RBS Branch Sale Announcement

TheAccountant_2

Just Tried to Open a Natwest Account online. It rejected me after only entering name & address details. I suspect they are trying to stop moves from RBS branches to NATWEST. If anyone else experiences this then please let me know.

huw01

TheAccountant wrote: »

Just Tried to Open a Natwest Account online. It rejected me after only entering name & address details. I suspect they are trying to stop moves from RBS branches to NATWEST. If anyone else experiences this then please let me know.

Have you tried opening another RBS account domiciled in Scotland online ?

Worked for me

LittleVoice

cbassno3 wrote: »

So are we offically owned by santander? I have an account with natwest so i may transfer straight to them.

No. RBS branch business in England and Wales is not yet owned by Santander.

I shall retain my account with RBS until the deal is signed, sealed and delivered (and when there can be no change to the amount of money to be paid by Santander). I want Santander to pay as much as can be extracted from them. That's got to be better for the taxpayer, myself included as such.

Only when I know it makes no difference shall I close my RBS account. I have other current accounts to use, so won't be opening a new one - think the Co-Op might be the principal beneficiary of my banking business in due course.

scott_lithgows

LittleVoice wrote: »

No. RBS branch business in England and Wales is not yet owned by Santander.

I shall retain my account with RBS until the deal is signed, sealed and delivered (and when there can be no change to the amount of money to be paid by Santander). I want Santander to pay as much as can be extracted from them. That's got to be better for the taxpayer, myself included as such.

Only when I know it makes no difference shall I close my RBS account. I have other current accounts to use, so won't be opening a new one - think the Co-Op might be the principal beneficiary of my banking business in due course.

Just be careful,I switched my ex B+B accounts from abbey/santander just as they were integrating B+B accounts.

Abbey tried to transfer the direct debits back to the now closed account from Yorkshire BS.They also contacted British Gas and informed them I had closed my account,they wrote asking for new d/d details even though they had taken from YBS for 2 months.

I also got letters from energy companies which I had left 5 years before.

I would start now before they get any part of your details,wish I had.

ps They send me debit cards and pin numbers but will not send me a letter confirming the account is closed.

huw01

I can't belive that Santander are committed to keeping the RBS Branch network as a lot of the time it duplicates their existing network.

I was in Cardiff today and Queen Street already has three Santander Branches, an Alliance and Leicester and now an RBS Branch. At one location there are two Santander Branches opposite each other with one of those with the Alliance and Leicester adjacent. Then about six doors up there is the RBS with another Santander on the other end of the street.

For business reasons alone they will have to consolidate their estate

stclair

I agree i dont really understand it.... Where I live in the city theres 2 santanders right next to each other, then 4 doors down an A&L and then 2 doors down theres an RBS branch is there really any need ?

chambta

TheAccountant wrote: »

Just Tried to Open a Natwest Account online. It rejected me after only entering name & address details. I suspect they are trying to stop moves from RBS branches to NATWEST. If anyone else experiences this then please let me know.

There will be another reason.

Nothing suspicious at all.

Old_Wrinkly

huw01 wrote: »

I can't belive that Santander are committed to keeping the RBS Branch network as a lot of the time it duplicates their existing network.

stclair wrote: »

I agree i dont really understand it.... Where I live in the city theres 2 santanders right next to each other, then 4 doors down an A&L and then 2 doors down theres an RBS branch is there really any need ?

Santander are essentially buying accounts, to increase their market share in the UK. Yes, they are getting branches they have no need for (and will probably close unless they are better located than the Abbey/B&B/A&L ones) but hey - it's a fire sale - and properties on a high street must be worth something once we're through the recession. Think 'Monopoly' (the board game)!

philatio

There's gonna be massive branch closures and staff redundancies.

In our high street there are now 3 Santanders in the same row of shops. An ex-Abbey next door but one to an ex-A&L which is next door but one to an ex-Bradford & Bingley.

Across the road from these is a big RBS.

There won't be much competition in our High Street.

MumOf2

For what it's worth, this is my plan:

1. When I'm next in Edinburgh (in 3 weeks) go into the Bruntsfield RBS and open 1 current account and 1 direct saver account.
2. Gradually transfer all credits (salary, etc.) and direct debits to the newly opened Bruntsfield accounts, leaving the English RBS accounts with nil in them and no activity (but still open).
3. Only close the English RBS accounts when the sale to Santander has gone through.

Benefits - accounts already up and running from Bruntsfield, also the open English accounts will still count in the Santander purchase price (only 4 but every one will count!)

Down side - Until I close them Santander will have access to my details from the still open English accounts. But at least there will be no direct debits for them to mess up.

What do people think to this?

(btw I'm a long standing RBS shareholder who lost tens of thousands when the share price crashed :-()



MumOf2