The Barclays and other non-Lloyds/TSB Bank thread

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WillPS
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Location: Carlton
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thegeek wrote: Wed 09 Feb, 2022 10.16
thegeek wrote: Tue 13 Oct, 2020 15.24 However, I did get something fancy from them: I selected the Fleet Street RBS branch (which is one of my nearest) and got a swanky looking Visa Debit card from Child & Co, the world's third oldest bank.
Just had a letter from RBS saying they're closing their Fleet Street branch - the end for Child & Co?

I really should find a reason to go and visit before June, because it looks rather swanky inside.
Same :(. They seem to still be issuing cards as Visa Debit but I imagine they'll just be reissued as standard RBS ones whenever they eventually pull the plug.

At least I've got a book of posh cheques to put in wedding cards.
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thegeek
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WillPS wrote: Wed 09 Feb, 2022 15.46 At least I've got a book of posh cheques to put in wedding cards.
Make sure you use a fountain pen!

I did get an email saying they'd be issuing my debit card as a MasterCard but it's yet to turn up.
Martin Phillp
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List of NatWest and RBS closures announced including Child & Co.

• Billericay, Essex
• Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
• Bulwell & Hucknall, Nottinghamshire
• Chelsea, Greater London
• Gillingham, Kent
• Gosforth, Tyne and Wear
• Headingley, West Yorkshire
• Hull University, East Yorkshire
• Leatherhead, Surrey
• Leeds Victoria, West Yorkshire
• Manchester Spinningfields Square, Greater Manchester
• Marlow, Buckinghamshire
• Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire
• Piccadilly & New Bond Street, Greater London
• Ruislip, northwest London
• South Woodford, east London
• Swanley, Kent
• Tavistock Square, central London
• Twickenham, west London
• Windsor & Eton, Berkshire
• Derby Crompton House, Derbyshire


Royal Bank of Scotland closures

• Bishopsgate, City of London
• Cardiff City, Wales
• Chelmsford, Essex
• Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
• Harrow, north London
• Leeds Park Row, West Yorkshire
• Leicester Market Street, Leicestershire
• London Child & Co
• Nottingham City Office, Nottinghamshire
• Southampton High Street, Hampshire
• Wilmslow, Cheshire
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thegeek
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thegeek wrote: Fri 07 Jan, 2022 15.56 Some of the NatWest brands have put their new card artwork online:

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Curiously, they've updated the designs and have gone portrait:

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Has anyone received theirs (in either orientation) yet?

This example of how it'll look in Apple Pay isn't very good though. My Virgin Money debit card is portrait, but the graphic that shows up in Google Pay is a landscape version.
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WillPS
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None have surfaced in the wild yet to my knowledge, it is peculiar though, I wonder if they are running down stock of the December ones?

I applied for a new RBS account last week but I was sent a Child & Co branded Visa Debit. If the rumours are true this will only live for a few months before Natwest Group pull the plug on Visa Debit entirely this summer.
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Martin Phillp
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The latest HSBC branch closures.
Amersham-on-the-Hill, Chiltern

