Does it matter where branch is on your account details?

wallofbeans

Yes, this address is correct. I'd like it to be my local branch though, but apparently the only way to do that is to go into the branch itself and ask them to do it. They can't do it online.

It's weird that they don't just assign the branch nearest to your address when you open the account. Oh well...

eskbanker

wallofbeans said:

Yes, this address is correct. I'd like it to be my local branch though, but apparently the only way to do that is to go into the branch itself and ask them to do it. They can't do it online.

It's weird that they don't just assign the branch nearest to your address when you open the account. Oh well...

Just out of curiosity, why do you want your account to be associated specifically with your local branch, i.e. what tangible difference do you see that as making, after originally asking if it mattered?

YBR

I had to talk to Lloyds Fraud Prevention because they did not like me emptying their so-called savings account into somewhere with better interest. One of the questions they asked was which branch our (joint) current was at. 
Problem is the account was initially my husbands and I have no idea where it was opened!
Sometimes it might matter to know these things!

wmb194

YBR said:

I had to talk to Lloyds Fraud Prevention because they did not like me emptying their so-called savings account into somewhere with better interest. One of the questions they asked was which branch our (joint) current was at. 
Problem is the account was initially my husbands and I have no idea where it was opened!
Sometimes it might matter to know these things!

Lloyds should be easy; put the sort code into this site and see what comes up: https://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/sort-code-checker

[Deleted User]

Shakin_Steve said:

colsten said:

I always say "online" if asked for bank address

Barclays changed everyone's sort code a while back, the last two numbers of ours changed from 46 to 95. I was led to believe this was because accounts were no longer branch based, yet ours still says Leeds on the statement.

No, it was to do with Ring-fencing with the the corporate accounts retaining the old sort code - you actually moved bank at that point to, so your wife isn't with the same bank from her uni days...

[Deleted User]

As a side point, the sort code arrangement varies from bank to bank obviously but the newer banks (and Nationwide BS) tend to use a central 'branch' or 'branches' for all their sort codes e.g. 09-01-xx for Santander but the older banks tend to have individual geographic sort codes plus some central ones for things like online applications.  

Sandtree

wallofbeans said:

Yes, this address is correct. I'd like it to be my local branch though, but apparently the only way to do that is to go into the branch itself and ask them to do it. They can't do it online.

It's weird that they don't just assign the branch nearest to your address when you open the account. Oh well...

To be honest, its weirder that you care which branch notionally holds your account... why does it matter to you?  Unless you are with the likes of Handelsbanken then all decision making and processing etc is centralised anyway so its not like you can go in to "your branch" and see "your manager" and get "him/her" to authorise a loan or mortgage.

The only difference I found with Barclays Premier is that if your assigned branch is local your "premier manager" (aka a sales rep) will call once a year and suggest they come visit you whereas if its not local then they suggest doing the same over the phone.

I did have a local branch originally and a local premier manager but he relocated but "took me with him", then he left the bank and I was oddly assigned to a new premier manager at that other branch which would have been ok but that chap left the company about 3 years before I opened my account.  Occasionally they call and ask if I want to be reassigned to my current local branch or to one of their central premier managers but I always decline both... though someone did reassign me again but this time to the branch manager of this other branch and the one time I spoke to her was regards a complaint and she just said she was promoted 4 years ago so shouldnt have been set as my premier manager... thankfully it went quiet again until 2 days ago.

Chino

Shakin_Steve said:

Barclays changed everyone's sort code a while back

Whilst Barclays might have changed your sort code a while back, it did not change every personal customer's sort code.

wallofbeans

eskbanker said:

wallofbeans said:

Yes, this address is correct. I'd like it to be my local branch though, but apparently the only way to do that is to go into the branch itself and ask them to do it. They can't do it online.

It's weird that they don't just assign the branch nearest to your address when you open the account. Oh well...

Just out of curiosity, why do you want your account to be associated specifically with your local branch, i.e. what tangible difference do you see that as making, after originally asking if it mattered?

I don't want it to be necessarily. I just assumed that they assigned each customer with the branch that is nearest their address. I was concerned that the address hundreds of miles away from me was some kind of admin mistake that would end up causing me problems later.

Turns out this is not a thing at all. But I now wonder, why they mention having a branch at all anymore. It serves no purpose. 

wallofbeans

Sandtree said:

wallofbeans said:

Yes, this address is correct. I'd like it to be my local branch though, but apparently the only way to do that is to go into the branch itself and ask them to do it. They can't do it online.

It's weird that they don't just assign the branch nearest to your address when you open the account. Oh well...

To be honest, its weirder that you care which branch notionally holds your account... why does it matter to you?  Unless you are with the likes of Handelsbanken then all decision making and processing etc is centralised anyway so its not like you can go in to "your branch" and see "your manager" and get "him/her" to authorise a loan or mortgage.

The only difference I found with Barclays Premier is that if your assigned branch is local your "premier manager" (aka a sales rep) will call once a year and suggest they come visit you whereas if its not local then they suggest doing the same over the phone.

I did have a local branch originally and a local premier manager but he relocated but "took me with him", then he left the bank and I was oddly assigned to a new premier manager at that other branch which would have been ok but that chap left the company about 3 years before I opened my account.  Occasionally they call and ask if I want to be reassigned to my current local branch or to one of their central premier managers but I always decline both... though someone did reassign me again but this time to the branch manager of this other branch and the one time I spoke to her was regards a complaint and she just said she was promoted 4 years ago so shouldnt have been set as my premier manager... thankfully it went quiet again until 2 days ago.

Surely the weird bit is them assigning branches at all anymore? If they don't matter, why bother at all? And why are other forms I'm filling in asking for my bank branch if it doesn't matter at all. It seems it's an old fashioned idea that needs to be entirely dropped.