Drobits said the issue had come to a head in recent months, and he had received numerous letters and calls from those affected. It is “recognizable that from a certain age the retiree is not necessarily wanted as a customer”. From the “pension” stamp, many would no longer have the same access to banking services as they had decades before in working life.
Death before the end of the loan term
Because of the mortality table, banks would often no longer grant credit or increase the account limit. Due to age alone, at 70 or 75 the overdraft limit might be canceled or reduced, or the credit or debit card might be withdrawn, Kostelka added.
Drobits announced that the SPÖ would prepare a motion in parliament to anchor the ban on age discrimination in the Equal Treatment Act. Previous intentions in this direction have also failed because the economy or parts of the ÖVP “do not want to do it”.
In addition, older people should also be able to slip under the debtor protection umbrella, demanded the SPÖ consumer protection spokesman. Because if a loan is rejected by a bank, they would need an overdraft on their account, which currently costs an average of 10.6 percent overdraft interest per year – with only 0.01 percent interest on deposits.
Demand equal treatment for older people
Seniors’ Association President Ingrid Korosec (ÖVP) also campaigned on Wednesday for an extension of the Equal Treatment Act to older people. It is currently only applied to the world of work, but should also apply to banking and insurance.
Kostelka also described it as unreasonable for 80-year-olds to be dependent on Internet banking or to primarily submit applications there, when only 30 percent of this age group have Internet access and not every child or grandchild who can help with this might.
“I understand the Spanish colleague very, very well,” said the SPÖ pensionist representative, when asked regarding the pensioners’ protests once morest online banking initiated by a retired doctor. He also cited ÖBB as a negative example, saying that if train tickets with the cheapest fares were only available online, “that’s discriminatory.” “Step by step,” the elderly would be stripped of their rights, “we need a second me-too movement here,” said Kostelka.
