RBS branch closures

EachPenny

unforeseen wrote: »

I'm guessing they have looked at the footfall and business from the various branches and decided that students are not using those branches to any great extent.

I see no reason why overseas students should need to go in regularly as they wouldn't, in all probability, qualify for a UK bank account. The reverse doesn't happen. My daughter didn't step into a Spanish bank for the whole of her year there.

http://personal.natwest.com/personal/current-accounts/compare-current-accounts/student-account/student-account-international-students.html

Opening your Student Account as an international student is easy, but we will need some documentation from you to verify your identity and address in branch after you've applied.

As an international student, you can start your application online, however, you may need to visit us in branch to provide proof of identity and proof of UK address, as well as your proof of student status.

I have personal experience of one branch on the list. From about mid-July to the end of October there is little point attempting to get an appointment as the staff are snowed under with students getting their accounts sorted out.

Visits at other times of the year usually result in long queues at the counter as staff try to deal with international money transfer problems and customers who cannot understand correspondence they've been sent.

I'm not complaining about the students though - they have, until now, helped to keep the branch open whilst other names in banking have moved away.

unforeseen

Can be done online as your link shows.

EachPenny

unforeseen wrote: »

Can be done online as your link shows.

Maybe I should have added a bit more emphasis to the bit that says:-
"we will need some documentation from you to verify your identity and address in branch after you've applied"

The requirements are for:
1) ID verification
2) Address verification
3) Place of study/course verification

No doubt there are ways in which you can get your documents scanned and sent electronically following an online application, but overseas students won't necessarily know about that or be able to do it. Or be able to communicate with someone in a call centre trying to explain what to do.

Overseas students often arrive during the summer holiday when many university facilities are closed, they might not have internet access, and they can be placed in temporary accommodation over the summer meaning a change of address during or soon after the account opening process.

I've personally stepped in to help on occasions when a student has been having difficulty understanding. In fact it is not uncommon to be asked for directions to "the bank". When you ask which one, it becomes apparent they don't already have an account they are just looking for 'a bank', any bank, in order to open an account.

But hey, the Natwest link says you can open an account online, so that's alright then.

unforeseen

So you expect them to keep a branch open just because it's busy for 3-4 months of the year.

TBH that is where the mobile banking vans come into play or even a temporary set up on the campus for the period needed. After all it is only for document validation. I seem to recall with my two that banks had setups during the first week or so where documentation could be sorted, even though UK students should be arriving at Uni with accounts ready set up as they need them at the SF application sage

There are solutions that don't cost the £100k+ a year that keeping a branch open entails

EachPenny

unforeseen wrote: »

So you expect them to keep a branch open just because it's busy for 3-4 months of the year.
<snip>
There are solutions that don't cost the £100k+ a year that keeping a branch open entails

Again, presumably you didn't read the part of my post which says:-
"Visits at other times of the year usually result in long queues at the counter as staff try to deal with international money transfer problems and customers who cannot understand correspondence they've been sent."

I don't mean to be impolite, but since you were saying just a few posts back "they wouldn't, in all probability, qualify for a UK bank account", I'm not quite sure you understand the nature of the problem and why the solutions you propose are unlikely to work. Perhaps the same applies to the RBS/NatWest managers who have made these decisions?

At the end of the day it isn't a big issue - there are lots of other banks for the students to choose from. But it does seem a bit strange for a bank to turn its back on a market which other banks invest much effort into attracting.

unforeseen

EachPenny wrote: »

At the end of the day it isn't a big issue

I agree, there are alternate solutions. I am sure the student elite of this and other countries can allow there braincells to sober up long enough to work out what to do.