Need new bank account - help please

sunflower_2

hi everyone

i held a full halifax current acc for years and had no problems
they downgraded it to cardcash acc as i stopped paying salary in for a while whilst going through divorce

after the messy divorce i was left with loads of debt and unable to pay it, i therefore hav defaults and a CCJ which has been settled.

when i try to upgrade back to a normal account, they do a credit check which just gets rejected (obviously)

i dont think this is fair as it wasnt downgraded because of anything bad i did?

anyone any ideas?

i did try to open an account with natwest but they turned me down even for the basic, but this was before my CCJ was settled so....
was so embarrassed i dont want to go back.

i am in a pretty good financial position at the minute, never go over overdraft limit (or anywhere near the max).
i pay in approx £1300 each month.

all i want is the chance to have a normal bank account with a proper debit card.

was thinking about trying maybe the Yorkshire Bank or Abbey?
Do they upgrade on behaviour after so long?

any help would be appreciated....

inmypocketnottheirs

Banks are totally descriminatory aren't they? It really p****s me off their attitude. More often than not they cause or atleast contribute to ones financial misery with their punitive charges, pickpocketing from your account, making decisions with out consulting you, i.e. down grading your account. They are worst than a bunch of fascists.

I think you will find it very hard to get an account with a proper debit card, i.e visa delta or switch, as all banks credit score.

You can open a woolwich card saver account without a credit search, but you can not pay direct debits or standing orders, and no cheque book. Similarly a Nationwide Flex Account gives direct debits and standing orders but no cheque book, and only a cirrus/link cash card.

Hope this helps!

jenniferpa

I don't know much about this but I think the flex account gives you a cheque book (well the leaflet says you can withdraw money using your cheque book.)I think you're thinking about their basic bank account.

inmypocketnottheirs

jenniferpa wrote:

I don't know much about this but I think the flex account gives you a cheque book (well the leaflet says you can withdraw money using your cheque book.)I think you're thinking about their basic bank account.

Yeah but you wont get a cheque book if your cerdit history has some stains (!) on it. You can try with Nationwide and I got accepted (with a stained history) but I only scored for the cash card account.

diamondcatz

I share the same initial as ex husband so when he went bankrupt the alliance and leicester shut my account down .When I explained that he had not even lived at my new address they offered for me to reapply --think not--so of I trundled to the woolwich and they opened me a basic account with an electron card and even honour direct debits if there isn't quite enough to cover it with no overdraft charge-result-not that I abuse it but if been in hospital it has been a pleasant surprise. The credit counselling service sent me a list of all banks with their criteria for accounts inc basics so headed off the embarassing no when applying. May not work for everyone but I do know of 2 others who recently got the electron card when opening their account even though told at time they would only get cashcard

stressedoutmumof1

I bank with Intelligent Finance and back in August they downgraded my account to basic one - it was my own fault DD's kept bouncing, paying by cheque when I knew there wasn't any money in the account etc.. anyway I rang them last week and asked whether they would consider upgrading the account - and....... they have!!!!!!! Full Visa debit card, with cheque guarantee, cheque book and even an overdraft!!!!!!!! BTW ever since they downgraded the account not a single DD bounced, nor did I ever go overdrawn (not that I could even if I wanted) and I've even managed to put a small amount of savings by! It was a hard slog but well worth it - I couldn't see it at the time, but if they hadn't downgraded me it would have got worse and worse. I mean I was paying 400 quid over my overdraft and about 200 quid in bank charges EVERY month. So in actual fact they have saved me 600 quid a month!!!!!!!
Back to the point - it took me 5 months to prove my worth again - and that feeling is priceless!

Good luck!

rod147

If I can recommend you to open a account with Smile online bank then we can both receive 12 bottle of wine for free. Let me know if your interested.

jenniferpa

Ah, I see what you mean. It's amazing just how much banking has changed in the last 20 years. From the outside looking in (I'm a non-uk resident), it seems incredible that anyone would have the cheek to offer a basic bank account without cheques (although I am used to paying a printing charge), but I guess it's not uncommon.

Jennifer

sunflower_2

thanks very much for all of he helpful replies :T

the thing is i have been running my halifax account with no problems for over a year now and every time i ask for an upgrade they do a credit check and knock me back!

i sold some property not too long back and had £30k in the account - they were all smiles asking me to open savings acc/ have their mortgage/ upgrade the account.... until i told them they had already turned me down a month earlier.

i just feel like am wasting my time and am looking for a basic bank account which will upgrade on my account behaviour eventually?

am not too concerned about having a solo or electron card - just a cashcard and DDs will do. not even bothered about a cheque book.
i dont like to use my current electron card anyway as i feel a bit embarrassed
and rarely use my cheque book.

sunflower_2

no it was downgraded before the ccj - just because i wasnt paying in my salary.

when i asked to be upgraded again they took me through credit check, by then i had the ccj

my mother earns a third of what i do and isnt on any electoral role and is absolutely terrible with money.
she opened a basic account with northern rock (from my address as was staying with me at the time)
they have just upgraded her and given her a cheque guarantee card!

thing is my ccj is for northern rock loan so dont know if i dare go there, even though they have been paid back....?

i have totally turned my life round since my divorce and have sorted my finances out through working hard.
no-one will even give me a chance

sunflower_2

any ideas on which banks do their own internal credit scoring to upgrade accounts?