Bank Account/ Help

ashleyboss11

I’m having a tough time opening a current or basic bank account. I’ve checked my credit report, and it seems like my score isn’t the best. I’ve also checked with UK fraud agencies like CIFAS and others, but there’s nothing on their records that would prevent me from getting a bank account. It’s really frustrating because I just want to set up a basic account. 😢

Any suggestions? 

eskbanker

You don't say which banks you've tried but this article gives a steer about which are apparently easier than others:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/basic-bank-accounts/#best

Zinger549

Have you tried  one of the App based banks (Monzo, Starling ect).

Alderbank

What does 'a tough time' mean?

The 9 biggest UK banks must offer basic bank accounts and many smaller banks offer them as well. None of them has to accept every applicant but if you apply and are refused you have a right to ask the bank why, and if unhappy you could make a formal complaint. If you're still unhappy with the bank's decision, you can take it further to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.

Identity issues can be a problem. Are you a UK citizen? Are you resident in the UK? If not, Monese https://monese.com/gb/en/ might be an option.
Unlike most banks they will accept you even if you are an EU citizen and do not have a UK address

PRAISETHESUN

Ignore your credit "score" or "rating" as these are not used as a measure of creditworthiness in the UK. Instead you need to focus on the actual data on your file. Do you have bad credit history (defaults, missed payments, etc) or is it simply that you don't have any anything recorded on your file (eg. new to the UK) - the latter was the issue I had when I first moved here.

There's no reason you shouldn't be able to open a basic account, except maybe if you have fraud markers in your name. It could be worth submitting DSARs to CIFAS and National Hunter to see if this is the case. In my experience my issues were related to a lack of suitable ID documents, but most banks publish what they will accept on their websites so you can see what documents you have and match them up against what the banks may/may not accept. You might have to make an appointment in branch to sit down with someone and work through what you need to provide.

One of the digital banks (Monzo/Starling/etc) might be a better option to get you started, or in the worst case a pre-paid account might be your only option.