Macquarie Bank’s unswerving shift to a digital-only servicing model has been widened to include the removal of some types of phone-based support for mortgage brokers. In a notification to brokers on Monday, Macquarie said that it would no longer provide information over the phone about the operating status of its broker portal or mortgage processing times. “As mentioned previously, you can view status updates and access the latest processing times via the Broker Portal,” Macquarie told brokers on Monday. “Given this, we no longer provide this information over the phone. “We update the Broker Portal in real time, so it’s a faster and more convenient way for you to access the latest information, 24/7. “We encourage you to share this update with your support staff, so that they’re across the change too. The reduction in phone support for brokers comes only a month after the bank flagged it would be shutting down its telephone banking service for transaction account holders from May next year. Macquarie is also binning cheques and over-the-counter services next year as it tries to fashion a purely digital business model. While the bank has won several industry-sponsored awards for its digital services in the last 12 months, consumer review sites are replete with complaints from accountholders about the reliability of its online systems and the quality of customer service. Some customers posting to the www.productreview.com.au website say they have been made to wait more than 40 minutes to report fraudulent transactions on their accounts. Others are reporting the bank encounters major customer verification issues when accountholders change their mobile numbers or change residential address. Macquarie users are also reporting problems using the bank’s Authenticator app, which is supposed to expedite customer verification. The bank’s overall rating on the Product Review site is 1.4 stars out of 5, which puts Macquarie on an equal footing with customers of NAB, ANZ and Westpac. Top-rated banks such as Bank Australia, BankFirst, Judo, Qudos Bank and Queensland Country Bank, each have ratings above 4 stars.