Great 'Work in a bank? What should we know' Hunt

book12

dazzaofdagenham wrote: »

Hi all

Just spent the better part of a hour reading all posts in this thread.

I have a LLOYDS TSB Step account and wondering will i get a call / letter asking me to upgrade to a better account.

It suits me at the moment, however just using a LLOYDS TSB cash machine is a bit annoying as the one nearest to me is very oftern out of service.

Darren

I would close the LTSB basic bank account, and move to Barclays, as their card allows you to withdraw from any cash machine. The card is VISA (just like your existing LTSB basic account) allows you to withdraw cash from any cash machine.

Mrs_Ryan

cloudstrife wrote: »

Which explains why we can't look up someones details to pay cash in if the 3rd party ain't got the account info - because its confirming the account is there!

Cloud

can you explain why Halifax wont allow cash to be paid into a 3rd party's account when you have the account details and know the person's full name etc?

I needed to get some cash urgently into my best mate's Halifax account and they told me that they dont allow it anymore, and I would have to make a CHAPS transfer from my own bank (Natwest at the time who wanted ot charge me more for the pleasure than the amount of cash I had to pay in!!!)

I demanded to speak to the manager and said I already had the sort code, account number, and gave them not only this information, but gave them my friends full name (her middle name as well) when they asked, and said I just urgently needed to put some cash into her account to pay for a train ticket so she could come and see me for my birthday, I didnt want any information! They gave in in the end.

Why are Halifax the only bank who do this??? I thought it might be the former building society thing, but I pay into Abbey for my other mate all the time and my mum pays into my A&L account and I pay into hers. I used to work for Abbey (dont hate me please, it was pre-Santander!!) and know all about the DPA thing but that's just stupid when you have the account number and you can pay in!

456789

In regards to not getting change from Halifax - I remember asking once and got it

Though that was where I used to live - there were 2 branches there a small one and a large one - the small one was excellent the large one was ok

Now where I am the branch is terrible tbh :S

rb10

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

can you explain why Halifax wont allow cash to be paid into a 3rd party's account when you have the account details and know the person's full name etc?

I needed to get some cash urgently into my best mate's Halifax account and they told me that they dont allow it anymore, and I would have to make a CHAPS transfer from my own bank (Natwest at the time who wanted ot charge me more for the pleasure than the amount of cash I had to pay in!!!)

I demanded to speak to the manager and said I already had the sort code, account number, and gave them not only this information, but gave them my friends full name (her middle name as well) when they asked, and said I just urgently needed to put some cash into her account to pay for a train ticket so she could come and see me for my birthday, I didnt want any information! They gave in in the end.

Why are Halifax the only bank who do this??? I thought it might be the former building society thing, but I pay into Abbey for my other mate all the time and my mum pays into my A&L account and I pay into hers. I used to work for Abbey (dont hate me please, it was pre-Santander!!) and know all about the DPA thing but that's just stupid when you have the account number and you can pay in!

If you have the sort code and account number, or the roll number, then there shouldn't be any problem putting money into someone else's account. If you just walk up to the counter with the details then the cashier will never know whether it's the account holder or not.

sscott5581

Hi Chambta

I have HURCA.

When does the 'Guaranteed overdraft available' change online and what is taken into account when deciding this limit?

My overdraft is £300 however online my Guaranteed overdraft available is zero??

Do Halifax pre-approve credit cards, loans based on internal history. Recently I logged on to my online banking and was greeted with a electronic letter inviting me to apply for a credit card, does this mean I have been pre-approved or more likely to be accepted?

Thanks for your advice.

rb10

Halifax will guarantee credit cards or loans to certain customers, although I don't know if the letter you were sent indicates this. If you go into a branch they should be able to tell you whether you are guaranteed (means whatever your credit report says they'll take you) or 'probable accept' (which means you're almost certain to get it, unless you are in arrears elsewhere or something!).

I don't know when the online pre-approved limits change, but if yours is £0, then you probably won't be able to get higher than the £300 you are now on. But if you want higher, again, go into a branch, as they have more systems there that can see exactly how much they would be willing to give you.

Mikeyorks

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

can you explain why Halifax wont allow cash to be paid into a 3rd party's account when you have the account details and know the person's full name etc?

But that wasn't the illustration - was it? The original - and you've quoted it - referred to where Halifax are required to search for the details before they can accept the cash. And, understandably, they won't do that.

I've regularly paid cheques (it's no different) into Halifax for my Wife, Mother and Son .... where I have all the data. No problems whatsoever. And FP now covers the urgent payment to someone else's account .... it's both quicker and safer to FP direct to their account. But if you don't have the account details - don't expect any Bank / HMRC / CC company et al to start searching for you.

TRaven

Nothing new really, just a few things I recall from I worked for Natwest. I left after running up some bad debts.

I was fortunate that when I was being trained to my job, one of the expert trainers was in for the day teaching staff how to use the enquiry screens properly and explaining how some of the information on different screens worked.

One of the screens he liked to show people was called an 836 enquiry (using the old Natwest BAF system). The screen showed among other things

all the markers that were placed on the account by lending and others.
maximum and minimum balances for the previous month
turnover for the last three months
current risk grade and risk grade for the last three months
current overdraft limit
and the maximum recommended leanding limit.

