LBG closing all my accounts on 18th May

boingy

I suspect a lifetime ban isn't really a lifetime ban. I'd suggest leaving it a few years and trying to open an account.

easysteve589

I'm now wondering if it could be worth another shot at trying to get my Metro and possibly Barclays lifetime bans overturned? When I tried to overturn the lifetime bans with these I went down the complaints route over the phone and was never given the option to appeal, with both claiming they couldn't contact the account closure unit and rejecting my complaints.

My nearest Metro branch is about an hour and a half away by train though, so if unsuccessful it would be an expense for very little gain. That being said my lectures at uni don't recommence until the end of the month so if I'm going to go trying to get lifetime bans lifted the next 2 weeks will probably be the best time to do it as I'm going to be very much pressed for time after that. I imagine if I do get the Metro ban overturned it could also reduce the risk of me getting further lifetime bans if Metro ever take over/are taken over by banks I already have an account with. Plus it would be a day out I suppose.

LBG also claimed to me in branch that they had no contact details for the account closure unit, though I think you're right in that trying to get this lifetime ban overturned in branch through the appeals process would be fruitless as I was such an unprofitable customer so probably wouldn't be worth the bother, plus I did break their terms in renewing, closing and reopening new regular savers at a higher rate. 

If I were in your position, given how many bans you’ve managed to amass, I’d be looking to appeal as many decisions as possible. Like you say, your options could be significantly restricted in future should banks merge etc.

It’s patently clear there is an iron curtain between branches and the business units responsible for making these decisions, and I expect that’s by design. For as helpful as the branch colleague was who dealt with this one, they had/have as much understanding as me on the topic of account closures. Dare I say, I think I may be more clued up from reading this thread.

None of the communication I received from LBG mentioned anywhere about an appeal process being available, and only one member of staff of the four I spoke with on the phone mentioned the option to appeal was available in the branch.

If my appeal had been unsuccessful then my next and final step (apart from switching my accounts) was to ensure my record did not reflect any CIFAS markers etc. that may have been applied by LBG. I submitted no less than 5 SAR’s and received all back except NHunter. 

easysteve589

boingy said:

I suspect a lifetime ban isn't really a lifetime ban. I'd suggest leaving it a few years and trying to open an account.

I really hope you’re correct there. It seems excessively harsh to block a customer for life without having to offer any reason. And even if the customer is not commercially viable today, that doesn’t mean they won’t be tomorrow, next month, next year. 

While the perceived abuse of banking facilities looks to be targeted towards regular savers and bank account repeat switchers, for the likes of a mortgage account there is an almost guaranteed profitability associated with that for the Bank. 

Based on my experience, I’m now extremely cautious about transferring large amounts of funds, so much so that I think I may start using the branch more to complete these in one go, rather than trying to circumvent £25,000 daily limits by transferring via multiple accounts I hold. 

The new regulations being tabled for this year seem to be placing a requirements on banks to reveal the reasons for account closures. I think that should mean 1) the bank is less likely to close accounts without a thorough and transparent investigation i.e. if a suspicious transaction is the trigger they allow the customer an option to explain source of funds and 2) an appeal can be meaningfully based on the underlying reasons for the account closure. 

Bridlington1

easysteve589 said:

I'm now wondering if it could be worth another shot at trying to get my Metro and possibly Barclays lifetime bans overturned? When I tried to overturn the lifetime bans with these I went down the complaints route over the phone and was never given the option to appeal, with both claiming they couldn't contact the account closure unit and rejecting my complaints.

My nearest Metro branch is about an hour and a half away by train though, so if unsuccessful it would be an expense for very little gain. That being said my lectures at uni don't recommence until the end of the month so if I'm going to go trying to get lifetime bans lifted the next 2 weeks will probably be the best time to do it as I'm going to be very much pressed for time after that. I imagine if I do get the Metro ban overturned it could also reduce the risk of me getting further lifetime bans if Metro ever take over/are taken over by banks I already have an account with. Plus it would be a day out I suppose.

LBG also claimed to me in branch that they had no contact details for the account closure unit, though I think you're right in that trying to get this lifetime ban overturned in branch through the appeals process would be fruitless as I was such an unprofitable customer so probably wouldn't be worth the bother, plus I did break their terms in renewing, closing and reopening new regular savers at a higher rate. 

