SNS Bank, nationalised by the Dutch government in February 2013 after almost going bust, is to transform itself into a ‘normal retail bank’ with simple services for payments, savings and borrowing.

The new look SNS will be about ‘no-nonsense’ banking, board chairman Dick Okhuijsen said in a statement.

The new measures include replacing telephone recorded menus with human operators. And at a time when many banks are closing their high street outlets, SNS plans to open 60 new branches.

SNS hopes the shift in focus will win back consumer confidence.

Research carried out for the bank this summer shows that 75% of the Dutch do not think banks have learned much from the mistakes of the past and 66% think banks are only out to make profits.