Reading Kate Neil’s article on banking for lawyers (‘Brought to account’, 5 February), I immediately rang my bank manager. He answered the landline himself and invited me to bring the Gazette round to compare notes over a cup of tea.

It seems ‘the credit controller who knew his customers’, lamented by Ms Neil as lost for decades, is still alive and well at Handelsbanken.

Under the Handelsbanken ethos of branch autonomy, each manager can decide who from that branch’s area to take on for deposits or credit – and who may pop in for a chat.

Although a major bank in Sweden, and licensed with the Bank of England for the UK, perhaps still an insider tip?

Angela Jackson, Lonsdale Square, London N1

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