraud-witness/
Previous roles include editorships of Mortgage Solutions, consumer title What Mortgage and trade title Credit Today as well as a stint freelancing for a variety of outlets including The Guardian and Which? Money.
