RBS Branch Sale Announcement

chambta

Interesting points raised on here, some of which (like that new website) are news to me rather worryingly!

Some of the information seems rather cloudy in content though it's worth confirming that for the huge majority of RBS customers in England, ie those with 16-xx-xx sortcodes (except 160038 & 161926 in particular who aren't being divested), that sort codes and account numbers will not be changing.

System

Dr_Cuckoo3 wrote: »

1, The information on the RBS website has been changed at least once today

2, the Nat West site link that you posted confirms what you said about Nat West sort codes remaining the same , however the RBS website now states that all sort codes are changing

3, I have accounts at English / Scottish branches and you don't

4, Nobody with an English RBS account has received the letter yet and posted on the forum (KingElvis has an RBS English account but has not received the letter yet)

5. RBS staff on the forum are refraining from comment :silenced:

I concede that the NatWest site appears to support your contention that "For most customers, your account number and sort-code will remain unchanged" however I still think that this is aimed at the whole NatWest customer base UK - wide

There are only about 6 branches in Scotland - why change some sort codes and not all ? - particularly when RBS are changing all

I am happy to be proved wrong in due course (as far as the sort codes are concerned) - not long to go now

Q21 of 25 on the RBS Q&A page says exactly the same as the NatWest Q&A
See the "Account" tab page : http://rbsbranchinformation.co.uk/home/faq

Q.

Will my account number or sort code change?


A.

For most customers, your account number and sort-code will remain unchanged. However, for a small number of customers, we will have already notified you that there will be changes to your account details and have provided you with information on how we will support you throughout this process. If you have not heard from us, then it is very unlikely that you will receive new account details. Private, Business and Commercial customers should contact their Relationship Manager or Relationship Management Team with any further questions. If an account number or sort code change is required, we will write to you in advance.

I think I may have found what may be causing the misunderstanding.

There are a number of different web pages on both the NatWest and the RBS web sites.
Each individual page is tailored towards a particular group of customers and hence the details only relate to each of those particular groups.
I think you are picking up information from one individual page and applying it globally to all branches / accounts being sold, which is not appropriate.

The different groups as I see it are:

• NatWest scottish branch customers - Letters already received to inform them of change of sort code, but I do not know the background reason for the change
• NatWest scottish branch customers - no change of sort code but I am not aware of why this is the case
• RBS english branch customers - Letters already received to inform them of change of sort code, but I do not know the background reason for the change
• RBS english branch customers - no change of sort code but I am not aware of why this is the case

I believe there could be 4 individual web pages, each tailored to one of the above groups, so it is important only to read the one that applies to your situation. Then there is the main RBS and main NatWest branch sale page(s) which gives the overall general picture.
Make sure you follow the appropriate link for your situation.





I do not have the time or the inclination to go searching for all the links to the above, but you have already found some of them - in your words : "There is a more up to date "hidden" Natwest branch sale webpage in the same format at the RBS one"

chambta

I'm not looking foward to next year work-wise with a deal of enthusiasm.

A huge amount of training has to taken in the the second half of 2012 & holiday planning is already causing huge headaches with area managers being forced to commit to no more than 10% of staff off at any time - this at a time most branches are staffed very thinly anyway.

Talk of 'no targets' may immediately appeal but being in a sales job the fear of 'no bonuses' doesn't exactly thrill either me or my bank account.

I've still not ruled out requesting a transfer to Natwest which will also save what remains of the RBS group's final salary pension scheme. I don't expect any sympathy in either of my personal concerns but we all have families to feed.

Dr_Cuckoo3

chambta wrote: »

Interesting points raised on here, some of which (like that new website) are news to me rather worryingly!

Some of the information seems rather cloudy in content though it's worth confirming that for the huge majority of RBS customers in England, ie those with 16-xx-xx sortcodes (except 160038 & 161926 in particular who aren't being divested), that sort codes and account numbers will not be changing.

from this link

http://rbsbranchinformation.co.uk/retail/FAQ


Q.1

When will the changes take place?

A.

The changes will happen later this year. You don't need to do anything to prepare for the change but we will send you another letter once it has happened to give you your updated details.


(presumably "later this year" means 2011) are you aware of the changes happening this year ? - there are only 15 days left



Q.2

Will I be issued new debit card and Cheque book with my new sort code on them?

A.

No. You can continue to use your existing debit card. In due course, your renewal card will show the new sort code. Your cheque book will be updated when a new cheque book is triggered or ordered and will show your new sort code.


this year ? are you aware of how the new sort codes appear for the few accounts that changing and are they 16-XX-XX sort codes ? (it would be odd to change sortcodes in the near future and again when Santander are the legal owner)


Q.16

Can I open a new account?

"Yes, although it's important to note that as your original account is changing to a new sort code, any new accounts will be opened on that new sort code.