If I were in your position, given how many bans you’ve managed to amass, I’d be looking to appeal as many decisions as possible. Like you say, your options could be significantly restricted in future should banks merge etc.

It’s patently clear there is an iron curtain between branches and the business units responsible for making these decisions, and I expect that’s by design. For as helpful as the branch colleague was who dealt with this one, they had/have as much understanding as me on the topic of account closures. Dare I say, I think I may be more clued up from reading this thread.

None of the communication I received from LBG mentioned anywhere about an appeal process being available, and only one member of staff of the four I spoke with on the phone mentioned the option to appeal was available in the branch.

If my appeal had been unsuccessful then my next and final step (apart from switching my accounts) was to ensure my record did not reflect any CIFAS markers etc. that may have been applied by LBG. I submitted no less than 5 SAR’s and received all back except NHunter. 

I think I may as well have a bash at getting the Metro lifetime ban overturned then as I struggle to see what I could possibly have done to annoy them other than using them as one of my nominated bank accounts for savings. Since my Metro accounts have been closed for a few months now, another week probably won't make much difference so I'll head to my nearest Metro branch next week.

I doubt very much that LBG will want me back for the reasons I've detailed in this thread. I could try to appeal the LBG ban but I'm minded to just let sleeping dogs lie at the moment as the ban should've resulted in my Scottish Widows account getting closed but it remained open. SWs is quite a useful direct debit at the moment so I wouldn't want to risk them closing that as well at this stage.

I think I'll try my hand at Barclays though, I can't see it doing any harm as the worst they can do is tell me I'm still banned and since they have a branch about 100 yds away from my local(ish) Metro I might as well get my money's worth out of the trip.

How I proceed with TSB may be a more difficult one to decide though, they haven't given me a lifetime ban yet but they currently won't let me open any new current/savings accounts with them. On the one hand it would be nice to have the option to open their regular savers again and benefit from their switching offers at some point in the future but on the other hand I don't want it to spark an accounts review that could see me get a lifetime ban from TSB as well, which would be my fourth in little over a year.

Kim_13

Bridlington1 said:

easysteve589 said:

I'm now wondering if it could be worth another shot at trying to get my Metro and possibly Barclays lifetime bans overturned? When I tried to overturn the lifetime bans with these I went down the complaints route over the phone and was never given the option to appeal, with both claiming they couldn't contact the account closure unit and rejecting my complaints.

My nearest Metro branch is about an hour and a half away by train though, so if unsuccessful it would be an expense for very little gain. That being said my lectures at uni don't recommence until the end of the month so if I'm going to go trying to get lifetime bans lifted the next 2 weeks will probably be the best time to do it as I'm going to be very much pressed for time after that. I imagine if I do get the Metro ban overturned it could also reduce the risk of me getting further lifetime bans if Metro ever take over/are taken over by banks I already have an account with. Plus it would be a day out I suppose.

LBG also claimed to me in branch that they had no contact details for the account closure unit, though I think you're right in that trying to get this lifetime ban overturned in branch through the appeals process would be fruitless as I was such an unprofitable customer so probably wouldn't be worth the bother, plus I did break their terms in renewing, closing and reopening new regular savers at a higher rate. 

If I were in your position, given how many bans you’ve managed to amass, I’d be looking to appeal as many decisions as possible. Like you say, your options could be significantly restricted in future should banks merge etc.

It’s patently clear there is an iron curtain between branches and the business units responsible for making these decisions, and I expect that’s by design. For as helpful as the branch colleague was who dealt with this one, they had/have as much understanding as me on the topic of account closures. Dare I say, I think I may be more clued up from reading this thread.

None of the communication I received from LBG mentioned anywhere about an appeal process being available, and only one member of staff of the four I spoke with on the phone mentioned the option to appeal was available in the branch.

If my appeal had been unsuccessful then my next and final step (apart from switching my accounts) was to ensure my record did not reflect any CIFAS markers etc. that may have been applied by LBG. I submitted no less than 5 SAR’s and received all back except NHunter. 

I think I may as well have a bash at getting the Metro lifetime ban overturned then as I struggle to see what I could possibly have done to annoy them other than using them as one of my nominated bank accounts for savings. Since my Metro accounts have been closed for a few months now, another week probably won't make much difference so I'll head to my nearest Metro branch next week.

