Account blocked from receiving SEPA payments?

benj159

Hey everyone

I'm a free lancer operating as a sole trader within the UK and have a business account (Sole Trader Account) with HSBC.

I recently asked an EU customer to pay an invoice by bank transfer (SEPA), and after a week of waiting for it to arrive, he contacted his bank and they informed him the payment was being held as my business account is on a list of accounts they can't send money to (he has paid to the same account once before). At first this just seemed like his bank being silly, but another customer from a different country has reported a similar situation today!

The account is in good standing order, and I confirmed this with HSBC, who told me they couldn't see any issue with the account or accepting SEPA payments.

Has anyone heard of something similar happening? What is this list, who operates it and how do I get off it?

Thanks in advance for any information anyone may have!

System

Possibly, the "Reachability file" maintained by SWIFT.
https://www2.swift.com/uhbonline/books/public/en_uk/sepa_plus_faq/sepa_plus_faq.pdf
If so, there may be some muddle about deducing the correct BIC from your IBAN. And if so, then, unfortunately, you'll need to (a) know exactly what the sending banks claim went wrong; and (b) find someone at HSBC who understands what the sending banks are saying.