The public campaign to force UK banks to do more to help customers will gain impetus on Monday with a promise from Royal Bank of Scotland to give at least six months’ moratorium to homeowners who fall behind with mortgage payments – double the minimum recommended by industry guidelines. The pledge, which will put pressure on rival banks to make similar commitments, comes amid government moves that could see voluntary codes of practice for the banking industry placed on a statutory footing. The pledge by RBS, which also owns NatWest, comes days after the government took a 58% stake in the bank after shareholders shunned the offer to buy new shares as part of the bank’s £20bn capital injection. Writing in Monday’s FT, Stephen Hester, RBS’s new chief executive, explains RBS’s decision. Separately, Hector Sants, chief executive of the FSA watchdog body, warned that banks will face more “intrusive” oversight as part of the FSA’s plans to redevelop the role of its supervisors.