Bank trouble

With reference to the bank accounts with Santander UK (December edition), I was keen to finally be able to open an account with this bank.

I called them straight away to open an account in Norwich.

Nothing doing. I was told that you must be a full time resident in the UK, which means six months and one day per year.

For all of those who have Allied Irish Bank accounts, you can open a sterling account with them, which is helpful. All of the UK banks that we have spoken to have said the same: you must be a full-time resident, which is contrary to what we have been told about EU regulations.

Mark STEFFEN, by email

The banks’ reaction to your requests is legally wrong. Due to new EU rules, in autumn 2016 it became possible to open a UK account using an address in France – which most banks
formerly refused to do.