MSE News: Nationalised bank customers 'to get choice' after sell-off

stclair

jamesbrownontheroad wrote: »

Someone needs to tell the staff in my local RBS branch. Asking to do Natwest banking business in an RBS branch is like asking for a free sample of their stock...

I'm seriously confused as to how this can possibly improve the situation. I'm a longstanding Natwest customer who lives in Glasgow and works in Belfast. RBS owns Natwest and Ulster Bank (same websites, same online banking system, some awful music when you're put on hold) but neither RBS or Ulster Bank staff have been of any use in more than a year of repeated over the counter enquiries relating to my Natwest account. How exactly does closing the one and only Glasgow branch improve my situation?

EDIT... now I know what this reminds me of. It's like the privatisation of British Rail. "We're introducing competition into the railways" but you're still stuck with the one train company that goes where you want to go. Hardly competition.

Even though you can use certain counter services. I regret to inform you natwest branches can not access rbs accounts and vice versa. However if a change is ever implemented i'm sure they will communicate the change to you in there usual way.

realaledrinker

Fairly cynical as to how Tesco & Virgin coming onto the scene will improve the customers' lot.

Tesco use Natwest systems & Virgin is just a white label over a variety of other bank offerings - MBNA & Co-op spring to mind.

Never in a million years will either organisation spend the billions necessary to set up a banking infrastructure from scratch, they will just outsource operations to the bank they buy the customers/products/branches from, keeping the same systems, processes and people in place.

chambta

realaledrinker wrote: »

Fairly cynical as to how Tesco & Virgin coming onto the scene will improve the customers' lot.

Tesco use Natwest systems & Virgin is just a white label over a variety of other bank offerings - MBNA & Co-op spring to mind.

Never in a million years will either organisation spend the billions necessary to set up a banking infrastructure from scratch, they will just outsource operations to the bank they buy the customers/products/branches from, keeping the same systems, processes and people in place.

I don't think the people are the issue but I agree with your sentiment.

kemo_2002

im a bit comfused about this, ive got mortgage with natwest and loan with northern rock, i pay a fixed rate. Basically is this ust going ot stay the same but i may well be with another company?

chambta

kemo_2002 wrote: »

im a bit comfused about this, ive got mortgage with natwest and loan with northern rock, i pay a fixed rate. Basically is this ust going ot stay the same but i may well be with another company?

Any terms and conditions you've agreed to on a loan, mortgage etc would be transferred to any new owner of the company.

Natwest itself is barely affected as only a handful of Scottish branches are being sold.

ollyish

Does Stephen Hester realise how ridiculous he sounds when saying

"one of the additional obstacles that makes our job of recovering money for the taxpayer more difficult... although I completely understand the rationale for it".

Reminds me of the time I spent working in Africa, when civil servants would only do their jobs (rather than read the newspaper all day) when someone topped up their official salary.

2 solutions Stephen :-

1) If the problem is that your employees have too much work then hire more people.

2) If it is that your employees are not working (and are reading newspapers all day) then sack them.

But saying that they need bonuses just so that they do their job that they have been hired to do is insulting to every else who works in the UK.

sharalee99

I have an account with LLoyds TSB, account opened in England 20 years ago. I now live in Scotland, with access to only LTSB Scotland. Now since I opened my account, a lot has happend. I now have a Scottish Trust deed, (equivalent to English IVA), which means I have difficulty opening new bank account etc as my credit history is pants to say the least-not all my own fault, but a whole other story!
Now with LTSB,after going to see my local branch manager they were good enough to let me keep everything including my visa debit card. I do have an account with BOS that I managed to open, but only an Easy Cash account which only has Visa electron. No problem with this, I realise I'm lucky to have both of these things. Visa electron is still not accepted everywhere. Sorry, long winded story so far, but my question is, if LTSB close in Scotland, will I still have an account, as mine is based in England. Also, if I don't, if BOS get the accounts, are they obliged to give me a visa debit card, like I have, or just the visa electron? Thanks for any replys in advance.

chambta

sharalee99 wrote: »

I have an account with LLoyds TSB, account opened in England 20 years ago. I now live in Scotland, with access to only LTSB Scotland. Now since I opened my account, a lot has happend. I now have a Scottish Trust deed, (equivalent to English IVA), which means I have difficulty opening new bank account etc as my credit history is pants to say the least-not all my own fault, but a whole other story!
Now with LTSB,after going to see my local branch manager they were good enough to let me keep everything including my visa debit card. I do have an account with BOS that I managed to open, but only an Easy Cash account which only has Visa electron. No problem with this, I realise I'm lucky to have both of these things. Visa electron is still not accepted everywhere. Sorry, long winded story so far, but my question is, if LTSB close in Scotland, will I still have an account, as mine is based in England. Also, if I don't, if BOS get the accounts, are they obliged to give me a visa debit card, like I have, or just the visa electron? Thanks for any replys in advance.

Yes, you will.

stclair

sharalee99 wrote: »

I have an account with LLoyds TSB, account opened in England 20 years ago. I now live in Scotland, with access to only LTSB Scotland. Now since I opened my account, a lot has happend. I now have a Scottish Trust deed, (equivalent to English IVA), which means I have difficulty opening new bank account etc as my credit history is pants to say the least-not all my own fault, but a whole other story!
Now with LTSB,after going to see my local branch manager they were good enough to let me keep everything including my visa debit card. I do have an account with BOS that I managed to open, but only an Easy Cash account which only has Visa electron. No problem with this, I realise I'm lucky to have both of these things. Visa electron is still not accepted everywhere. Sorry, long winded story so far, but my question is, if LTSB close in Scotland, will I still have an account, as mine is based in England. Also, if I don't, if BOS get the accounts, are they obliged to give me a visa debit card, like I have, or just the visa electron? Thanks for any replys in advance.

If your account was opened in england I would imagine you would just be able to keep your account as normal. However dont hold me to that im only presuming and one should never presume I know

sharalee99

chambta wrote: »

Yes, you will.

Thats great thank you. Another question now, if there are no branches left in Scotland, how do I pay stuff in etc?
Thankfully I do most of my banking online, but what if I need to pay in a cheque?