Halifax closed my accounts !!!

steph2k10

I had a Halifax account since 2004 and decided that i needed another account so that i could pay my bills with it, i opened it up online and was thinking that everything was ok. I then got a letter from Halifax saying that i failed on the Final checks and they had to remove that account.

I gave them a call and the guy on the phone said he would not know why that had happened, and he opened another account over the phone for me giving me the account and sort code. The following day a block was placed on my account, so i went into the branch and was told that they would be closing that account aswell, but they would let me keep my original account which i had with them for many years. I then get a letter in the post saying they are closing all of my account including my main one, due to the fact that they received adverse information about me, so i called them back and they told me to look on my credit file, so i did and the only thing that was major was just some missed payments. The letter was sent on the 18th and i only got it on 27th of this month. I called the Financial Ombudsman and they said that Halifax can close my accounts down without telling me why. However they must give me 2 months notice to close my account. i Had 2 months notice to close my second account, but i only had 1 month and 3 weeks notice for my second account to be closed.

Is this unfair or is Halifax within their rights... ??

I now have to look for another bank account and if my bank wont offer an account why would another bank give me one. and does anyone know of any basic accounts i can get instead. :mad::mad:

WhiteHorse

It's unfair and technically they are in the wrong, but you are unlikely to get anywhere with it.

What is of more concern is why they have done this, particularly if your credit file shows no adverse entries. As they have said that they have received 'adverse information', hit them with a SAR (Subject Access Request) under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Make it clear that you expect to receive all material related to your account closure.

pmduk

As long as they give the required notice a bank can close any account it chooses. there's a list of basic bank accounts here. It's important you check the cifas website to see if there's a warning on your records as this will mean all banks are likely to close accounts with you and/or refuse to open new ones.

daveboy

As is usual here, we're not getting all of the information.

A bank wouldn't do this without good reason.

You've been to the Ombudsman, so why post here? You've been told from the authority responsible in this area that they can do this.

Do you suddenly think an MSE user has more clout than the Ombudsman? I'd spend more time looking for another bank than sitting here waiting for sympathy.

opinions4u

The letter was sent on the 18th and i only got it on 27th of this month. I called the Financial Ombudsman and they said that Halifax can close my accounts down without telling me why. However they must give me 2 months notice to close my account. i Had 2 months notice to close my second account, but i only had 1 month and 3 weeks notice for my second account to be closed.

Your only complaint is that there was a delay in the letter reaching you. As such, you could play merry hell.

The result of that would be that they give you the missing week as additional notice.

My view is that there's little point.

Is this unfair or is Halifax within their rights... ??

Your call to the FOS appears to have explained the situation very clearly.

izools

When you say missed payments can you please be clear on two points:

1) Do your credit files show any accounts currently overdue?
2) What is the worst status in the last 36 months? I.e. what is the furthest you've got behind with payments in the last three years?