One in ten Scots has no bank account

ONE in ten Scots doesn't have a bank account and two thirds of people who have applied for one have been rejected, a report out today claims.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) said the problem affected 5 per cent of Scottish households, compared with 3 per cent across the UK as a whole, with young people and those living in rural areas the worst affected.

The report, Banking on the Basics, found that one in five households in the most deprived areas of Scotland don't have a bank account, despite government pressure on banks to offer basic current accounts without overdraft or credit facilities.

CAS accused the banking industry of letting people down by refusing applications for basic bank accounts and called on the Scottish Government to promote organisations offering alternatives to banking.