Barclays to close UK accounts of all British expats . . . .

[Liverpool Lou]

12 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

19 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

It is a false address if it is not the address of the account holder!  Not a criminal offence, though.

It is not a 'false' address, it is termed a correspondence address in the bank's records.

If an non-UK resident expat is providing a UK address that is not his own and not a specific correspondence address such as your arrangement that the bank accepts and is aware of, but nothing more than a means to disguise the account holders non-residency, it would be a false address.  Not illegal, though.

 

The answer, of course, for those non-UK resident expats with a UK account registered to someone else's address would be for those people to ask their bank that, as they are not UK-resident, would it be ok to just provide someone else's address so that they tick all the bank's boxes!    See how that goes down,

[Liverpool Lou]

25 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I'm a teacher in Thailand.  As soon as I stop teaching and my work permit finishes, I may have to return home to the UK.  My sister's address is where I will live when (if) I return home, until I find somewhere for myself.  So, it's not a "false" address.

We're not talking about that arrangement when you would actually be living there, we're talking about deliberately providing an address that is not the account holders in order to disguise non-UK residency.  That would be a false address.

[Liverpool Lou]

22 hours ago, impulse said:

Is there any risk of being charged with a crime if it comes to light that you're using a false residence address for banking

Not as long as you're not money laundering or defrauding!

[Liverpool Lou]

36 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

38 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You won't get another one to switch to if you've got to open it from Thailand with no UK details.

I believe you can with Wise. 

Yes, but no cards.   And Wise isn't a bank.

[Liverpool Lou]

This is Barclays attitude to account holders' addresses, it likely that the other retail banks operate along the same lines, officially....

 

"To stop your account closing, you’ll need to let us know if:

• You’re living in the UK so we can update your address. You must be living at this address – it can’t be the address of a family member or friend..."

[Liverpool Lou]

41 minutes ago, TorquayFan said:

Thanks Lou - did you get out on the wrong side today ? This is NOT a moaning thread - it's a potentially major problem for existing Barclay's customers !

Possibly, I did, didn't mean to attack you, many apologies.

[noobexpat]

2 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, but no cards.   And Wise isn't a bank.

I have the card, never used it. 

 

Yes, thankfully Wise isn't a bank. Thats why its so cheap and efficient.

[Liverpool Lou]

7 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

14 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, but no cards.   And Wise isn't a bank.

I have the card, never used it. 

Then you couldn't have used solely Thai details to set up your account as Wise does not issue cards for registrations from Thailand.

[hotandsticky]

14 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

If an non-UK resident expat is providing a UK address that is not his own and not a specific correspondence address such as your arrangement that the bank accepts and is aware of, but nothing more than a means to disguise the account holders non-residency, it would be a false address.  Not illegal, though.

 

The answer, of course, for those non-UK resident expats with a UK account registered to someone else's address would be for those people to ask their bank that, as they are not UK-resident, would it be ok to just provide someone else's address so that they tick all the bank's boxes!    See how that goes down,

OK, this is how it goes down..........................

 

 

"Hi bank, I just need to update my address details. Now that I am retired I like to travel a bit - especially to avoid the worse of the British winters, so I often head to Spain or further afield like Thailand. My UK address is XYZ, which is my house/my daughter's house/my sister's house which is where I want all my correspondence sent. However, if I am in Thailand during the winter I may need something sent out to me so could you please note the correspondence address ABC, which is where I stay when I visit the Far East "

[noobexpat]

Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

Then you couldn't have used solely Thai details to set up your account as Wise does not issue cards for registrations from Thailand.

Correct, i set it up when i was living in the UK.

But the main point being, is wise isn't address dependent ...unlike the annoying folk at barclays.

[hotandsticky]

15 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, but no cards.   And Wise isn't a bank.

 

Why would you need a card if you just need to use WISE as a money transfer facility. I do have one but, like 'noobexpat' I set it up from the UK.

 

It doesn't need to be a bank. It is a financial technology company and that is good enough to receive funds, exchange them and remit them to a Thai bank account.

[Liverpool Lou]

10 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

25 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, but no cards.   And Wise isn't a bank.

 

Why would you need a card

Some people want one when it is available, ask them, you got one didn't you!?

