The Barclays and other non-Lloyds/TSB Bank thread

woah
Posts: 365
Joined: Sun 28 Mar, 2010 12.39

Personally I very rarely need to do anything with my bank other then deposit or withdraw cash or cheques. I've started going to the Post Office to deposit cash because there are plenty nearby, a couple open on Sundays, and with my bank (Santander) the cash goes in instantly.

Unfortunately that's not the case with all banks, and with some banks you even need personal paying in slips for depositing cash at the Post Office. Most banks also require the same for cheques.

I really wish it was a more consistent and easy process for all banks, since the vast majority of people who visit their bank branch are making deposits or withdrawals and people would probably be less resentful if their local branch closed knowing that the same service was available at the Post Office.

The city centre branch of Santander here has also recently had a lick of paint with new NCR ATMs inside and out, that allow cash deposits that clear instantly, and lots of other account management stuff via touchscreen. You can also tap your card on a contactless reader rather than insert it. It's handy that they're outside because it means the branch doesn't have be open for you to make deposits.

Unfortunately it's a pretty slow rollout - the Meadowhall branch still has the older ATMs which do allow deposits, but gives you an envelope to put it in and the money takes at least a couple of days to clear.
User avatar
WillPS
Posts: 2456
Joined: Tue 22 Apr, 2008 18.32
Location: Carlton
Contact:

Just discovered that RBS have cancelled the Williams & Glyn project, this time it appears completely:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d82643de-5ad3 ... z4KVztglp3

They're blaming software but it's clearly that the assets associated with the branches are not stable enough to support a bank, fundamentally.

I wonder if their 'alternative' might just involve paying off the customers and/or the Current Account Switch Service.

Where does this leave the actual RBS branches in England & Wales though? Most are now *very* shabby, and I've noticed they've all recently had their cash machines taken off the RBS network (the same actual machines are now 'Note Machines', awful UX and all). I imagine the same is true of NatWest Scotland.
Image
Critique
Posts: 980
Joined: Mon 17 Aug, 2009 10.37
Location: Suffolk

Critique wrote:In more exciting Barclays-based news a branch I occasionally use out of town-centre in a residential area has had it's account manager and old pay in machines taken away in the past six months or so, and replaced by different versions of the machines I mentioned in my original post. They look different, but run the same software - however the ability to book appointments within the branch is greyed out and there is no coin conveyor belt so you can't use them to pay in coins, although there is a 'coin out' space, along with a contactless card reader, that seem to serve no purpose at present. At the same time, Barclays have taken to ceasing to open this particular branch on Saturday. Despite all this, unlike the town centre branch it keeps a full counter service with 3 or 4 counters (albeit rarely all open). From what I've observed people have figured out very quickly what they need to say to the person milling around inside asking what help they need to let them go to the counter rather than be forced to use the machines - this means at least one machine is always free even if there is a queue, so I can generally pop in and use the machine and be in and out whilst the queue still dwindles.
Only a month or so on from first noticing they'd stopped opening on Saturdays (I imagine the move took place around six months ago but I didn't notice), they're now cutting back to 9:30-4:30 Monday-Friday rather than 9:00-5:00 - in the same branch they've also recently reduced four counters to three, by putting a fake wall in-front of where the fourth counter would have been - slightly odd of them to take a low level counter away rather than one of the higher ones, but I never really saw it used anyway. Either way, Barclays does seem to be slowly killing this branch.

Meanwhile, over at NatWest, does anyone know what's happened to the branch they're supposed to be opening near the market in Norwich? Whenever I've been in Norwich recently I've noticed the hoarding advertising how nice the new branch is, but I first saw it at least a year ago and there is still no new branch now! Presumably the deal fell through or something, which whilst odd in itself (as they had reached the point of putting up hoarding), seems more believable than the idea that the branch is still on the way, as a year is an awfully long time to be fitting out!

EDIT: Ooh no, would you believe it but said branch is *still* on the way. I didn't know what the area the site is located in was called so couldn't do a very good Google search, but eventually found this from the EDP which says they haven't finished designing it yet but that it will still happen! How strange!
woah
Posts: 365
Joined: Sun 28 Mar, 2010 12.39

WillPS wrote:I've noticed they've all recently had their cash machines taken off the RBS network (the same actual machines are now 'Note Machines', awful UX and all). I imagine the same is true of NatWest Scotland.
Didn't seem to be the case for the Meadowhall branch the other day. That has two very old ATMs still in place - older style NCR units but with AT&T branding. I think one still has a green monitor!
User avatar
WillPS
Posts: 2456
Joined: Tue 22 Apr, 2008 18.32
Location: Carlton
Contact:

woah wrote:
WillPS wrote:I've noticed they've all recently had their cash machines taken off the RBS network (the same actual machines are now 'Note Machines', awful UX and all). I imagine the same is true of NatWest Scotland.
Didn't seem to be the case for the Meadowhall branch the other day. That has two very old ATMs still in place - older style NCR units but with AT&T branding. I think one still has a green monitor!
Same machines but definitely not running on the RBS network any more. Compare it to a NatWest or Tesco cash machine (which are much snappier and nicer to use).
Image
JAS84
Posts: 585
Joined: Fri 12 Aug, 2011 10.23
Location: Hull, UK

WillPS wrote:Just discovered that RBS have cancelled the Williams & Glyn project, this time it appears completely:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d82643de-5ad3 ... z4KVztglp3
Got another link? That one is paywalled.
scottishtv
Posts: 743
Joined: Thu 01 Apr, 2004 15.36
Location: Edinburgh

JAS84 wrote:Got another link? That one is paywalled.
If you click on the first result at the top of this Google search results page, it should bypass the paywall.
Martin Phillp
Posts: 1469
Joined: Wed 11 May, 2011 01.28

Santander have pulled out from buying the 300 Williams & Glyn RBS/Natwest branches.
TVF's London Lite.
JAS84
Posts: 585
Joined: Fri 12 Aug, 2011 10.23
Location: Hull, UK

Thanks, scottishtv.

The Sun reported that "the owners of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks" (National Australia Bank) were interested in taking on those branches.
thegeek
Posts: 858
Joined: Sat 04 Jun, 2005 12.35

NAB floated the Clydesdale and Yorkshire last year, and they're now owned by CYBG plc.
User avatar
AgainWTheNorth
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu 28 Jan, 2016 03.12

Honestly, I don't know if this goes in here or Another High Street Rebrand, so I'll post it in both places;

NatWest have introduced a new version of their logo, calling back to an old rendition of the chevrons symbol...

Image
An original rendition of the symbol, with the 3 cubes standing for the 3 banks folded into NatWest; National Provincial Bank, Westminster Bank, and District Bank.


A new, 1-minute commercial which seems to be part of a new ad campaign called "We are what we do". Note the closing animation.

Image
And just for fun, the new social media icon. Look familiar?
Then again, I'm an American - what do I know?
Post Reply