Have you been declined for a basic bank account?

dexters_mum_2

I'm just doing a quick post out of interest.

If you have applied for and been declined for basic bank account, please could you share with me (and everyone else) which bank it was and if you know, the reason behind the refusal. I'm thinking of writing to the FSA regarding mine and my husband's experiences and I am interested to know how many of the MSE forum members may also have been in the same boat....

I'll go first....

Bank/Building Society: Norwich & Peterborough Basic Joint Account
Reason: CCJ on husband's credit file

Bank/Building Society: Co-Operative Bank- Cashminder Joint
Reason: Unknown- awaiting a letter from Customer Services


Thanks in advance for any responses....

DM xx

melaniec_2

Co-op bank a year ago, probably because I had had my bank acount closed by Natwest and moved house and changed job all within 2 weeks

Waiting to hear if they've accepted me a year on.

nannis

Hi, I was declined by co-op bank this week for a cashminder account. No reason given, but told to request report from equifax.

jonesMUFCforever

Any bank can refuse to accept you as a customer without giving a reason, just as any shop can refuse to serve you etc etc.

dexters_mum_2

I was actually wondering if any one had had a reason, as the FSA say that ANYONE should be able to open a basic account and if you get through to speak to someone, they say no bank should refuse a customer to open basic account.
I want to gather whether the FSA are giving out incorrect advice and if so, to notify them of this and give them the banks that seem to be refusing people, so they can amend their basic bank account information lealfet accordingly.

kittykirsty

Halifax/Bank of Scotland refused my OT a bank account because he didn't have a job

jonesMUFCforever

Most of the rejections I have come across are ones where there is a history of fraud on your account (by the customer) or where they lie at the account opening interview and are caught out!

melaniec_2

ejones999 wrote:

Most of the rejections I have come across are ones where there is a history of fraud on your account (by the customer) or where they lie at the account opening interview and are caught out!

That seems harsh.

I just wanted to say that I have now been accepted for co-op a year on so I guess I probably had too much change going on when I first applied. This time last year I didn't ask why I was in a state of shock with no bank account and my whole months salary in my knicker draw!

dexters_mum_2

I can honestly say, hand on heart, my husband did not lie on his application and he has no history of fraud, just problem debts.

I agree with Melanie, you reaction seems harsh?

Can I ask, why?

jonesMUFCforever

Why is it harsh.
People commit fraud they get caught - why should we open an account for potentially it to happen again.In no way am I saying that posters on here have commited fraud but it does happen.
You seem to think then that's its ok to lie at an account opening interview just to get an account. A few examples (so you can decide how stupid some people are)- customer wants to open new account - I ask if he has his driving licence with him to verify id or address; he says he has no driving licence so I ask him what's he doing with a bunch of car keys on the desk!!
(Address was one known to have given him credit problems so trying to hide it)
Most obvious is - I ask do you have another account somewhere - sometimes they say no then proceed to open their wallet to get their photo id driving licence and of course you can see several bank cards - oops forgot about this account and this !!
Or the person who claims not to have an account anywhere - but has been working for last xx years so where has your wages been paid in ? Answer - sometimes it's going through a friend/relative' s account - you know then to be suspicious.

I did come across someone recently who had an account with us but his problem was that he had a lot of money going in but also going out and he was constantly o/d - he had 6 mates' wages going through his account!!
He ain't got the account no more.

dexters_mum_2

I accept your point.

However, my post was as I already stated, to find out whether basic bank accounts really are open to all or whether the FSA are giving out incorrect information.

I have made no assumptions about MSE members personal circumstances, I am purely asking out of interest and trying to find out which banks accounts are hard to open at so that as a customer I can feed back to the FSA so they can improve their information, as it does seem it is incorrect.

I don't think it is fair for you to say that most rejections are because of lies or fraud, I am assuming from your last post that you work in th industry....I also assume then you can only pass comment on the practices in your particular brand and the experiences you have come across there.

I'd also like to say that when I didn't have driving licence or even a provisional (too many years ago to mention!), I used to keep a spare key to my then boyfriends car on my keys. Was I commiting fraud then, just because I have a car key and no licence?

Also, my husband has his account closed by HSBC, because of asking and getting his charges back, they closed his account and he went to open up an account elsewhere, by stating he didn't have a bank account elsewhere (which, HSBC sent him a letter saying he didn't and to return his Switch card to a branch) was he commiting fraud, because he had the card in his wallet ready to return and he had had his wages paid into HSBC prior to them closing his account, there was nowt dodgy going on there I can tell you and he'd had the account since he was 13, wages, student payments etc all paid into there and overnight it was gone.

I can imagine that in this day and age you have a hard job to do and fraud is on the rise but many people have applied and been declined basic bank account and they haven't commited fraud or lied and the post is trying to get to the bottom of why things are happening and why it seems to be becoming harder to open a basic account. Please don't assume that just because people like my husband have been declined for an account because they have lied or commited fraud because it is simply not always as clear cut as this, as you probably already know, working in the sector.

This is just my personal opinion....and I think we may have to agree to disagree on this point rather than getting into a debate about fraud etc. I'd just be happy to continue this thread in the manner it was meant, to find out if people are being declined for basic accounts and the FSA are saying people shouldn't be declined for ANY basic account with ANY bank.