Bank closed account - no reason given!

clb776

as above! is with barclays - bog standard current account - no overdraft / cheque book but visa debit card!Can they do this?! No reason given - no warning notice - just unable to use card from today (still worked yesterday!) went into bank and was told to withdraw all my money and leave my card behind! (had to take card as am still waiting for a cheque to clear from a savings account I opened thursday!! 3 WORKING DAYS AGO!!!) -How the hell can they get away with treating me like that?!?!?!

Ben8282

Sit down, relax and have a think about this. I don't think somebody at Barclays got up this morning and decided that they were going to close clb776's account just because they felt like it. There must be something, somewhere which caused them to take this action. You just have to try to work out what it might have been.

They returned your money so it's not too bad. You say they didn't give a reason, but surely, there in the branch, face to face, they said something, gave you some indication, however small, of why they no longer wanted your business ...

When you said 'had to take card' do you mean that you refused to return your card when requested? Not exactly the wisest move. It's blocked anyway so you can't use it and I strongly recommend that you don't try.

Don't understand the bit about waiting for a cheque to clear from a savings account you opened last Thursday at all. Do you mean that last Thursday you opened a savings account with a cheque book facility, received the cheque book immediately, wrote a cheque on the savings account and paid it into the account which Barclays have closed?. If not, please clarify. Thanks.

jalexa

clb776 wrote: »

No reason given - no warning notice

It is difficult to get a bank to give a reason but there is a clue in "no warning". Only a specific clause in the account terms and conditions permits a no notice closure. You need to obtain the terms and conditions and identify the specific clause. Which clause would be a good question to ask. If they decline to tell you which clause raise a formal complaint about that specific failure.

Once you have the clause you need to consider very carefully if any of the reasons could possibly apply. If you are certain none could possibly apply, raise a formal complaint about your treatment. While it may not get your Barclays account open again it is essential to deal with any inaccurate data recorded against you. Or to understand the impact of accurate data.

clb776

No sorry - I opened a bank account on Thursday with a cheque for my child (a child savings account which was opened with a cheque for x amount which was inheritence to him from an estate) - that account is now closed also and the cheque is due to clear tommorrow or thursday so I can withdraw the money in time before the cut off date given. And yes that is exactly what has happened - my card was working yesterday (last used at 1831) and apparently a letter was sent out yesterday to me - the reason is that I no longer meet the criteria for the account - there is no criteria? this is according to the lady who I spoke to in the bank?

jalexa

clb776 wrote: »

the reason is that I no longer meet the criteria for the account -

That is always possible, but the issue is the lack of notice. Require them to tell you which clause has been cited. If you have been treated unfairly on the notice you might be eligible to complain. Ultimately to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

closed

maybe they suspect money laundering? how much was x, and who was it payable to?

clb776

and I mean that I opened an account on Thursday the 22nd March - it is now the 27th March. The bank was open on the 23rd March, then closed Saturday and Sunday. On the 26th March they decided to terminate my account. I was no longer able to use my card or check my balance online from the morning of 27th march - and was told the only thing I could do was go into branch with ID and withdraw ALL FUNDS!!! According to their terms they will terminate an account if they suspect fraud or I had been abusive to a staff member - neither is true. If they suspect fraud - why the hell have they let me withdraw the money?! That seems contradictory at best. I have not been abusive to staff. On the Thursday when opening the savings account the lady asked if I would like to upgrade my account to get phone insurance, breakdown etc, I said yes. She said oh its not working properly - I will ring you later and let you know what it says either way. She called Friday morning and said she was still awaiting a response, she has not since responded. I do not see how that should or could affect my account. Finally - as previously stated I did not have any credit facility on my bank account, and had never had a direct debit returned etc? No bank charges? So - whats the problem?!

I walked over the road as i didnt fancy carrying £2200 in cash around and opened an account with lloyds and depositied my money in there - have since read that they could still dcide to cancel this anyway!x

xylophone

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/48/banking-closing-accounts.htm

Ben8282

OK. Now if they say they sent a letter they probably did and you will receive it tomorrow. When you get the letter, see what it says.

You say the account has no criteria but it must have some criteria. Every account has some criteria. You say you have a visa debit card and a cheque book for example. What are the bank's criteria for issue of a visa debit card and a cheque book?

But there is an additional factor though, isn't there. A savings account opened in the name of a your child into which you paid a cheque ... for a large amount I am guessing? This account has been closed also. Why? When? What explanation was given for the closure of your child's account? That your child no longer met the criteria for a savings account? What arrangements have been made regarding the funds in this account when the cheque has cleared? This subject must have been discussed.

Ben8282

After reading your 10:16 PM post

They did a credit check on you when you attempted to upgrade your account. As a result of the information recieved, a decision was made to ask you to close your account and take your business elsewhere.

This doesn't really explain why the child's savings account would have been cancelled though.

What sort of account did Lloyds/TSB offer by the way?

clb776

I paid a cheque into my account for £1000 into my account on Monday...I withdrew £300 to buy a necklace to remind me of my dead grandmother!!! and transferred £200 into my savings account bringing the total to £200.21p!!! And the rest stayed in my current account. On the Thursday I opened an account for my son with a cheque for the same amount. I have a copy of the letter which the bank printed out for me today. This letter states that 'following a review of your accounts, the decision has been taken to close your Barclays products listed above, in accordance with our terms and conditions'. The bank have told me I no longer meet the criteria. I don't understand at all. No I do not have a cheque book. A simple enquiry would show the cheques have come from an executors account no?