Bank official invites customers to put AIB to the test

A Cork-based senior official at AIB Bank has invited SMEs and mortgage holders or applicants to “test” his recent assertions that the bank is open for business.

“We acknowledge that we were part of the problem. Now, we want to be part of the solution,” said John O’Doherty, regional director, Cork Central AIB.

Mr O’Doherty was talking to Cork Biz after a seminar in the city where he revealed that nationally, AIB had allocated 100% of its Government-set target of €3bn for SMEs last year, and agreed to an increased SME fund of €3.5bn for 2012.

He told Cork Biz that in the final quarter of 2011, AIB had “sanctioned more mortgages than in any other equivalent quarter for the past number of years”.

Mr O’Doherty was concerned at the view that banks were ‘closed’, and said AIB had reorganised to “tog out and respond to businesses and other customers in difficulties”.

“We owe our existence to the taxpayer, and we see the need to put the customer at the centre of everything we do,” said Mr O’Doherty, “whether that’s new customers or customers in difficulties.”

“I’m inviting customers to test us,” Mr O’Dohery said.

A spokesman for Cork Business Association (CBA) said the news could not come at a better time for the embattled SME sector.

Donal Healy said: “It’s been the feeling that the money hasn’t been there, so I was delighted to hear that money has been allocated, and there is more to come.”