23/10/2001

Open + Direct hails best ever Internet credit success

Belfast-based financial services company Open + Direct has celebrated its best ever month of retail credit business carried out over the Internet.

Brushing aside gloomy predictions by some analysts, the Viridian Group subsidiary, which provides credit via the Internet to hundreds of retail outlets throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, processed £2.7million of credit transactions via the Internet during September.

The company’s unique web-based system, which was launched at the end of last year, sends customer’s approval on their credit application within 30 seconds and the whole process takes just over three minutes. The system is mostly used for ‘big ticket’ items such as furniture, computers and household and electrical items.

Sam Downey, Head of Retail Services, said: “Since we launched our internet-based credit product in November last year we have seen the amount of business transacted through the web increase month on month.

“This figure of £2.7million in the month of September is a record for us and I believe sends a positive sign as to the level of consumer confidence in the UK.

“Open + Direct’s Internet solution compliments the existing online real-time ISDN –based system which has been in operation for more than five years. Transactions via the Internet-based credit system now represent a rapidly growing proportion of total credit transactions processed by Open + Direct.”

Open + Direct, previously trading as NIE Financial Services, has more than 30 years’ experience in the retail credit sector and has successfully operated real-time retail credit systems in outlets throughout the UK for several years. (MB)

Related Northern Ireland Business News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

16 September 2011
Experian Reports Rich Getting Poorer
Experian has reported a massive 100% increase in the level of borrowing amongst high income families in their 30s and 40s over the past three years, with many citing the rising cost of living as the main cause.
28 August 2014
30 Firms Benefit From Fastest Internet Connection Speeds
Thirty Belfast businesses, including a provider of interactive advertising to Google and Disney, are set to benefit from access to some of the fastest internet connection speeds in the world through a new business deal.
27 October 2003
Half of all UK homes connect to Internet
Half of all UK homes now have Internet access, according to new consumer research published today by Oftel. The key findings of the research show that 12.5 million UK households are now on-line, with 750,000 new connections over the last three months.
04 September 2002
'Bring Broadband 2 Strabane' campaign launched
Strabane Chamber of Commerce has launched a campaign to highlight the lack of broadband Internet connection in the area and emphasise the benefits of broadband Internet connection.
21 February 2002
Oftel urges BT to cut internet costs
Telecommunications regulator Oftel has recommended that BT slash their costs for unmetered Internet access. Oftel wants BT to cut the amount it charges Internet service providers to use their existing telephone network by seven per cent.