I doubt very much that LBG will want me back for the reasons I've detailed in this thread. I could try to appeal the LBG ban but I'm minded to just let sleeping dogs lie at the moment as the ban should've resulted in my Scottish Widows account getting closed but it remained open. SWs is quite a useful direct debit at the moment so I wouldn't want to risk them closing that as well at this stage.

I think I'll try my hand at Barclays though, I can't see it doing any harm as the worst they can do is tell me I'm still banned and since they have a branch about 100 yds away from my local(ish) Metro I might as well get my money's worth out of the trip.

How I proceed with TSB may be a more difficult one to decide though, they haven't given me a lifetime ban yet but they currently won't let me open any new current/savings accounts with them. On the one hand it would be nice to have the option to open their regular savers again and benefit from their switching offers at some point in the future but on the other hand I don't want it to spark an accounts review that could see me get a lifetime ban from TSB as well, which would be my fourth in little over a year.

Having read posts where there have been difficulties for those wanting to open the Fixed Rate ISA because they don’t allow appointment bookings and sometimes don’t have the staff available, I wonder if it may be worth leaving it until you are closer to a Metro (you never know where you’ll end up for work after you graduate) or while visiting friends or family.

If one bank were to take over another, the possibility would surely emerge in the press some time before it were finalised and that would be the time to press on with efforts to gets the bans overturned. As you say, the accounts have been closed for some months already so a bit longer is hardly going to make a difference.

For the moment, in your position I would be tempted to contact your MP given that tackling debanking seems to be popular at the minute. 3 lifetime bans at the age of 20/21 does seem to place a person at a higher risk of ending up without banking facilities at some point in the future. You could highlight how you respect LBG’s commercial decision to ban you and in hindsight probably would have done the same in their shoes, but that the Barclays and Metro bans were unwarranted. Where Barclays was concerned you simply followed the advice given by their staff. Metro could only be the deposits (unless LBG could have passed something to them when the account was switched in) and all funds were legitimate and you have proof of these. Once the details have been passed on, the MPs staff might be able to get some movement while you concentrate on your final term.

This was one of the threads I read after returning to MSE and it has made me reconsider how I bank with LBG. Lifetime bans seem to come about where accounts are held with all the brands so I have no intention of ever opening any BOS accounts. I have also switched around the accounts linked to savings accounts, as previously Halifax was nominated for all of them and my payee list rather large.

friolento

easysteve589 said:

There isn’t actually an appeal form as such.

How did you know that there is such a thing as the appeals process?

easysteve589

friolento said:

easysteve589 said:

There isn’t actually an appeal form as such.

How did you know that there is such a thing as the appeals process?

It was mentioned much earlier on this thread by someone else. Not quite sure on which page I’m afraid. It was also advised to me when calling LBG. 

I suspect they don’t mention it in the letter as they’d rather deal with as few as possible. If someone was genuinely money laundering, or otherwise using account fragrantly against T&C’s, then I suspect most would choose to simply accept the decision and move on. 

eskbanker

easysteve589 said:
If someone was genuinely money laundering, or otherwise using account fragrantly against T&C’s...

A benefit of things being laundered, they always smell nice afterwards....

Bridlington1

Kim_13 said:

Bridlington1 said:

easysteve589 said:

I'm now wondering if it could be worth another shot at trying to get my Metro and possibly Barclays lifetime bans overturned? When I tried to overturn the lifetime bans with these I went down the complaints route over the phone and was never given the option to appeal, with both claiming they couldn't contact the account closure unit and rejecting my complaints.

My nearest Metro branch is about an hour and a half away by train though, so if unsuccessful it would be an expense for very little gain. That being said my lectures at uni don't recommence until the end of the month so if I'm going to go trying to get lifetime bans lifted the next 2 weeks will probably be the best time to do it as I'm going to be very much pressed for time after that. I imagine if I do get the Metro ban overturned it could also reduce the risk of me getting further lifetime bans if Metro ever take over/are taken over by banks I already have an account with. Plus it would be a day out I suppose.

