UK users gaining confidence in online banking

Almost 60 percent of Britons rely on the Internet to do their banking, research commissioned by Alliance and Leicester suggests.

Just under a third (29 percent) of the 2,395 people surveyed use Internet banking between once and twice per week, while 12 percent use it everyday.

The YouGov survey found a 63 percent rise in people managing their current accounts online since 2003. Balance checks are the most popular (96 percent) online banking activity, followed by money transfers for payments (76 percent).

But some respondents said they would still visit a branch for more complex banking activities. Of those who avoid online banking 21 percent said they simply prefer dealing with people face-to-face and 13 percent said they did so due to concerns about security.

The rise of Internet and telephone banking has led to more branches being closed, a study from the Economic and Social Research Council found last week.

The report said that half of a bank's customers will visit a branch at least once per month.

A report from analyst house Forrester last year said banks are currently restructuring their approach to customer service. It said while banks are investing heavily in IT to support new banking methods — set to hit €100bn (£70bn) by 2010 — they should put more effort into customer service.