Is big really beautiful? It seems all our financial institutions are merging.

Just a short time ago we had three very well-respected companies, General Accident, Commercial Union and Norwich Union. What have we got today? - CGNU!

The same has happened to our high street banks. Whatever happened to William & Glynn's?

The Midland Bank (now called HSBC) has a parent company in the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Company, or HSBC for short, and is now part of a worldwide conglomerate.

It would appear this great homogenisation will keep going until there are only a very few giant organisations controlling all our lives.

I hate to think what the new initials will be for some of them!

Although the profits for what's left of all these companies continue to soar, it would appear to me to be at the expense of jobs and service.

This is where I am going to air my insignificant (as far as the financial institutions are concerned) grievance about the brave new cost-cutting world we live in.

I bank with Lloyds - sorry, Lloyds, TSB, Scottish Widows, C & G Ltd, and I personally, along with our firm, bank in Hove.

We tend to run our accounts by transferring money from one account over to our current account each week.

No real problem over the last 11 years - that is until a few weeks ago, when I found the Brighton phone number I ring now sends me to a call centre in deepest, darkest Hampshire.

I was told by a young-sounding voice I was no longer allowed (allowed!) to transfer over the phone from one of our business accounts into a personal account.

Usually if my personal account went overdrawn, there would be ample funds in a non-interest bearing account. But now there was no way he would transfer money and I would have to be put back through to Brighton.

That was where I was expecting to get through to in the first place!

After hanging on the phone, listening to the music of their choice, the representative came back and informed me there was no answer and I was told there was nothing I could do.

I had to go to a branch to transfer money from one of my accounts to another of my accounts in order to avoid charges.

I even asked for a direct number to the Brighton centre I was supposed to be dealing with and was told there wasn't one and I had to go via them!

So much for progress. I am not really surprised we all seem to live in a more aggressive and non-tolerant society.

Until we get back to the good old-fashioned service, values and accountability we used to enjoy, I can't really see things getting any better.

Wilbury Financial Management is a member of IFA Network Ltd, which is regulated by the Personal Investment Authority.