LBG also claimed to me in branch that they had no contact details for the account closure unit, though I think you're right in that trying to get this lifetime ban overturned in branch through the appeals process would be fruitless as I was such an unprofitable customer so probably wouldn't be worth the bother, plus I did break their terms in renewing, closing and reopening new regular savers at a higher rate. 

If I were in your position, given how many bans you’ve managed to amass, I’d be looking to appeal as many decisions as possible. Like you say, your options could be significantly restricted in future should banks merge etc.

It’s patently clear there is an iron curtain between branches and the business units responsible for making these decisions, and I expect that’s by design. For as helpful as the branch colleague was who dealt with this one, they had/have as much understanding as me on the topic of account closures. Dare I say, I think I may be more clued up from reading this thread.

None of the communication I received from LBG mentioned anywhere about an appeal process being available, and only one member of staff of the four I spoke with on the phone mentioned the option to appeal was available in the branch.

If my appeal had been unsuccessful then my next and final step (apart from switching my accounts) was to ensure my record did not reflect any CIFAS markers etc. that may have been applied by LBG. I submitted no less than 5 SAR’s and received all back except NHunter. 

I think I may as well have a bash at getting the Metro lifetime ban overturned then as I struggle to see what I could possibly have done to annoy them other than using them as one of my nominated bank accounts for savings. Since my Metro accounts have been closed for a few months now, another week probably won't make much difference so I'll head to my nearest Metro branch next week.

I doubt very much that LBG will want me back for the reasons I've detailed in this thread. I could try to appeal the LBG ban but I'm minded to just let sleeping dogs lie at the moment as the ban should've resulted in my Scottish Widows account getting closed but it remained open. SWs is quite a useful direct debit at the moment so I wouldn't want to risk them closing that as well at this stage.

I think I'll try my hand at Barclays though, I can't see it doing any harm as the worst they can do is tell me I'm still banned and since they have a branch about 100 yds away from my local(ish) Metro I might as well get my money's worth out of the trip.

How I proceed with TSB may be a more difficult one to decide though, they haven't given me a lifetime ban yet but they currently won't let me open any new current/savings accounts with them. On the one hand it would be nice to have the option to open their regular savers again and benefit from their switching offers at some point in the future but on the other hand I don't want it to spark an accounts review that could see me get a lifetime ban from TSB as well, which would be my fourth in little over a year.

Having read posts where there have been difficulties for those wanting to open the Fixed Rate ISA because they don’t allow appointment bookings and sometimes don’t have the staff available, I wonder if it may be worth leaving it until you are closer to a Metro (you never know where you’ll end up for work after you graduate) or while visiting friends or family.

If one bank were to take over another, the possibility would surely emerge in the press some time before it were finalised and that would be the time to press on with efforts to gets the bans overturned. As you say, the accounts have been closed for some months already so a bit longer is hardly going to make a difference.

For the moment, in your position I would be tempted to contact your MP given that tackling debanking seems to be popular at the minute. 3 lifetime bans at the age of 20/21 does seem to place a person at a higher risk of ending up without banking facilities at some point in the future. You could highlight how you respect LBG’s commercial decision to ban you and in hindsight probably would have done the same in their shoes, but that the Barclays and Metro bans were unwarranted. Where Barclays was concerned you simply followed the advice given by their staff. Metro could only be the deposits (unless LBG could have passed something to them when the account was switched in) and all funds were legitimate and you have proof of these. Once the details have been passed on, the MPs staff might be able to get some movement while you concentrate on your final term.

This was one of the threads I read after returning to MSE and it has made me reconsider how I bank with LBG. Lifetime bans seem to come about where accounts are held with all the brands so I have no intention of ever opening any BOS accounts. I have also switched around the accounts linked to savings accounts, as previously Halifax was nominated for all of them and my payee list rather large.

I take your point about waiting till I'm living/working closer to or travelling near a Metro before visiting them in branch. I wouldn't want to be spending money on train fares only to find that Metro won't overturn the ban and find I've made a wasted journey and upon reflection perhaps it does seem a tad extreme to make a round trip of over 100 miles in the hope of getting a lifetime ban from Metro overturned. That being said it would be nice to possibly get a lifetime ban overturned sooner rather than later and I feel out of the bans I've got Metro would be the one I'd have the greatest chance of overturning. I don't know though, perhaps I'm clutching at straws here.

Contacting my local MP seems rather drastic in my case and isn't something I'd ever wish to do over a few lifetime bans from the banks as the matter just doesn't seem anywhere near serious enough to warrant them devoting any time to it. I broke the Ts&Cs in the case of LBG and Barclays, albeit under the advice of bank staff in the case of the latter and I took too many liberties with LBG so I feel I've only myself to blame in these two instances. Admittedly though at the rate I'm going it's beginning to feel like it's a matter of when, not if I run out of banks that will offer me current accounts but I suppose I'll just have to cross that particular bridge if I ever come to it.

I'm not at all convinced by your point that lifetime bans seem to come about when accounts are held with all the brands though, I just can't see any rational reason for banning someone because they hold accounts with Lloyds, Halifax and BOS simultaneously. I'm sure I've seen a few threads where people have got lifetime bans when they've had accounts with just one or two of the LBG banks and there are many posters on here who have held accounts with all 3 for many years without any issues so I very much doubt that holding accounts with all 3 could result in account closures. 

Similarly I also think it irrational to think that LBG could have given Metro any information about my accounts that could've triggered a lifetime ban. Moreover I switched some of my LBG accounts to the Natwest group banks and they haven't banned me (yet) despite my arguably having done much more to annoy them (i.e. several hundred £1.01 deposits into NS&I for the double round ups, receiving 3 switching incentives from them, taking advantage of their reward accounts etc) than I ever did with Metro.

brucefan_2

Bridlington1 said:

Kim_13 said:

Bridlington1 said:

easysteve589 said:

I'm now wondering if it could be worth another shot at trying to get my Metro and possibly Barclays lifetime bans overturned? When I tried to overturn the lifetime bans with these I went down the complaints route over the phone and was never given the option to appeal, with both claiming they couldn't contact the account closure unit and rejecting my complaints.

My nearest Metro branch is about an hour and a half away by train though, so if unsuccessful it would be an expense for very little gain. That being said my lectures at uni don't recommence until the end of the month so if I'm going to go trying to get lifetime bans lifted the next 2 weeks will probably be the best time to do it as I'm going to be very much pressed for time after that. I imagine if I do get the Metro ban overturned it could also reduce the risk of me getting further lifetime bans if Metro ever take over/are taken over by banks I already have an account with. Plus it would be a day out I suppose.

LBG also claimed to me in branch that they had no contact details for the account closure unit, though I think you're right in that trying to get this lifetime ban overturned in branch through the appeals process would be fruitless as I was such an unprofitable customer so probably wouldn't be worth the bother, plus I did break their terms in renewing, closing and reopening new regular savers at a higher rate. 

If I were in your position, given how many bans you’ve managed to amass, I’d be looking to appeal as many decisions as possible. Like you say, your options could be significantly restricted in future should banks merge etc.

It’s patently clear there is an iron curtain between branches and the business units responsible for making these decisions, and I expect that’s by design. For as helpful as the branch colleague was who dealt with this one, they had/have as much understanding as me on the topic of account closures. Dare I say, I think I may be more clued up from reading this thread.

None of the communication I received from LBG mentioned anywhere about an appeal process being available, and only one member of staff of the four I spoke with on the phone mentioned the option to appeal was available in the branch.

If my appeal had been unsuccessful then my next and final step (apart from switching my accounts) was to ensure my record did not reflect any CIFAS markers etc. that may have been applied by LBG. I submitted no less than 5 SAR’s and received all back except NHunter. 

I think I may as well have a bash at getting the Metro lifetime ban overturned then as I struggle to see what I could possibly have done to annoy them other than using them as one of my nominated bank accounts for savings. Since my Metro accounts have been closed for a few months now, another week probably won't make much difference so I'll head to my nearest Metro branch next week.

I doubt very much that LBG will want me back for the reasons I've detailed in this thread. I could try to appeal the LBG ban but I'm minded to just let sleeping dogs lie at the moment as the ban should've resulted in my Scottish Widows account getting closed but it remained open. SWs is quite a useful direct debit at the moment so I wouldn't want to risk them closing that as well at this stage.

I think I'll try my hand at Barclays though, I can't see it doing any harm as the worst they can do is tell me I'm still banned and since they have a branch about 100 yds away from my local(ish) Metro I might as well get my money's worth out of the trip.