23 August 2022

Angel (Islington), London

21 July 2022

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire

25 August 2022

Bishop Auckland, Durham

23 August 2022

Barking, Essex

6 September 2022

Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

4 August 2022

Beckenham, Greater London

8 September 2022

Billericay, Essex

8 September 2022

Bootle, Merseyside

6 October 2022

Borehamwood & Elstree, Hertfordshire

16 August 2022

Burgess Hill, West Sussex

13 September 2022

Cambridge, Hills Road

21 July 2022

Canton, Cardiff

4 October 2022

City of London

19 July 2022

Daventry, Northamptonshire

13 September 2022

Dewsbury, West Yorkshire

6 September 2022

Didsbury, Manchester

29 September 2022

East Grinstead, West Sussex

2 August 2022

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

15 September 2022

Eltham, Greater London

18 August 2022

Falmouth, Cornwall

6 October 2022

Farnham, Surrey

2 August 2022

Gloucester Road, London

26 July 2022

Golders Green, London

18 August 2022

Hammersmith, London

28 July 2022

Hampstead (High Street), London

27 September 2022

Harborne, Birmingham

11 August 2022

Hartlepool, Durham

1 September 2022

Herne Bay, Kent

4 October 2022

Hoddeston, Hertfordshire

9 August 2022

Ilkeston, Derbyshire

22 September 2022

Inverness, Inverness-shire

27 September 2022

Keynsham, Somerset

1 September 2022

Kingston, Surrey

Date TBC

Leyland, Lancashire

16 August 2022

Londonderry, Derry

11 August 2022

Lymington, Hampshire

4 August 2022

Merry Hill, Birmingham

28 July 2022

Monmouth, Monmouthshire

26 July 2022

Moorgate, London

21 July 2022

New Bond Street, London

19 July 2022

Newmarket, Suffolk

8 September 2022

New Malden, Greater London

1 September 2022

Omagh, Northern Ireland

16 August 2022

Peckham, London

2 August 2022

Perth, Perthshire

26 July 2022

Petersfield, Hampshire

22 September 2022

Pinner, Greater London

6 September 2022

Pontefract, West Yorkshire

20 September 2022

Ringwood, Hampshire

20 September 2022

Shirley, Warwickshire

29 September 2022

Sidmouth, East Devon

13 September 2022

St Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire

20 September 2022

Stowmarket, Suffolk

18 August 2022

Street, Somerset

4 August 2022

Strood, Kent

15 September 2022

Thame, Oxfordshire

9 August 2022

Thornbury, Gloucestershire

15 August 2022

Trafford Park, Manchester

4 October 2022

Uckfield, East Sussex

11 August 2022

Wandsworth, London

27 September 2022

Wellingborough, Northamptonshire

23 August 2022

Westfield, Stratford City, London

19 July 2022

Whitehaven, Cumbria

22 September 2022

Whiteladies Road, Bristol

29 September 2022

Woking, Surrey

28 July 2022

Woodbridge, Suffolk

25 August 2022

West Bridgeford, Nottingham

15 September 2022
The surprising ones for me here are the ones in Westfield Stratford City, I thought they'd close the branch in the Stratford Centre instead and Peckham which is closing only a couple of years after HSBC East Dulwich and Camberwell closed and sent branch users to Peckham. Customers will now have to go to Brixton, Lewisham or London Bridge which is a fair bus ride away for basic banking.
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scottishtv
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Location: Edinburgh

If you used the Inverness branch, it's 105 miles to the next nearest in Aberdeen. I guess they just don't really want the customers up there, or assume online & post office will be enough for them.
thegeek
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Martin Phillp wrote: Fri 18 Mar, 2022 00.24 The surprising ones for me here are the ones in Westfield Stratford City, I thought they'd close the branch in the Stratford Centre instead and Peckham which is closing only a couple of years after HSBC East Dulwich and Camberwell closed and sent branch users to Peckham. Customers will now have to go to Brixton, Lewisham or London Bridge which is a fair bus ride away for basic banking.
scottishtv wrote: Fri 18 Mar, 2022 14.18 If you used the Inverness branch, it's 105 miles to the next nearest in Aberdeen. I guess they just don't really want the customers up there, or assume online & post office will be enough for them.
I guess they've got a pretty good idea of which branches get used and which don't. Two branches in Stratford has long felt like a bit of a luxury; but your average visitor to Westfield is more likely to be on board with internet banking than your average Stratford Centre shopper.

And I don't think the HSBC brand has ever really made much traction in Scotland. Have they even had more than one branch in Glasgow or Edinburgh?
scottishtv
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Location: Edinburgh

thegeek wrote: Fri 18 Mar, 2022 19.35And I don't think the HSBC brand has ever really made much traction in Scotland. Have they even had more than one branch in Glasgow or Edinburgh?
They opened a huge flagship branch on Princes Street in Edinburgh in 2006 in a former Burger King, but it was more about selling mortgages and other products. For banking services, the ground floor was filled with ATMs and a person with an iPad.

It was one of the 82 branches they closed last year, so now they do just have a single branch on Hanover Street.

