Budget - access to Bank Account

[lilelvis2000]

So if all the working people have a bank account, and all the dole-chavs have bank accounts, who on earth doesn't have one?

When I moved here from Canada I was unable to open a bank account at numerous banks..including HSBC! I had my British Passport and Canadian Passport but no other id - as all the bills are in my wife's name, and I was refused. At the time this was apparently a huge problem for migrants to the UK. Perhaps they have made it easier since then.
I also had a heck of a time getting my Ltd. Co. account opened as well - I was refused at all the banks - except for RBS.

[HairyArsedBloke]

The only people who would have trouble opening a bank account would be those unable to provide a driving licence, passport, 2 utility bills and a council tax bill.

I can only do one out of that list.

[RichardCranium]

So if all the working people have a bank account, and all the dole-chavs have bank accounts, who on earth doesn't have one?

Kewl! I can put "dole-chav" on my CV. That fills last year's gap in nicely!

The only people who would have trouble opening a bank account would be those unable to provide a driving licence, passport, 2 utility bills and a council tax bill.

Which probably means non-working partners where the breadwinner's name is on the bills, anyone who has been institutionalised for > 6 months (mental or criminal), anyone who has been overseas for > 6 months and not maintained a property here, the homeless (who are completely excluded from society by virtue of not having an address), refugee-status applicants, those here on Intra-Company Transfers and illegal immigrants.

I reckon he's referring to the pseduo-refugees, the ICTs and the illegal immigrants as they are all potential Labout voters.

[TheBigYinJames]

They closed so many post offices they could abolish the post office account. This meant you had to get your benefits paid into a bank account, so they got the banks to invent the 'basic bank account' concept. That happened somewhere around 2003/2004.

So if all the working people have a bank account, and all the dole-chavs have bank accounts, who on earth doesn't have one?

[RichardCranium]

it's primarily to make paying people's dole money cheaper by getting rid of the entire giro system (also easier to 'sequester' it if they've been bad boys, freezing the account)

Errm. It's already gone (I think).

They closed so many post offices they could abolish the post office account. This meant you had to get your benefits paid into a bank account, so they got the banks to invent the 'basic bank account' concept. That happened somewhere around 2003/2004.

[TheBigYinJames]

ok, I understand, but when 'mental ex gf chef' came to the uk she walked into HSBC with a passport and opened up a passport account which was a basic bank account that allowed DD's. She got a Solo card with no OD without having to show anything other than her passport, they would also accept birth certificate if it was British so I can't see why these million people can't do the same thing.

The whole thing misses the point - people who don't have a bank account now don't want or need one, or else they would have one already. It's a meaningless gesture and just smoke and mirrors... it's primarily to make paying people's dole money cheaper by getting rid of the entire giro system (also easier to 'sequester' it if they've been bad boys, freezing the account)

[chef]

You can only have direct debits on "current" accounts, which for most banks you have to show a regular income (i.e. have your wages paid in) to qualify for. Anyone can open a deposit account, as you mentioned, but they don't allow DDs.

The point is that if you don't qualify for one, through having low/no income, then you can't take advantage of the bennies offered by utility companies etc for cheaper paperless monthly billing, etc, so this is unfair. Apparently.

ok, I understand, but when 'mental ex gf chef' came to the uk she walked into HSBC with a passport and opened up a passport account which was a basic bank account that allowed DD's. She got a Solo card with no OD without having to show anything other than her passport, they would also accept birth certificate if it was British so I can't see why these million people can't do the same thing.

[RichardCranium]

Indeed, the 'Basic Bank Account' which anyone can get. Everyone qualifies, and they DO do DDs and SOs.

You cannot expect cash-rich MPs to know anything about that, Shirley?

[TheBigYinJames]

surely the banks simply give you a Solo account or Visa Electron i.e an account that doesn't allow you to go overdrawn and with no overdraft facility.. who wouldnt' qualify for one of these currently?

You can only have direct debits on "current" accounts, which for most banks you have to show a regular income (i.e. have your wages paid in) to qualify for. Anyone can open a deposit account, as you mentioned, but they don't allow DDs.

The point is that if you don't qualify for one, through having low/no income, then you can't take advantage of the bennies offered by utility companies etc for cheaper paperless monthly billing, etc, so this is unfair. Apparently.

[chef]

In the budget..

everyone in the UK is to be guaranteed access to a bank account. This will extend the facility to more than a million currently denied it, the chancellor says.

errr, obviously there are a million or so that don't have access, but how?

surely the banks simply give you a Solo account or Visa Electron i.e an account that doesn't allow you to go overdrawn and with no overdraft facility.. who wouldnt' qualify for one of these currently?

and how will this announcement change anything?