How I proceed with TSB may be a more difficult one to decide though, they haven't given me a lifetime ban yet but they currently won't let me open any new current/savings accounts with them. On the one hand it would be nice to have the option to open their regular savers again and benefit from their switching offers at some point in the future but on the other hand I don't want it to spark an accounts review that could see me get a lifetime ban from TSB as well, which would be my fourth in little over a year.

Having read posts where there have been difficulties for those wanting to open the Fixed Rate ISA because they don’t allow appointment bookings and sometimes don’t have the staff available, I wonder if it may be worth leaving it until you are closer to a Metro (you never know where you’ll end up for work after you graduate) or while visiting friends or family.

If one bank were to take over another, the possibility would surely emerge in the press some time before it were finalised and that would be the time to press on with efforts to gets the bans overturned. As you say, the accounts have been closed for some months already so a bit longer is hardly going to make a difference.

For the moment, in your position I would be tempted to contact your MP given that tackling debanking seems to be popular at the minute. 3 lifetime bans at the age of 20/21 does seem to place a person at a higher risk of ending up without banking facilities at some point in the future. You could highlight how you respect LBG’s commercial decision to ban you and in hindsight probably would have done the same in their shoes, but that the Barclays and Metro bans were unwarranted. Where Barclays was concerned you simply followed the advice given by their staff. Metro could only be the deposits (unless LBG could have passed something to them when the account was switched in) and all funds were legitimate and you have proof of these. Once the details have been passed on, the MPs staff might be able to get some movement while you concentrate on your final term.

This was one of the threads I read after returning to MSE and it has made me reconsider how I bank with LBG. Lifetime bans seem to come about where accounts are held with all the brands so I have no intention of ever opening any BOS accounts. I have also switched around the accounts linked to savings accounts, as previously Halifax was nominated for all of them and my payee list rather large.

I take your point about waiting till I'm living/working closer to or travelling near a Metro before visiting them in branch. I wouldn't want to be spending money on train fares only to find that Metro won't overturn the ban and find I've made a wasted journey and upon reflection perhaps it does seem a tad extreme to make a round trip of over 100 miles in the hope of getting a lifetime ban from Metro overturned. That being said it would be nice to possibly get a lifetime ban overturned sooner rather than later and I feel out of the bans I've got Metro would be the one I'd have the greatest chance of overturning. I don't know though, perhaps I'm clutching at straws here.

Contacting my local MP seems rather drastic in my case and isn't something I'd ever wish to do over a few lifetime bans from the banks as the matter just doesn't seem anywhere near serious enough to warrant them devoting any time to it. I broke the Ts&Cs in the case of LBG and Barclays, albeit under the advice of bank staff in the case of the latter and I took too many liberties with LBG so I feel I've only myself to blame in these two instances. Admittedly though at the rate I'm going it's beginning to feel like it's a matter of when, not if I run out of banks that will offer me current accounts but I suppose I'll just have to cross that particular bridge if I ever come to it.

I'm not at all convinced by your point that lifetime bans seem to come about when accounts are held with all the brands though, I just can't see any rational reason for banning someone because they hold accounts with Lloyds, Halifax and BOS simultaneously. I'm sure I've seen a few threads where people have got lifetime bans when they've had accounts with just one or two of the LBG banks and there are many posters on here who have held accounts with all 3 for many years without any issues so I very much doubt that holding accounts with all 3 could result in account closures. 

Similarly I also think it irrational to think that LBG could have given Metro any information about my accounts that could've triggered a lifetime ban. Moreover I switched some of my LBG accounts to the Natwest group banks and they haven't banned me (yet) despite my arguably having done much more to annoy them (i.e. several hundred £1.01 deposits into NS&I for the double round ups, receiving 3 switching incentives from them, taking advantage of their reward accounts etc) than I ever did with Metro.

@Bridlington1

Just an observation from my own experience - this is exactly the kind of task a good constituency MP's office should undertake.

I had immense problems with Student Finance England over a period of several months with my daughter's application a few years ago. I contacted the local MP's office and was asked to forward details to a member of his office staff. Within a week, I received an effusive apology, 'missing' paperwork had miraculously been found and our application sorted.