As far as the Risk Grades went
1-4 were considered low risk customers. 4 was considered average and was the grade people tened to have after they held an account for 3 months.
5,6 and 7 were customers who were average ranging to those that were perhaps starting to struggle (more than one unauthorised overdraft warning within a certain period). Lender looked closely at further lending requests from some with a risk grade 7 and they could be offered a loan to reduce their overdraft facility.
8 and 9 were people who had proven they were struggling. They could be found to have warning markers to stop automatic cheque books, report all excesses. Normally lending would be looking to control further borrowing and reduce overdrafts etc. 8 and 9 were often considered for managed loans or referal to Debt Management when things appeared too out of control.

Risk Grade 10 was the point where the bank were seriously considering ending their relationship with the customer and referring them to Telford.

It took three months from the time an account was opened for a risk grade to be assigned to the account. Risk grade could be influenced by balance, turnover and applications for lending products. Sometimes when a customer applied for a loan and was refused (or accepted if it was a consolidation loan to pay off money owed to Natwest) their rg could go from 2 to 6/7. This was one reason why if customer failed to get a loan they were advised not to ask for further borrowing for six months or so.

It should be pointed out that this was one trainer's opinion of what the Risk Grades represented. He did say that a lot of lending decisions using disgretionary limits took risk grade into account.

It should also be noted the risk grade does not denote value. Natwest had another grading system that he showed me for when deciding whether to give compensation. It was a live inquiry and grouped customers a-e with a being the most valuable being an a. Rich old ladies with tonnes of cash were considered a c or below because they could not be sold expensive loans and mortgages. However a young person who was married with kids could be an a based on future sales.

Another thing I learnt, which is useful to know now that faster payments have been introduced is that some companies operate what is known as Head Office Collection Accounts. These accounts allow hundreds of customers to pay in to a single sort code and account number with their reference, but the company's bank statement shows a single credit. The company is then passed all the giros preencoded and after they have been ticked off against a hardcopy for them to run through their system, which assigns the amount paid to individual customers.

Now this means that if you pay by giro at the bank counter or using the 3 day bacs system, the amount paid reaches the company on the third working day, but it is not assigned to the customer's account until after the company has entered the information into their system, which means it reaches the customer's account on the fourth working day.

Also found out at the same time that if you pay a cheque drawn on lloyds into your natwest account at natwest it could take four days for funds to be withdrawable. If you pay it through the branch of lloyds it is drawn on using a giro credit, the funds should be available morning of the third day.

Even now with faster payments it is clear that system remains in place. It is why if you pay Barclaycard by fp, the funds don't show until the next working day even though it says they should be there within two hours.

I learnt that bank staff do make notes even if the only thing they appear to do is write down some numbers. The staff in the branch would take five minutes or so after a meeting to type up what had happened during the meeting, taking careful note of any mention of borrowings at another institution, especially if the conversation was about lending. And this note would stay on record.

A small word about compensation. Shortly before I left, Natwest were trying to move away from money as compensation. They would make good where a financial loss had actually occurred (Not necessarily where the customer believed it had occurred). The acutal flow chart of whether or not to offer a form of compensation wasn't too difficult, however to justify a payment of money required evidence that it would substantially repair the customer relationship.

Chances are things have changed since then, I do wonder how long they kept the idea of sending either a bottle of cheap plonk or a fruit basket.

[Deleted User]

ShelfStacker wrote: »

You would honestly be surprised how many people try to get their wife/"wife"s balance or cash their "wife"/wife's cheques. Common sense? Nah.

I'm in the lucky situation that most of the people at my bank know me and my OH personally, and know we're OK with each other dealing with each other's accounts.

Twister84

Thought I'd just drop in my 2 cents

First of all, regarding these "Customer Service Reviews", that everyone seems to be have hatred towards, are not actually that bad where money can be made/saved.

The review must be in your best interest and the products brought up in the review must apply to you - otherwise what's the point? What's the point of diarising a customer on who won't benefit at all? It would be a waste of time for the customer, the advisor and the branch.

I've mentioned this in another thread aswell, that yes, obviously we want you to "purchase" our products - we are a business after all. Also if you could save some money on what you've already got, then you would be "sold" the product - it works both ways. You benefit, we benefit.

Also mentioned in another thread was that not everyone shops around for offers - they just sign up for something that they need for the convenience without reading the label on the packaging.



I know in my branch, we let the customer know what will be happening and they are happy with that. We also precall the customer just to ask if they can still make it to the appoinment so that we don't end up wasting each others time.


I've not been with the RBS for long - but I can honestly say that I like my job as a customer service officer (or cashier ). My branch is in a city centre and it's always busy, so we don't just have cashiers, advisors, and managers. There are other roles within the bank too, even ones which don't involve selling.

I really do enjoy helping people which is why I wanted this job - love customers who give me more than just one thing to do lol - through this I've built great rapport with some of my regular customers to the point where I can have customers actually waiting for me to finish with my current customer so I can serve them.

I know it sounds sad, but it just goes to show that not everyone from the banks are out to get you - when they ask how can they help, they do mean it.

Also, a) we are all human and b) we are not psychic. So please think twice before raising your voice because your direct debit wasn't paid. It's not my fault you didn't tell me you wanted to pay it. If you don't ask you don't get (Yes, it works the other way too! (Cashier asking Customer)

But being the nice person I am, I usually ask if it's to cover a direct debit and can do something about it if it's not being returned already.


Oh, and one more thing...I don't make the rules :cool: