The Barclays and other non-Lloyds/TSB Bank thread

[WillPS]

Not being able to pay in at the Post Office is also a pain. I'm guessing that this is due to them being a Building Society rather than a bank, despite the impression they try to give in their recent advertising and dropping "Building Society" from the logo.

Not as far as I know, although the only other building society to offer current accounts (Cumberland) also doesn't seem to support it and I'm not sure whether N&P did either, back when they offered theirs?

I think it's just because Nationwide haven't implemented it.

[Martin Phillp]

Metro Bank as part of cost cutting will close all branches on Sundays and bank holidays and reduced hours on the remaining days from the end of March.

44 branches will open Monday to Friday from 9.30am-5pm only, with the remaining 32 branches will also open 11am-4pm on Saturday.

[Pete]

Hadn't realised that cashback was now awkward until I needed £30 in cash and didn't have my wallet
- can't do it on contactless / Apple Pay except at PayPoint shops
- Tesco now only offer it at customer service and you need the card itself

In the end had to ask a friend with an RBS account to do an emergency cash request I could use at a nearby RBS ATM and then transfer them the money back. A brilliant feature I'm still amazed isn't more widespread outside of Natwest group.

[JAS84]

Nationwide's ad campaign has been banned by the ASA for claiming that they weren't closing branches when they are.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68711510

[WillPS]

Nationwide's ad campaign has been banned by the ASA for claiming that they weren't closing branches when they are.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68711510

*when they have - most recently in Feb 2023.

They haven't announced any closures since 2022 and no further closures are planned.

[JAS84]

That'll change when the Virgin Money takeover goes through. I can't see them keeping branches of both open long term if they're close to each other. Probably the reason their promise is only to 2026, two years from now.

[bilky asko]

That'll change when the Virgin Money takeover goes through. I can't see them keeping branches of both open long term if they're close to each other. Probably the reason their promise is only to 2026, two years from now.

On their updated ad, it states 2028.

[WillPS]

That'll change when the Virgin Money takeover goes through. I can't see them keeping branches of both open long term if they're close to each other. Probably the reason their promise is only to 2026, two years from now.

You're wrong on both accounts:

We know branches are important to our customers. So, everywhere we have a branch, we promise to still be there until at least the start of 2028.

The former BiB allows them to get rid of any duplication without breaking their 'promise' (which as bilky asko notes extends to 2028, not 2026).

[tillyoshea]

Nationwide's press release about the Branch Promise said:

The Promise ensures the Society is protecting branches and we will only close a branch when we absolutely need to, for example a lease expiry enforced by the landlord.

They repeated that line when announcing the Virgin Money offer, specifying that it would also apply to Virgin Money branches.

It would seem disingenuous at best to suggest in a press release about buying Virgin Money that you won't close branches except in circumstances like a forced lease expiry, and to then go and close a branch just because it's near another one. Not that it's out of the question, of course.

[WillPS]

Nationwide's press release about the Branch Promise said:

The Promise ensures the Society is protecting branches and we will only close a branch when we absolutely need to, for example a lease expiry enforced by the landlord.

They repeated that line when announcing the Virgin Money offer, specifying that it would also apply to Virgin Money branches.

It would seem disingenuous at best to suggest in a press release about buying Virgin Money that you won't close branches except in circumstances like a forced lease expiry, and to then go and close a branch just because it's near another one. Not that it's out of the question, of course.

There are some Virgin Money branches in places without a Nationwide branch, particularly in their heartlands of Scotland and Yorkshire, so logically extending the promise prevents those locations from being closed. I'm not saying it's likely or would be a good look if they did it!

I suspect the branch network will last as long as Virgin Money continues as a standalone entity offering/servicing personal current and business accounts of its own. I very much doubt the migration will be anything other than 'started' by Jan 28.

[thegeek]

This is reminding me of the heady days of the early 2010s when Byres Road in Glasgow had three branches of Santander within about 50m of each other. Looking at Street View, the former Bradford & Bingley was gone by 2012, but the ex-Alliance & Leicester lasted until 2019. (The Abbey branch remains. It was one of the few to get an 'abbey' sign, complete with colour-changing lights).