About this collection
At midnight on 1 October 1989, Midland Bank (now HSBC UK) launched First Direct, the UK’s first telephone-only bank. The new bank (now styled first direct) was born out of growing customer frustration. Many felt that traditional banking wasn’t flexible enough to fit around their needs and busy schedules. Midland took this feedback onboard and spotted an opportunity to grow its market share with a radically new service that could be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Explore the evolution of first direct as we celebrate 35 years of banking in black and white.
