Sunday banking is first for NI

Sunday banking services will be available in Northern Ireland for the first time with the opening of a new branch of the HSBC.

The new bank which opened on Monday will create up to 20 new jobs and will be based in Belfast's Royal Avenue.

It will open to the public during normal Sunday trading hours.

The expansion brings the bank's total number of outlets across Northern Ireland to six with plans for more branches over the next three years.

Regional Director Cecil Russell said the recent banking crisis had not impacted on the bank's investment in Northern Ireland.

'Business sense'

Cecil Russell, HSBC Regional Director for Northern Ireland said: "Access to banking services is a key priority and we believe in providing services that effectively meeting our customers' banking needs.

"Sunday banking is available at some of our branches in the UK, so it makes good business sense to offer the same choice to our customers in Northern Ireland.

"We live in a society that has come to expect more from banking, and that includes flexible opening hours."

The expansion will bring the total number of people employed by HSBC in Northern Ireland to 110.

The new Royal Avenue branch will open between the hours of 0900 GMT and 1700 GMT on Saturdays and 1300 GMT and 1700 GMT on Sundays.