Not able to open an account :(

staysee

I have been trying to open a bank account for about 6 months now. I have secured a job which i start in two days time and need an account to have my wages paid into monthly... Basic take home is £1200 after tax. I am at a loss as to what i should do. I have tried, Natwest, Co-Op, Santander, Halifax, Barcleys etc. I have debt with Lloyds TSB and HSBC... Neither of these banks are being any help... My ex partner ran up debts and then the banks added on charge after charge meaning both accounts ended up with debts of over £1000. I am refusing to pay these debts as at the time i was extreamly ill and my ex partner took advantage of my illness to use my cards etc. The banks have acknowledged the fact i informed them straight away but have not said what they are going to do etc. I have not heard anything from either bank in over a year now. I have applied for basic cashminder type accounts everywhere else simply to have my wages paid into and been turned down everytime. Does anyone have any advice? My employer is refusing to allow me to be paid into a friend/relatives account until i can resolve the issue. Thanks.

EDIT: - I have tried applying for savings accounts too which i've also been turned down many times.

opinions4u

Try opening a savings account with an ATM card.

noh

If you have been turned down for savings accounts too then there is something serious on your credit records.
Have you obtained a copy to check?

hello2007

staysee wrote: »

I have been trying to open a bank account for about 6 months now. I have secured a job which i start in two days time and need an account to have my wages paid into monthly... Basic take home is £1200 after tax. I am at a loss as to what i should do. I have tried, Natwest, Co-Op, Santander, Halifax, Barcleys etc. I have debt with Lloyds TSB and HSBC... Neither of these banks are being any help... My ex partner ran up debts and then the banks added on charge after charge meaning both accounts ended up with debts of over £1000. I am refusing to pay these debts as at the time i was extreamly ill and my ex partner took advantage of my illness to use my cards etc. The banks have acknowledged the fact i informed them straight away but have not said what they are going to do etc. I have not heard anything from either bank in over a year now. I have applied for basic cashminder type accounts everywhere else simply to have my wages paid into and been turned down everytime. Does anyone have any advice? My employer is refusing to allow me to be paid into a friend/relatives account until i can resolve the issue. Thanks.

EDIT: - I have tried applying for savings accounts too which i've also been turned down many times.

I have you try the Nationwide basic flex account because there is no credit check for that and it comes with a visa debit card. I think that you might be having problems opening a basic account because the bank has put some kind of note on your credit file. I think that you should check your credit file.

If you open a saving account with nationwide then apply for the basic flex in a few months later because it will be easier for you to get the account because you will be already a customer.

money_maker_2

Try opening a Nationwide Cashbuilder with a ATM card. Its a basic savings account.I have seen many people use these accounts as bank accounts and you can have your wages paid into it.
C.r.a.p interest rate tho

JuicyJesus

noh wrote: »

If you have been turned down for savings accounts too then there is something serious on your credit records.
Have you obtained a copy to check?

To be turned down for even savings accounts suggests CIFAS. Even bankrupts can get accepted for most basic bank accounts, so it is unlikely to be anything to do with credit history.

izools

Indeed, as a Bankrupt I had a Co-Op Easycash and a Barclays Cash Card, I even had an ISA.

It sounds like you've got fraud markers on your credit file and / or are financially linked to someone who's comitted fraud.

You need to obtain copies of your credit files.

Dr_Cuckoo3

Pity the OP hasn't mentioned the Banks / Building Societies they approached for savings accounts

I suspect that they could obtain a savings account with cheque book and VISA debit card

Top tip - there are more banks than fingers I have on both hands

pmduk

Someone has already suggested you check for CIFAS markers on your credit record. They sound like the main reason you can't get any sort of account. There's a list of basic bank accounts here, but you'll see most of them won't consider people with CIFAS markers.

booter

My SIL had a similar problem - eventually, she managed to get a current a/c with Yorkshire Bank, but only because I already had an account with them and was able to act as her "referrer". Could you do something similar?

staysee

I have checked my credit and there is nothing about fraud on there at all. Just about the bad credit I am really confused by this. I have tried opening savings accounts with the banks i've tried to open a normal account with after a few of them advised me to do so.
I'm going to try the yorkshire bank tomorrow. I have tried halifax but still couldn't open an account. It's very frustrating.