Opinions on Ulster Bank please...

Bigcammy

The Ulster Bank were terrible, I hated banking with them. I was with Halifax who were good, but had to move when I seperated. Now with Alliance & Leicester and I've had no problems with them so far.

Paddy2eyes

I have both a business and personal account at the Ulster Bank and I have found their customer service excellent.
I also have a personal account with Halifax, which is fine if you keep it simple. I once tried to lodge a euro cheque into my Halifax account and I may as well have tried to lodge a rubber chicken. They said it would have to be sent to head office and would take at least 28 days to clear. I lodged it at Ulster Bank and had the funds in my account within a week. Also Halifax will not allow you to withdraw more than £1200 without giving them proior notice.

belfastgirl23

Also meant to mention that Nationwide's online banking is excellent.

System

Nationwide every time I have to say. At times over the years I think they banked with us rather than the other way round - this was before we discovered this site:o .

We have taken the advice here and loaded our current account prior to holidaying in China, Hong Kong, Germany and the US and have enjoyed their excellent exchange rates and fee free withdrawals using our debit card. No problems with everyday banking either.

Old_Git

I use the nationwide .You can phone the branch direct on a local number .
My sister was with the northern years ago .The northern phoned my dads house looking to speak to my sister ,she was at work .The northern then discussed my sisters account with my dad telling him how much she had in the account ect .

purt

I wouldn't bank with any of the 'local' banks either. Have banked with www.smile.co.uk for almost nine years now and have never regretted it.

36square

Whatever you do South Antrim, don't be lured into any of their UFirst accounts. They charge a monthly fee in return for a discount from their overpriced loans and 'exclusive' access to a very uncompetitive savings account.
I find the plain vanilla current account is OK but I just operate it online and it's not my main account. Online payments are usually very efficient.

cifpower

I would opt for the Halifax - really helpful online and in branch and their online service is excellent.

Donal

Ulster Bank are extremely fond of the £30 overdrawn charge (I have been stung numerous times when the £30 charge puts me overdrawn, getting a second £30 charge), so I checked out the Co-Op opposite City Hall, due to their £100 reward for opening a current account that another MoneySaver recommended in a thread I started.

I signed up, switched my wages over to them, and after 3 months got the £100, no problems. They're open till 5pm and on saturdays too. Can't recommend them enough to be honest, they're all relatively young in the branch too and are extremely friendly, and I have been greeted by name every time I've been in since opening the account.

Definitely worth it for the £100, even if you only keep the account for the 3 months needed.

southantrim3

Hi guys.

I'm thinking of moving my current account to the Ulster Bank. I'm aware that they don't pay great increase, however, I'm getting fed up with all the other banks such as Alliance & Leicester, Halifax, Barclays Bank etc who use overseas call centres. What I'm after is a local bank with good customer service and speaking to people you can understand clearly.

As I say, it's mainly for my current account. As far as savings go I'll probably look elsewhere. Any of your thoughts/comments on the Ulster Bank or other local banks would be appreciated, thanks.