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The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
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Response to Charity Banking Challenges 2024 report

Punam McGookin, Head of Charity Services, at the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, has welcomed the publication of the Charity Banking Challenges 2024 report, which she hopes will act as a catalyst for change.

She said: “Charities are providing many essential services to the public, services which are needed now more than ever given the cost-of-living crisis – a crisis which is also hitting those very charities that are supporting others.

“Charities, which are struggling to survive week to week, deserve support but instead face additional hurdles and red tape.  For example, the survey included 167 Northern Ireland respondents, of which two thirds (67%) said they had encountered problems with adding or removing signatories from their account, and 43% said their trustees had needed to attend in person to verify their identity. A lack of understanding of how charities are run contributes significantly to the problem, which this report confirms.

“While there have been positive steps towards recognising and engaging with this issue, more action is needed from high street banks. As our joint open letter to UK Banks set out last year, appropriate training for banking customer service staff is one action that could help”.

For further information on the survey and the Northern Ireland findings, or to read the full Charity Banking Challenges Report 2024 (which launched on 29 November), click here: Charity Banking Challenges Report 2024 launched | NICVA