“Jan” in his 70s has paid his rent and electricity by giro for all years. He has always paid on time. Now he got the giros in return. He had NOK 80,000 in his account and social security from NAV ticked in regularly, but suddenly the DNB account was blocked and the savings unavailable. Also the letter giro. Unpaid were bills that had gone to debt collection. The bailiff stood at the door to throw him out. Then neighbor Terje Rønne came to the rescue. – Then we had to take a trip to the bank. Fortunately, he had a valid passport and could document that he was alive, but they still couldn’t open his account again, says Rønnes. Death for the bank Rønnes wrote in the column “Den lille mann og banken” in Aftenposten in November about the complicated situation his neighbor found himself in following the new identification requirement from the authorities for the banks. NEIGHBORHOOD: Terje Rønnes (pictured) came to Jan’s rescue just before the apartment he was going to sell foreclosure. Photo: Privat On Saturday, he guested on the program “Ukeslutt” and explained what they did after DNB declared the neighbour’s customer relationship dead. – It is frightening and sad that a large bank acts like an ice-cold machine, which is only concerned with numbers and not people, he says. Rønnes is concerned that many bank customers suddenly experience being banned in the same way and cannot pay bills or buy food. Jan, who is not his real name, luckily had some cash lying around and managed as they battled to get the account active again. Requirements for identification The regulations on money laundering require banks to follow up customer relationships and to know who their customers actually are. Therefore, all Norwegian banks have been told to ensure that customer information and identification are up to date. This can happen in the BankID app, through a message in the online bank or by physical attendance. Thousands of customers in DNB and other banks have been told to re-legitimize themselves, but according to Jan, it was not that easy. At the bank, they were told that the customer relationship could only be restored by themselves. – Jan does not have a landline, mobile phone or computer. We tried to do it via my machine, but couldn’t complete the process because he doesn’t have a mobile number, says Rønnes. It was not possible to buy him a cheap phone because of the payment notice that came with the debt collection claims. The problem was finally resolved after another trip to the bank. The customer relationship was restored and Jan got his savings back. BIG EFFORT: Manager Ingjerd Blekeli Spiten at DNB’s personal market Spiten says that they spend a lot of time and resources on the ID check. At the same time, she says it is unfortunate that it took a long time before Jan’s problem was solved. Photo: Andre Børke / news DNB: – Very sorry Thousands of customers in DNB have been told to re-legitimize themselves this year. Since September, DNB has received daily fines of NOK 50,000, because too few customers have registered with the bank. The bank has used a lot of resources to get this job done, says Ingjerd Blekeli Spiten, executive vice president for the retail market at DNB. Spiten tells news that the new requirements force the banks to close many accounts. – We started sending out letters to our customers at the beginning of the year. It may be that we tried to track Jan down, but couldn’t get hold of him. We don’t go to people’s homes, she says. She emphasizes, however, that the solution should have come sooner in this case: – It is very unfortunate that it took so long to reopen his account. This should have been arranged after the first visit to the bank. It is our responsibility that it did not happen. 300,000 accounts closed Just over 600,000 people are non-digital. This means that they have poor knowledge of the use of mobile phones, computers and the internet. It showed findings from Kompetanse Norge’s survey of the population’s digital skills in 2020. – Digital class differences are increasing. We have an offer for people who are non-digital too. It is not a legal requirement that people have a mobile phone, says Spiten. So far this year, DNB has confirmed the identification of over one million Norwegians. Also from customers they have had for over 20 years. At the same time, they have closed almost 300,000 accounts. NOTICE RECEIVED: During the year, tens of thousands of DNB customers have been told to re-legitimize themselves at the bank or via app. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news Fears that many experience the same thing Rønnes is happy to hear that the bank is self-critical. He says the bank knew Jan didn’t have a phone, but had his address. – They should have gone to his house, he says. At the same time, he fears that many others have wanted to identify themselves as Jan, but didn’t know how and then got kicked out. Spiten assures that Jan’s case is one of the exceptions. – There are certainly a few who have been wound up by mistake, because they either didn’t understand the letters or we couldn’t get hold of them, she says. Do not go on home visits Spiten says that they spend a lot of time and resources on the ID check. Rønnes, for his part, hopes that the authorities order the banks to do an extra round of the closed accounts: Spiten says home visits are out of the question, and that their employees do not have the training for it and that it can be perceived as invasive. – It is more invasive to be deprived of the entire basis of life, replies Rønnes. – I think we rather have to cooperate better with the authorities if these things are said, she retorts. As of 1 December, 20,000 of DNB’s customers have had their deadline for identification postponed due to a lack of passports. Then there are around 50,000 customers that they are trying to shield from the new requirements. – Then we have to collect other types of information to confirm their credentials. Then we can hope it is sufficient for the authorities, she adds LONG QUEUES: Earlier this year there were occasional queues outside DNB’s main branch in Oslo. Many people turned up here to get their credentials at drop-in time. Photo: Mette Ballovara / news
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“Jan” had NOK 80,000 and movements in his account – was nevertheless thrown out by DNB – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
