Most people in the UK want banks to keep financial call centres in the country rather than outsourcing them overseas, according to research commissioned by Alliance and Leicester.
A survey of over 2000 adults conducted by research firm YouGov found that the majority - 87% - want their calls to be answered in the UK and would not be happy to have their bank account or other financial products serviced by staff based in an overseas call centre.
Only one in 20 (5%) said they were happy to have their call answered by staff overseas, with nine per cent stating no preference.
Worries about the security of personal information were mentioned by half of those surveyed (51%), while 47% cited concerns about quality of service and 78% were worried about potential communication problems.
The study also shows a general concern about loss of British jobs, which was cited by 82% of respondents.
Commenting on the research, group chief executive Richard Pym, says: "Whichever way you look at it, people in this country are not happy to have their bank account or other financial needs serviced from an overseas call centre. That's why we are keeping our call centres in Britain."
Alliance & Leicester employs 1600 staff in call centres based in Leicester, Ashford, Bootle, Leeds and Wigan.