Touting by bank criticised

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 41

Touting by bank criticised

A bank which intercepted a cheque drawn in favour of a travel agency later wrote to the client “drawing his attention” to I the bank’s own travel division i and suggesting that he might care to in future use its facili- ; ties if he was planning any further trips. The incident was reported to the ethics committee of the Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand which, after consideration, decided to refer the matter to the Bankers’ Association. Delegates at the travel agents’ conference at Queenstown were told that the traveller who had written out the cheque later showed his travel agent the letter he received from the bank. The letter was read to delegates, but neither the name of the bank nor that of the travel agency was revealed. But delegates were told that the bank was not a member of TA.A.N.Z., which clears the Bank of New Zealand, the only one which is a member. The bank, in the letter to its client, said it had observed one of his cheques had been drawn in favour of the travel agency and wondered whether he was aware of the bank’s own travel facilities. The letter suggested that he might care to let the bank handle any of his future travel arrangements. The ethics committee of T.A.A.N.Z. wrote to the bank’s head office and later received an apology and assurance that the incident would not be repeated. Nevertheless, the conference decided that the Bankers’ Association . should be informed of the facts.