Nationwide says that its virtual assistant Arti has handled over 10,000 Covid-19 queries since 27 March.

The artificial intelligence, which was first used for first-time buyers in 2018 and then for later life products in 2019, was expanded on to deal with mortgage holiday queries in, the lender says, just four days.

It has since learnt to understand intent and the many ways in which one question can be asked. Nationwide says that deploying the technology means that staff have collectively gained thousands of hours in which to handle more complicated questions.

Nationwide senior digital manager Beverley Bartlett says: “We see Arti as one of our 18,000 colleagues supporting members to find the best possible solution to their query.

This isn’t solely about innovation but responding to our members’ most pressing needs. Training Arti is just one part of a bigger picture as we find new ways to serve our members better and deploy our colleagues to areas they are most needed, during this unprecedented time.

“With an 89 per cent increase in new registrations for Nationwide’s online bank since lockdown began, it’s important we provide our members with more choice to engage with us digitally, alongside our branch network and contact centres, should they need them.”