Monzo on top of banking satisfaction rankings

Challenger bank Monzo has topped an official league table which charts whether customers would recommend their bank to family and friends.

Its satisfaction rating has dropped by one percentage point compared to six months ago, but its score of 80% in Britain was higher than all its rivals.

It is top on its own, having shared first place with Starling Bank last time, a survey of 16,000 people found.

Starling is second, with First Direct in third.

Lyndsey Edgar, vice president of operations at Monzo, which has eight million customers, said: "These results are testament to the brilliant people we have at Monzo, who ensure customers are at the heart of everything we do."

Joint last were Virgin Money and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) - both of which were recommended by 48% of their customers who were surveyed.

A spokesperson for Virgin Money said it was "determined to give customers the best products", while RBS admitted it could "do more to improve the experience for customers in certain aspects of our service".

The top two are the same for business accounts in Britain, with Handelsbanken in third, and HSBC last.

• Banks told to be 'open' about savings rates

• Boss to step down as bank hits record £195m profit

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) introduced current account satisfaction league tables six years ago to encourage switching and to improve customer service. The results must be displayed in branches, if they have them, and on banks' websites.

The survey, conducted every six months, also covers the quality of online and mobile provision, branch and overdraft services and, for small businesses, the quality of the relationship management they receive.

Adam Land, from the CMA, said: "How banks treat their customers can make an enormous difference to their daily lives, particularly when people and small businesses are feeling the pinch."

One set of research covers Britain, with a separate table for Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland, Monzo and Starling were joint top for personal accounts, with Barclays in third and Allied Irish Banks (AIB) last. For business customers in Northern Ireland, Santander, Danske Bank and Ulster Bank were the top three on the list, with AIB at the bottom.

Some 1,000 customers of each of the 16 largest personal current account providers in Britain and approximately 500 customers of each of the 11 largest personal current account providers in Northern Ireland are asked if they would recommend their provider to friends and family for the main overall score.