Italy's antitrust authority said on
Thursday it has adopted a precautionary measure against Intesa
Sanpaolo S.p.A. and its digital-only unit Isybank prohibiting
them from switching customers to online banking without their
express consent.
So far about 300,000 customers out of a total of around 2.4
million have been transferred to Isybank in a move that the
competition watchdog says does not comply with the provisions of
the Consumer Code.
On Thursday the competition watchdog said in a statement it had
received about 5,000 complaints about the transfer, with
customers reporting that they were only informed via messages in
Intesa Sanpaolo's app or Internet-banking platforms, with
nothing to make them stand out from other messages, and during
the summer-holiday period.
Earlier this month the antitrust authority announced that it had
opened a probe into the operation, saying notification to the
customers affected was "ambiguous" and not provided in a "way
consistent with the importance of the matter".
The bank said the move regarded clients who were "prevalently
digital" anyway.
Photo: Roberto Rustichelli, president of Italy's antitrust
authority
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