The lure of 'free cash'

RG373090 • 17 August 2023

It was great to talk to Henry McKean of Newstalk for The Hard Shoulder yesterday about how people reacted to the Bank of Ireland ATM glitch on Tuesday evening ...     

Last Tuesday evening there was a glitch with Bank of Ireland ATM machines that allowed people to withdraw cash and transfer funds even when there were insufficient funds, or even no funds, in their accounts.  Despite social media posts by the bank warning people that the money would have to be repaid, and the fact we all know there is no such thing as free cash, many flocked to ATMs and queued to withdraw cash while they could. Why is this? It turns out a strong moral compass is not always the best predictor of how we will behave in the moment. When excitement takes over, when we see others getting in on the act and when there is the lure of something for free, it's all too hard to resist. Thoughts of future consequences fade to the back of our minds ...

Sustainable Living at Bloom 2026

31 May 2026
It was a pleasure to participate in a panel discussion on waste segregation and recycling under the theme of Sustainable Living at Bord Bia’s Bloom Festival 2026 on Saturday. This is the twentieth year of Bloom, Ireland’s favourite festival of gardening, food and sustainable living.

Reflecting Ireland - Financial Planning for Later Life

21 April 2026
The latest issue of PTSB Reflecting Ireland focuses on financial planning for later life.

Reflecting Ireland - Looking Forward to 2026

13 March 2026
As 2025 draws to a close, the latest issue of PTSB Reflecting Ireland focuses on how people are feeling about 2026.

Is AI making our brains lazy?

5 August 2025
In this thought-provoking article published yesterday on www.rte.ie , Gail Conway explores the issue of how our brains process information in the age of AI, and whether the instant access and convenience it offers is actually making our brains lazy.

Reflecting Ireland - Financial Literacy

1 July 2025
The latest issue of PTSB Reflecting Ireland research series published yesterday reveals a gap between the percentage of people that feel they have a good or average level of financial literacy, and those that actually do.

Reflecting Ireland - Shifting Attitudes to Home Ownership

14 April 2025
Published on Friday, the latest issue of PTSB’s Reflecting Ireland research series reveals the impact of rising house prices on attitudes to home ownership.

Reflecting Ireland - Looking Forward to 2025

22 January 2025
The latest issue of PTSB Reflecting Ireland focuses on how we feel about living in Ireland as a new year begins. 7 in 10 people believe Ireland is a good place to grow up in, and 6 in 10 say it’s a good place to grow old in. There are however striking differences by age group.

Take a Minute, Before you Bin It!

4 October 2024
A key step along the way to a circular economy is to segregate our waste properly, so that it can be reused, recycled or disposed of correctly. The recently launched ' Take a minute, before you bin it! ' campaign highlights how small changes in behaviour can make a big difference to our recycling rate and bring us closer to a circular economy.

Reflecting Ireland - Managing our Money in a Digital World

6 June 2024
The latest issue of PTSB Reflecting Ireland, just published, focuses on how we manage our money in a digital world. 

Reflecting Ireland - Lives of Women in Ireland Today

7 March 2024
The latest issue of PTSB Reflecting Ireland explores the lives of women in Ireland today. As we approach a historic referendum on March 8th, International Women's Day, we look at four aspects of women's lives in Ireland: financial wellbeing, home life, work life and lifestyle & sport. Themes that emerge include the need for women to take more control over their long-term financial planning, evidence that behavioural patterns in the home are changing, a strong desire for gender equality in work and sport, and the importance of female role models in working and sporting life.