ULSTER Bank is expected to announce around 50 redundancies today at its Belfast call centre site at Danesfort, the Irish News can reveal.
It is understood the axe will fall on staff within the organisation's debt management division.
The call centre in south Belfast currently employs more than 300 people handling calls and web chats with Ulster Bank customers in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Two years ago £300,000 was injected into expanding the centre, enabling it to deal with customers of Ulster Bank's parent company Royal Bank of Scotland and its sister bank Natwest.
But the tax-payer-owned RBS - which has endured a torrid few trading years and which last year reported losses of £7 billion - is set to confirm another round of restructuring and cost-cutting, and that is likely to impact on the Direct Customer Contact Centre in Belfast.
It is understood staff at Danesfort will be informed this morning about the nature - and severity - of the cuts.
But one source within the organisation suggested that "at least 50 jobs will go".
Last month Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland revealed it made a pre-tax profit of £58 million in the 2016 calendar year, while its total income was up 4 per cent to £176m.
It also took a hefty chunk out of its operating costs, which fell from £154m to £145m.
Ulster Bank's regional head Richard Donnan told the Irish News in May: "These figures demonstrate that we are a strong, safe and profitable bank that plays an active and leading role in supporting personal and business customers in achieving their ambitions."
Last night Ulster Bank refused to comment on reports of the proposed redundancies.
