Unable to get a bank account

pbartlett

whilst it will be interesting to find out who placed the marker and why, unless there has been a mistake it won't help him open an account. It will mean you can see how long it has left before expiry though (commonly 6 years).

as above, your son will need to rely on a pre-paid account until then.

eskbanker

Linda1687 said:

Yeah and he’s tried all that . He’s going round in circles with it all they keep saying they will get back to him . There’s an alert on his name ,And it will never be removed .so that’s why no banks will let him have an account ever .

The subject access request process referred to is a legal obligation, and one which each company will be very familiar with handling, so if he submits a valid SAR to each of the firms listed then they're required to explain within a month exactly what they hold about him, which will show what happened, when, etc, and in turn that should give an indication about when such markers will expire, after which he stands a chance of being accepted for an account.

There are no shortcuts, he needs to do this, and nothing else will give the answers he and you are looking for about how long he'll have to wait before he can access financial products again....

sutton111

If your son does have a marker with CIFAS, which seems highly likely, you then need to write to Metro and put your case across and get the full details from your son. If it is complicated, you may be better to get legal advice by asking a solicitor familiar with financial matters to challenge it.

However, initially start with the DSAR to CIFAS, then take it from there. 

eskbanker

sutton111 said:

If your son does have a marker with CIFAS, which seems highly likely, you then need to write to Metro and put your case across and get the full details from your son. If it is complicated, you may be better to get legal advice by asking a solicitor familiar with financial matters to challenge it.

However, initially start with the DSAR to CIFAS, then take it from there. 

OP's son is an adult of 23, so no financial institution will deal with his mother (unless she has power of attorney for him, or similar), so the son needs to own this and deal with it himself, although mum can obviously offer support and guidance....

Stuart_W

You son could contact his local Engage-card linked credit union and open an account (provided he can provide ID they will usually accept anyone, even if a fraud marker is showing) - and then he will have access to a low-cost prepaid debit card, it has a monthly cost of £3.50 but the cashback scheme means this is often refunded. My local credit union offers this but you might need to hunt out which credit unions are available in your area. His employer may even offer access to one. 

Alternatively, another alternative albeit expensive option is to open a Cashplus bank account - choice of either 99p per certain transactions or £5.95 monthly fee but they generally open to anyone as long as they can verify ID. You can get an instant online decision. They generally claim to offer accounts for those that can't get them elsewhere. They are also a fully UK registered bank, so better protection than a prepaid card.

GeordieGeorge

Linda1687 said:

My son who is 23 has been unable to get any sort of bank account , we have tried numerous banks/building society’s . Still no joy in getting one for him. He had a metro account but it got shut down,.after that he’s unable to get anything? Been to citizens advice and they can’t help either ? Was wondering if there are any other options or ways he can get one he needs one for his wages to go in .

Is your son classed as having special educational needs, or learning difficulties? I ask as it’s unusual for an adult to need to do this for an adult who doesn’t, and it also means that banks and others are expected to take this into account when deciding if, for example, an attempt at fraud has been made. If your son is at increased likelihood of being taken advantage of because of his condition then it is not very reasonable to hold him accountable if someone has used him to enable their own fraud.

If this is the case then the bank should have a team set up to deal with situations such as this and they may well be able to help.

General_Grant

Linda1687 said:

My son who is 23 has been unable to get any sort of bank account , we have tried numerous banks/building society’s . Still no joy in getting one for him. He had a metro account but it got shut down,.after that he’s unable to get anything? Been to citizens advice and they can’t help either ? Was wondering if there are any other options or ways he can get one he needs one for his wages to go in .

Where has his wage been paid into in recent times?

Until he has his own account again, his pay could be sent to one of your accounts.

WillPS

Stuart_W said:

You son could contact his local Engage-card linked credit union and open an account (provided he can provide ID they will usually accept anyone, even if a fraud marker is showing) - and then he will have access to a low-cost prepaid debit card, it has a monthly cost of £3.50 but the cashback scheme means this is often refunded. My local credit union offers this but you might need to hunt out which credit unions are available in your area. His employer may even offer access to one. 

Alternatively, another alternative albeit expensive option is to open a Cashplus bank account - choice of either 99p per certain transactions or £5.95 monthly fee but they generally open to anyone as long as they can verify ID. You can get an instant online decision. They generally claim to offer accounts for those that can't get them elsewhere. They are also a fully UK registered bank, so better protection than a prepaid card.

This is the best advice. Engage | The fair, honest, trusted alternative bank account (engageaccount.com)

General_Grant said:

Linda1687 said:

My son who is 23 has been unable to get any sort of bank account , we have tried numerous banks/building society’s . Still no joy in getting one for him. He had a metro account but it got shut down,.after that he’s unable to get anything? Been to citizens advice and they can’t help either ? Was wondering if there are any other options or ways he can get one he needs one for his wages to go in .

Where has his wage been paid into in recent times?

Until he has his own account again, his pay could be sent to one of your accounts.

This sounds like a really bad idea to me. Her son needs his independence and I'd be pretty keen to keep my financial independence from him given what has happened!! A prepaid ("unbanking") account can potentially be opened in minutes if needs be as a stopgap.