Was surprised to see some smaller places like Stirling and Dumfries still had branches.
BBC TV Centre
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Martin Phillp wrote: Fri 18 Mar, 2022 00.24 The latest HSBC branch closures.
Amersham-on-the-Hill, Chiltern

23 August 2022

Angel (Islington), London

21 July 2022

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire

25 August 2022

Bishop Auckland, Durham

23 August 2022

Barking, Essex

6 September 2022

Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

4 August 2022

Beckenham, Greater London

8 September 2022

Billericay, Essex

8 September 2022

Bootle, Merseyside

6 October 2022

Borehamwood & Elstree, Hertfordshire

16 August 2022

Burgess Hill, West Sussex

13 September 2022

Cambridge, Hills Road

21 July 2022

Canton, Cardiff

4 October 2022

City of London

19 July 2022

Daventry, Northamptonshire

13 September 2022

Dewsbury, West Yorkshire

6 September 2022

Didsbury, Manchester

29 September 2022

East Grinstead, West Sussex

2 August 2022

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

15 September 2022

Eltham, Greater London

18 August 2022

Falmouth, Cornwall

6 October 2022

Farnham, Surrey

2 August 2022

Gloucester Road, London

26 July 2022

Golders Green, London

18 August 2022

Hammersmith, London

28 July 2022

Hampstead (High Street), London

27 September 2022

Harborne, Birmingham

11 August 2022

Hartlepool, Durham

1 September 2022

Herne Bay, Kent

4 October 2022

Hoddeston, Hertfordshire

9 August 2022

Ilkeston, Derbyshire

22 September 2022

Inverness, Inverness-shire

27 September 2022

Keynsham, Somerset

1 September 2022

Kingston, Surrey

Date TBC

Leyland, Lancashire

16 August 2022

Londonderry, Derry

11 August 2022

Lymington, Hampshire

4 August 2022

Merry Hill, Birmingham

28 July 2022

Monmouth, Monmouthshire

26 July 2022

Moorgate, London

21 July 2022

New Bond Street, London

19 July 2022

Newmarket, Suffolk

8 September 2022

New Malden, Greater London

1 September 2022

Omagh, Northern Ireland

16 August 2022

Peckham, London

2 August 2022

Perth, Perthshire

26 July 2022

Petersfield, Hampshire

22 September 2022

Pinner, Greater London

6 September 2022

Pontefract, West Yorkshire

20 September 2022

Ringwood, Hampshire

20 September 2022

Shirley, Warwickshire

29 September 2022

Sidmouth, East Devon

13 September 2022

St Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire

20 September 2022

Stowmarket, Suffolk

18 August 2022

Street, Somerset

4 August 2022

Strood, Kent

15 September 2022

Thame, Oxfordshire

9 August 2022

Thornbury, Gloucestershire

15 August 2022

Trafford Park, Manchester

4 October 2022

Uckfield, East Sussex

11 August 2022

Wandsworth, London

27 September 2022

Wellingborough, Northamptonshire

23 August 2022

Westfield, Stratford City, London

19 July 2022

Whitehaven, Cumbria

22 September 2022

Whiteladies Road, Bristol

29 September 2022

Woking, Surrey

28 July 2022

Woodbridge, Suffolk

25 August 2022

West Bridgeford, Nottingham

15 September 2022
The surprising ones for me here are the ones in Westfield Stratford City, I thought they'd close the branch in the Stratford Centre instead and Peckham which is closing only a couple of years after HSBC East Dulwich and Camberwell closed and sent branch users to Peckham. Customers will now have to go to Brixton, Lewisham or London Bridge which is a fair bus ride away for basic banking.
It's probably costing them an arm and a leg for the branch in Westfield as opposed to the Stratford shopping centre, hence the likely reason for canning it. Or perhaps they got some favourable terms for being a tenant in Westfield, but the period is up, or they could be exercising the break clause in the lease.

Interestingly, my local Kingston branch features on there, with a TBC date.

There's actually two branches right opposite each other, one is the original one that is a bit ornate and became the business branch, and the one across the road used to be a massive Burger King, before being turned into a big HSBC.

Whether one survives the chop, or they all go it remains to be seen. HSBC seem to have had a thing for Kingston, there was a commercial branch next to the bridge, but that has recently shut too.
Martin Phillp
Posts: 1469
Joined: Wed 11 May, 2011 01.28

I popped into Barclays today which is now the only bank branch left locally and despite more customers using online banking, there was still a base of customers who were either elderly, disabled or those who don't have access to the internet using the bank which was heaving.

The queue for the single counter, which is supposedly for customers who wish to withdraw money of £300 or more was longer than the one for the self-service terminals.

You can use the Post Office for "basic banking" but there are still more complex issues which for some customers is still best served at a branch rather than online or on a phone.
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