Metro top and RBS bottom in banks' customer ratings

Customers have provided a ray of sunshine for Metro Bank as the embattled business topped official satisfaction ratings.

Metro was joint top with First Direct, with 82% of personal British customers saying they would recommend the banks to their family and friends.

Metro has seen its share price nosedive in recent months and is looking for a new chairman.

RBS remained bottom of the twice-yearly customer rankings.

The survey was the result of demands from the UK's competition authority to encourage switching and competition on customer service. Banks must prominently display the results in branches, on websites and apps.

In Northern Ireland, HSBC was top of the ranking among personal customers, with a satisfaction rate of 77%.

Metro Bank chair Vernon Hill, pictured with dog Duffy, founded the bank in 2010

In July, Metro Bank reported a sharp drop in first half profits, following a major accounting error earlier this year which shook confidence in the bank.

After customers withdrew £2bn of deposits over the six months to June, it announced that its founder, Vernon Hill, would be replaced as chairman.

However, the survey of nearly 4,000 people maintained Metro at the top with First Direct for overall service quality, according to British banking customers.

"Service and convenience are at the heart of everything we do at Metro Bank and we're thrilled that our customers can see this," said chief executive Craig Donaldson.

Business banking

Nearly 17,000 small businesses were also asked about customer service at banks, resulting in a ranking of 14 banks.

Swedish import Handelsbanken was again ranked top, with an 85% satisfaction rating.

TSB, which is still suffering from a fall-out from an IT fiasco last year, was bottom of the list.

In Northern Ireland, Santander led the list, with a satisfaction rating of 65%.