Isn't it possible to choose the branch and sort code for new accounts any more - will the RBS England branches stop marketing certain products ?

chambta

That's referring to a very small number of people who it says will already have been contacted. This is nothing the vast majority of retail customers need to be concerned about.

Dr_Cuckoo3

chambta wrote: »

That's referring to a very small number of people who it says will already have been contacted. This is nothing the vast majority of retail customers need to be concerned about.

I received the Natwest version of the letter today (a scanned copy is on page 11 of this tread) , the letter doesn't mention any change of sort code



What I am concerned about is the following question http://natwestbranchinformation.com/home/faq

Q.75 under "ALL" TAB

"I will have some accounts transferring to Santander and some accounts remaining with NatWest - what can I do?

A.

We want to make arrangements to meet your needs because we are committed to making this as easy as possible for you. If you have some accounts (including joint accounts or accounts with other named parties) transferring to Santander and some accounts remaining with NatWest please call our dedicated Branch Sale Helpline on 0800 210 0213 so that we can help."


It doesn't state what will happen if the customer does nothing and the helpline do not know what the options are

I would be happy to close my Scottish NatWest account tomorrow , I was intending to leave the account in place incase Santander offered something to welcome transferring customers and close it if not

I don't intend to keep the account as it is a burden on my credit file

I think NatWest will transfer all my accounts to Santander including the English ones "to keep everything in one place"

I wonder whether closing the account tomorrow will avoid any risk of the above ?

chambta

I've actually moved my main account to 160038 to avoid divestment but all my other accounts as it stands will transfer to Santander. I'll be calling that number to sort out avoiding the complication of 'split' accounts.

EarthBoy

Dr_Cuckoo3 wrote: »

What are RBS/NatWest up to ? - they have removed all reference to credit cards being included in the sale from their website (it was there yesterday and earlier today).

The info is still there. On the RBS site one of the FAQs (on the Accounts tab) is:

Q.
Is my credit card included in the sale?
A.
Credit cards are included in the sale. However, there is no immediate change for you and you can continue to use your credit card as usual. If any changes are needed in the future, we’ll update you well in advance.

http://rbsbranchinformation.co.uk/home/faq

It says exactly the same in the FAQs on the NatWest website:

http://natwestbranchinformation.com/home/faq

Dr_Cuckoo3

chambta wrote: »

I've actually moved my main account to 160038 to avoid divestment but all my other accounts as it stands will transfer to Santander. I'll be calling that number to sort out avoiding the complication of 'split' accounts.

I couldn't get any sense out of the helpline when I phoned about this - I think the staff may be working from home and sleeping between calls

The staff member did consult with someone else while I was on the phone but this did not elicit more information

For savings accounts I would open new ones under different sort codes and close the old ones , I wouldn't waste credit searches on current accounts though and would transfer then if I wished to keep them (I assume one of your accounts is a mortgage)

I don't think I will leave it until after the weekend bearing in mind the systems downtime this weekend , RBS seem slow to update their records though - with accounts still showing as "Premium accounts" for quite a while after being downgraded , so I will probably close my account tomorrow

Credit cards are an issue where the customer holds some accounts transferring and some remaining - the NatWest letter states that they will be transferred to Santander

I am not sure about RBS credit cards - they could sacrifice the MINT brand bearing in mind they are dead wood

If they allow account holders transferring to Santander to retain their RBS credit cards - what is to stop them cross - selling RBS current accounts to their credit card customers ?, perhaps on a pre-approved basis

I suspect RBS have already allocated separate customer ID numbers to transferring account holders (or will do so very soon)

There is also a risk that they will separate the non-private banking Drummonds account holders and sell them (I doubt that Drummonds will accept standard customers when RBS disappears from England) free banking Drummonds customers will need to watch their backs

Dr_Cuckoo3

EarthBoy wrote: »

The info is still there. On the RBS site one of the FAQs (on the Accounts tab) is:

Q.
Is my credit card included in the sale?
A.
Credit cards are included in the sale. However, there is no immediate change for you and you can continue to use your credit card as usual. If any changes are needed in the future, we’ll update you well in advance.

http://rbsbranchinformation.co.uk/home/faq

It says exactly the same in the FAQs on the NatWest website:

http://natwestbranchinformation.com/home/faq

They have edited the information on the website over the last 24 hours for example http://rbsbranchinformation.co.uk/content/rbs/pdf/RBSRetailCustomerJourney.pdf

had 12 pages yesterday - now it has only 1 page

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:eiUpJxXKoWwJ:rbsbranchinformation.co.uk/content/rbs/pdf/RBS%2520Retail%2520%2520Customer%2520Journey.pdf+http://rbsbranchinformation.co.uk/content/rbs/pdf/RBS%2520Retail%2520%2520Customer%2520Journey.pdf&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a