Bank incompetance or shape of things to come

andya_3

Hi everyone
I was discharged 3 years ago and last month, 6 years after bankruptcy, my credit files are now clear and I have an 'excellent' credit score. However, I filled out the forms at Lloyds TSB to be put back on my wifes bank account.
On friday she got to the till at Tesco and her card was refused. She phoned them but was told it was frozen by the branch! Saturday morning she went into Lloyds and was told that I had been put back on the account but it had then been frozen due to my bankruptcy!!!! but they couldnt sort it out as it was Saturday!!!
I can only assume that Lloyds have got a record on their internal computers of the bankruptcy which was enough to scare the poor little blighters when it flagged up.
Needless to say I'm going in there Monday to try and sort it out. But does this mean that I will never get a 'normal' bank account anywhere even though my credit score is now good. Do the banks talk to each other when opening a new account as you are asked for other account details on the application forms??

Andy

tigerfeet2006

Think it's as you say and some one is being over cautious. Go and chew them out on Monday. If you don't get any joy from them then the Co-op do an account for BR's with an Electron card and you can have your DD's paid from there too. See the sticky on the front page.

wherediditallgo

No, it doesn't mean you'll never get a normal account, but you will struggle. I've found that, regardless of how clear your credit files are now, 6 years of damage means 6 years, & I think banks will keep things on their records for as long as they can unless they're told to remove them.

Now here comes the bit why I try to explain why LTSB did what they did :eek: , after which I'll be taking to my bed because I can't stand them after the way they treated me.

LTSB knew you'd previously been BR, so I bet they put you back on the account but froze it until they could check your credit file & BR status. Even though you'd been discharged, you could have had a BRO in place for all they knew, & one of the BRO restrictions extends the length of time that you can't have credit over £500 for anything up to 15 years. If the account has a credit facility on it of some kind, that could have meant that you could have had access to over £500 of credit when an existing BRO shouldn't have allowed you to.

As with lots of bank jobs, few people see things through from start to finish. So you'll have been put back on the account by one person, another will have checked your records & found the BR info, & either they will have put it on the account or they'll have passed the info to the insolvency section who'll have done it. Someone else would then have to check the info to see if it barred you from access to funds from the account, & the account will have been blocked until that check was done. In your case, the fact it was now a joint account made both of you liable for any debts on the account, so it was blocked to ensure neither of you could use it.

This is something they could have checked & sorted out within 10 minutes, so when you go to the branch carry your BR info with you to prove the date you went BR, any discharge info you've got, & also the name & phone number of your OR in case they want to ring up. Also carry the link to the Insolvency Register site so that they've got no excuse for someone not going online to check your status there. LTSB have a network of departments worthy of MI5 who never seem to talk to each other without letting at least a week go by first :rolleyes:, but be persistent & if the person you speak to can't/won't help you, ask to speak to the manager & also ask them for a copy of the complaints procedure. That should shift them.

andya_3

Thanks for the quick replies.

If I was to apply to a bank which I have never dealt with before, presumably they will do an external credit check which will be OK, how would they find out about my past bankruptcy. Do they contact other banks?

Andy

Homework

Your details would have been published in the Gazette.

In Scotland you have to take in your discharge certificate to prove your discharge before opening an account.

andya_3

Thanks guys
I do already have a Coop cashminder account but it can can be a bit restrictive. Not every where takes Electron cards, no overdraft limit,no chequebook etc., Now that I've paid my dues, so to speak, I would really like to get past all those hassles and try and lead a normal life again. It all seems a bit unfair after all this time to still be dealing with people half my age who are ruled by what the computer says they can or cant do. There is absolutely no personal service however high up the banking heirachy you go.

There, got that off my chest!!!:o

Broken_hearted

I don't see the problem if the account has an o/d or credit attached to it. Why should have to risk losing money as others have said there are plenty of basic bank accounts thay could be used instead.

YorkshireBoy

rog2 wrote: »

I'm not sure on the legal side of things, but, in my opinion, if you were only being added as a signatory to your wife's account, I fail to see the relevance of a credit check on you as your wife, being the account holder, would have responsibility for how the account is handled.

A joint bank account carries with it a 'joint and several' liability for any debt.

If the wife ran off leaving debt behind, then the bank would pursue the OP for the debt (and vice-versa). That's why they credit check the person being added.

andya_3

Well, an outcome I wasnt expecting!!!

Went into the LLoydsTSB on Monday. The account was put into joint names and immediately my name flagged up with a 'bankruptcy' flag and automatically froze the account.The supervisor made a call to their bankruptcy department who only asked my discharge date and removed the flag which unfroze the account. We now have a joint account again with £2500 overdraft limit and a Debit card and cheque book on their way!!!

And the ridiculous part, 2 weeks ago before the bankruptcy fell off my credit history, I was the devils own child, now I'm an ' A Star' customer at Lloyds!!!

I feel guilty posting this as a lot of you are still in the early stages of a stressfull time. Just remember it can and will get better with a bit of time.

Andy

fermi

andya wrote: »

And the ridiculous part, 2 weeks ago before the bankruptcy fell off my credit history, I was the devils own child, now I'm an ' A Star' customer at Lloyds!!!

I feel guilty posting this as a lot of you are still in the early stages of a stressfull time. Just remember it can and will get better with a bit of time.

Andy

No need to feel guilty at all. It is a long and bumpy road, but it's nice to hear that you get somewhere worthwhile in the end.

Glad you got it all sorted out.

Broken_hearted

andya wrote: »

Well, an outcome I wasnt expecting!!!

Went into the LLoydsTSB on Monday. The account was put into joint names and immediately my name flagged up with a 'bankruptcy' flag and automatically froze the account.The supervisor made a call to their bankruptcy department who only asked my discharge date and removed the flag which unfroze the account. We now have a joint account again with £2500 overdraft limit and a Debit card and cheque book on their way!!!

And the ridiculous part, 2 weeks ago before the bankruptcy fell off my credit history, I was the devils own child, now I'm an ' A Star' customer at Lloyds!!!

I feel guilty posting this as a lot of you are still in the early stages of a stressfull time. Just remember it can and will get better with a bit of time.

Andy

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