Royal Bank of Scotland - 'lost' our savings!

Nicki24

As per the previous poster I agree that you should try the BBA website (British Bankers Association). You can fill in a form online http://www.bba.org.uk/content/1/c4/18/73/dormant_account_claim_form.pdf and they will then investigate this issue for you - its completely free and a very efficient service I have used it before myself.

therabbitt

:money::money::money::money::money::money::money::money::money::money::money::money::money::money:

Top advice one and all, I really appreciate the time that you have put into this within one day, already waaaaay more than the bank has already within a year!!!!!

Ill get onto the blower when I get home from work to get some more information from my mum.

Meltdown: yes my mother still lives at the same address as when the accounts were opened. It is the branch that changed its status, I believe that some years ago it stopped being a normal branch for general public and became a branch specifically aimed at businesses. It may have even shut down completely since.

As per my reference to one book, I meant my book, my mum has one for my sister also I believe, £500 placed into two accounts, mine and my sisters, £1000, two seperate Rainbow Accounts Ill check for defo tonight :j

Im not sure if my mum has online banking, however, should the account have had been on the banks computers, it should have been easily located

(....computer says no...)

Many thanks one and all

Ill get my mum to contact BBA also. Will post when I can gain more info!!

Thanks again

Nicki24

Good luck, fingers crossed you get this sorted out.

dunstonh

I think the best thing is to write to the bank's customer relations department. The complaints team will handle this much quicker and you dont waste your time with a third party.

therabbitt

ok - quick update

my mum went back to see the bank to see if there was any update.

they told her that it was her fault that she didnt have the new bank account number whenever the branches merged into one and that they probably contacted her by letter at some point whenever it changed status (!).

All my mom done with the account was open it and put the books away safe for the future. THATS WHAT THE ACCOUNTS ARE FOR!!!

They have admitted that it had £400 at least interest on it before it moved or merged or whatever.

So they've lost it....

She is going to begin the financial complaints procedure at the bank (RBS) and failing that she'll ring the ombudsmen

Does anyone have any advice for doing so?? Or other experiences??

chesky369

Well, you obviously didn't take my advice last time


"If I were you I'd write to Margaret Dibben, consumer rights person of the money section at the Observer - she loves this sort of problem and solves stuff like this every week."

therabbitt

Chesky - thanks matey, but I have been waiting to see if the banks would get in contact with us when they had finished their "investigation" - they have and here are the results.

Im ruddy raging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mother received a letter from the bank manager of her local branch, here are the highlights....

"(bank) have referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service guidance notes and the law does not require businesses to keep records indefinitely. It is unlikely the bank will have retained any other paperwork from the relevant period due to the timescales involved and therefore we are unlikely to find any concrete evidence concerning the closure of the account"

"the law does not require banks to pay up just because it cannot produce evidence showing how and when the account was closed. We have to decide what is the most likely to have happened in the light of available evidence. We often conclude that the most likely explanation is that the account was closed many years ago - in circumstances the customer has long since forgotten"

"naturally we have done our best but as we have gone past our standard 8 week timescale and if you are now not satisfied with the result of our investigation you may wish to consider asking the financial ombudsman to look at your case"

"If you are happy with my letter, you don’t need to do anything else. If I haven’t heard back from you I will close your file, archiving the details we have exchanged and the research I have done. This is to show that both you and the bank are content that the case has been resolved. Whatever you decide, I am very sorry that you needed to contact us in the first place and I am grateful to you for giving us the chance to sort things out."

Now, the tone of that letter for one is very cheeky and attempts to shift blame onto my mother. The assistant manager of the same bank who was dealing with my mum until this letter had already admitted verbally that she could trace the account until 1992 and it is at this point that the trace goes cold. Surely they should be trying to prove to us that the account is closed! We have all that we ever had, a passbook for the account which we had to bring to the bank with ID should the money ever need to be lifted. Had we closed the account or lifted money we would have needed this little book and it would have been duely recorded, stamped when this occured. All that is in the book is the stamp from the day the money was put in the account.

I need some serious help here MSE'ers, my mum has let me take over what happens next and I dont know what to do. Do I write a letter to the bank, phone the bank, contact the ombudsman, buy a rifle???

Any help greatly appreciated

AnnaV

Contact the ombudsman, like the letter tells you to do. ALso the BBA link posted above is a good shout - you can do both at the same time. Good luck!

robertjonesuk

how about stop moaning and fill dormant account form and you should get your money back.

The_MoneySavingKid

robertjonesuk wrote: »

how about stop moaning and fill dormant account form and you should get your money back.

oooooo Someone's moody today.As far as I can see,it is a plea for help...:rolleyes:.