I want to change banks...

Dunree

With Santander at the moment, but for personal reasons I want to go eleswhere.

I tried to open an account with First Direct, but got the knockback ,letter today, saying I ''didn't meet their account opening criteria.''

I called them up, but the guy on the phone said that he could not tell me what criteria I had failed on, and that no one at FD would know, that it was a decison taken at HSBC, to which FD are not privy to!!!

I told the guy there was no logic to his argument, but he said the decision was taken at HSBC level, and it was not because of anything adverse on my credit file....

Any suggestions for where to try next?

I don't need/want an overdraft facility, and I have savings.

Any advice would be gratefully received

[Deleted User]

Try lloydstsb. I moved from Lloyds to FD last year and am now moving back. I prefer Lloyds Internet banking. I know people rate FDs customer service but I find the phone banking a bit irritating. With Lloyds the phone banking is automated so you rarely need to hold for an advisor and I usually want to do things quickly. When you call FD it takes time to get through the polite chit chat before you get to the reason for your call. Just like going to the hairdressers!

Plxply

You might want to have a read through this article:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts

badger_

Dunree wrote: »

With Santander at the moment, but for personal reasons I want to go eleswhere.

I tried to open an account with First Direct, but got the knockback ,letter today, saying I ''didn't meet their account opening criteria.''

I called them up, but the guy on the phone said that he could not tell me what criteria I had failed on, and that no one at FD would know, that it was a decison taken at HSBC, to which FD are not privy to!!!

I told the guy there was no logic to his argument, but he said the decision was taken at HSBC level, and it was not because of anything adverse on my credit file....

Any suggestions for where to try next?

I don't need/want an overdraft facility, and I have savings.

Any advice would be gratefully received

If you won't use the OD then Halifax Reward (free £5 each month you pay in £1000)?

I've got an account with them for the free £5 but my main account is with Nationwide. After being with Santander for the last 5 years I'm really pleased with them.

Dunree

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated

I have sent off PPI claims to Barclaycard and LLoyds, do you think this would make a difference on my applying?

I must say, I was very surprised by what the guy told me at FD, it really annoyed me that they were not privy to the information as to why I was rejected.

I have a Nationwide account that we use for paying our household bills. I want to keep my salary separate from that.

I currently pay in around £2600 every four weeks, but still got a KB from FD

Dunree

badger_

Dunree wrote: »

I have sent off PPI claims to Barclaycard and LLoyds, do you think this would make a difference on my applying?

Just had a look on Martin's PPI guide and it says it shouldn't matter?

Will I have to close my account / lose my overdraft / be penalised if I reclaim? No - this shouldn't happen. The Ombudsman ruled against closing accounts during the bank charges campaign, so it's no longer allowed. If you bank with the same provider and you want full protection, it may be worth opening an account with another provider before you start (see Best Bank Accounts)

Dunree

Have applied to Smile and Halifax, let's see what happens, though I'm not holding out a lot of hope

seriousDFW

Dunree wrote: »

Have applied to Smile and Halifax, let's see what happens, though I'm not holding out a lot of hope

Why both at the same time? You might end up with 2 accounts when you only need 1?!

baby_frogmella

Glassannie wrote: »

When you call FD it takes time to get through the polite chit chat before you get to the reason for your call. Just like going to the hairdressers!

Really? I find its far quicker to call them on their 0113 number to make a payment (i avoid any chitchat) instead of firing up my pc and logging in to their prehistoric internet banking to do the same. When i'm abroad i reverse charge calls to their 0113 number which they always accept:rotfl:

gt94sss2

Dunree wrote: »

I tried to open an account with First Direct, but got the knockback ,letter today, saying I ''didn't meet their account opening criteria.''

I called them up, but the guy on the phone said that he could not tell me what criteria I had failed on, and that no one at FD would know, that it was a decison taken at HSBC, to which FD are not privy to!!!

I told the guy there was no logic to his argument, but he said the decision was taken at HSBC level, and it was not because of anything adverse on my credit file....

First Direct are more selective than other banks about who they choose as customers. The person you spoke to is wrong. First Direct will choose who they want as a customer, not HSBC (even though HSBC own it) and they want someone with a good credit record.

No bank will ever tell you why you were not successful for an account or credit. However, in your case, its almost certainly of your credit file/history and debts.

If you wanted to have a First Direct account, you may want to open an account with HSBC and then apply to First Direct at a later date. There is also no reason why you can't have more than one current account (if you wanted to collect the Halifax £5/month)

Regards
Sunil
PS: Trying to open a lot of bank accounts or credit cards in a short time means you're less likely to get accepted - as all the applications show on your credit file.

Dunree

seriousDFW wrote: »

Why both at the same time? You might end up with 2 accounts when you only need 1?!

If I get rejected by one, hopefully the other will come up trumps.

If both come through, I'll cancel one.

gt94sss2 wrote: »

First Direct are more selective than other banks about who they choose as customers. The person you spoke to is wrong. First Direct will choose who they want as a customer, not HSBC (even though HSBC own it) and they want someone with a good credit record.

No bank will ever tell you why you were not successful for an account or credit. However, in your case, its almost certainly of your credit file/history and debts.

If you wanted to have a First Direct account, you may want to open an account with HSBC and then apply to First Direct at a later date. There is also no reason why you can't have more than one current account (if you wanted to collect the Halifax £5/month)

Regards
Sunil
PS: Trying to open a lot of bank accounts or credit cards in a short time means you're less likely to get accepted - as all the applications show on your credit file.

Thanks Sunil, I should know by the weekend how I got on with Smile and Halifax.

If none come through, I'll hang on for another six months with Santander.