Why Do I Need A Bank BRANCH?

7sefton

pmduk wrote: »

When I worked for the Halifax, more than 30 years ago, the branches were identified internally by a 3 or 4 digit number. When they introduced banking accounts and needed sort codes the old branch code was tacked on to the prefix 11 to form the 6 digit sort code

Yes, this is true. '11' signifies the bank is Halifax, whilst the four digits afterwards indicate the account holding branch. For passbook savings accounts, just the four digit branch code appears in the 'branch' column of the passbook because presumably this is a hang-over from when Halifax just did passbook accounts. And as one of their standard security questions in telephone banking, Halifax often ask which branch holds your account... rather old fashioned, actually!

Sharon87

7sefton wrote: »

Yes, this is true. '11' signifies the bank is Halifax, whilst the four digits afterwards indicate the account holding branch. For passbook savings accounts, just the four digit branch code appears in the 'branch' column of the passbook because presumably this is a hang-over from when Halifax just did passbook accounts. And as one of their standard security questions in telephone banking, Halifax often ask which branch holds your account... rather old fashioned, actually!

I know I was asked what branch held my current account. I didn't know as I'd opened it online, had to quickly load up a statement on online banking!

Old_Wrinkly

7sefton wrote: »

as one of their standard security questions in telephone banking, Halifax often ask which branch holds your account...

So if I am ringing with a general query, do I give them the branch that holds my current account, the one that holds my websaver accounts, or the one that holds my other savings accounts?
(The only one I had any influence over was my current account)

hippey

But sortcodes are left over from the good old days....

Branches would hold signature cards, mandates, the microfiche of your ledger, account managers and that old title of Bank Manager who was a bank manager.

There was many things that could only be done at the home sortcode, chaps transfers was one of them

onlypaddy

7sefton wrote: »

Yes, this is true. '11' signifies the bank is Halifax, whilst the four digits afterwards indicate the account holding branch. For passbook savings accounts, just the four digit branch code appears in the 'branch' column of the passbook because presumably this is a hang-over from when Halifax just did passbook accounts. And as one of their standard security questions in telephone banking, Halifax often ask which branch holds your account... rather old fashioned, actually!

Is this the same for all banks?? As far as I know, Lloyds sort codes start 30-, A&L are 72-, Nationwide are 07- and HSBC/FD are 40-

rb10

onlypaddy wrote: »

Is this the same for all banks?? As far as I know, Lloyds sort codes start 30-, A&L are 72-, Nationwide are 07- and HSBC/FD are 40-

Each bank has a different range of sort codes allocated to it.

But different banks choose to use these sort codes in different ways, so, using the example given previously, every Halifax branch has its own unique four digit code, and so all accounts opened at that branch are given the sort code 11-[four digit code].

But other banks work differently, and so, for example, Nationwide give everyone on a particular account the same sort code, regardless of where they opened their account. But all Nationwide sort codes begin with 07.

EarthBoy

onlypaddy wrote: »

Is this the same for all banks?? As far as I know, Lloyds sort codes start 30-, A&L are 72-, Nationwide are 07- and HSBC/FD are 40-

Lloyds also use 77- sort codes, which were the old TSB ones.

RichyRich

According to Wikipedia, anything starting 2 is Barclays, 3 is Lloyds, 4 is HSBC and 5, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 or 66 is NatWest.

stclair

RichyRich wrote: »

According to Wikipedia, anything starting 2 is Barclays, 3 is Lloyds, 4 is HSBC and 5, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 or 66 is NatWest.

Natwest sort codes can also start with 01 and 5 too

Hazzanet

ISTRC from my days at Natwest that the 01 range was the old National Bank, the 50 range was the old Provinicial Bank and 60 range the old Westminster Bank before they all merged to form NatWest.