IF brushes off dirty tricks allegations

A trading standards investigation into Intelligent Finance (IF) - the online bank from the Halifax - has failed to tarnish yesterday's long awaited launch of Britain's latest e-bank.

Edinburgh Trading Standards has already met with officials at IF concerning a single complaint about an advert promoting its 0 per cent interest credit card.

According to IF spokeswoman, Heather Scott, the meeting went well although the matter is yet to be resolved.

And what of the allegations made in Scottish business newspaper, Business AM about an alleged dirty tricks campaign that has dogged IF ever since details of the e-bank became public in February?

Allegations include supplier businesses being threatened if they signed contracts with IF and the frighteners being put on some staff.

"We've made no such allegations," said Scott, who brushed off the negative points in true PR style.

She was more interested in the fact that the IF Web site was attracting two new accounts a minute and that so far, the site had remained intact and suffered no hiccups - something some of IF's rivals are unable to match.

Cahoot, Abbey National's online bank, for example, crashed only hours after it was launched in June. ®

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