[Liverpool Lou]

10 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

OK, this is how it goes down..........................

 

 

"Hi bank, I just need to update my address details. Now that I am retired I like to travel a bit - especially to avoid the worse of the British winters, so I often head to Spain or further afield like Thailand. My UK address is XYZ, which is my house/my daughter's house/my sister's house which is where I want all my correspondence sent. However, if I am in Thailand during the winter I may need something sent out to me so could you please note the correspondence address ABC, which is where I stay when I visit the Far East "

Yes, that is how it goes down if you are deceiving the bank when you are actually Non-UK resident...that is my point!   That is just giving a false address if you do not live there and your bank has not agreed to accept a correspondence address knowing that you are non-UK resident.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Some people want one when it is available.

Yes, of course, that makes absolute sense. My comment was about the difference between needing one - and wanting one. You can do without if have a pseudo bank is all you need for receiving and remitting funds.

 

The bottom line is that any expat should (IMO) open a WISE account as a back up to whatever they currently have in the UK. If WISE is all they finish up with the things should at least be workable.

 

Also, prior to departing the UK shores, get a stand alone credit card from the likes ofTESCO, Sainsbury, Virgin etc

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, that is how it goes down if you are deceiving the bank when you are actually Non-UK resident...that is my point!   That is just giving a false address if you do not live there and your bank has not agreed to accept a correspondence address knowing that you are non-UK resident.

 

Stop flogging this dead horse!  You are starting to sound Puritanical.

 

When giving dual correspondence I don't know/didn't know whether I would non-UK resident. I wouldn't give a flying fart anyway - as you said, it is not illegal. 

 

I would never criticise my non-UK resident friend who just applied, and succeeded, on opening an 8% yielding savings account with Nationwide. Part of the declaration is that you are UK resident for tax purposes.

 

I also applied for this excellent savings account.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

7 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, that is how it goes down if you are deceiving the bank when you are actually Non-UK resident...that is my point!   That is just giving a false address if you do not live there and your bank has not agreed to accept a correspondence address knowing that you are non-UK resident.

Expand  

 

Stop flogging this dead horse! 

I'll post whatever I want to post in response to any others' comments, including yours, particularly if it concerns emphasing accuracies.   You don't give posting directions here.

[hotandsticky]

Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

I'll post whatever I want to post in response to any others' comments, including yours, particularly if it concerns emphasing accuracies.   You don't give posting directions here.

I don't give posting directions - don't make false accusations.

 

Torquayfan was right - these days you really are beginning to sound like you got out of the wrong side of the bed.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, hotandsticky said:

I don't give posting directions - don't make false accusations.

 

8 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

Stop flogging this dead horse!  

Q.E.D.

[BritManToo]

34 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

OK, this is how it goes down..........................

 

 

"Hi bank, I just need to update my address details. Now that I am retired I like to travel a bit - especially to avoid the worse of the British winters, so I often head to Spain or further afield like Thailand. My UK address is XYZ, which is my house/my daughter's house/my sister's house which is where I want all my correspondence sent. However, if I am in Thailand during the winter I may need something sent out to me so could you please note the correspondence address ABC, which is where I stay when I visit the Far East "

Best not to share such information with your bank.

Nothing they need to send to you.

 

[soi3eddie]

On 9/23/2023 at 6:06 AM, bkk6060 said:

Britain seems to not like expats much.

Joe and Jane public in the UK see Expats as deserters. They actually hate the idea that some of us are able to escape to a better life overseas whilst they wallow in the misery of their pathetic lives, conditioned by the state and main stream media. Some of the vitriol I read online by posters (commenting on the Barclays story) was just hatred for expats. Comments such as "they don't contribute to the UK so why should they have a bank account" etc.

 

[Polar Bear]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You won't get another one to switch to if you've got to open it from Thailand with no UK details.

I still have a UK correspondence address,  and I've opened accounts with Starling and Wise as an expat. Neither required any proof that I lived in the UK, only that I was British (passport).

 

If my main bank started poking around they would very quickly realise I'm not resident anymore.  I'm not on the electoral roll and I've been non-dom for years.

 

There's nothing I can do about that, other than keep my head down and not draw attention to myself so they have no reason to look. 

[Mike Teavee]

On 9/23/2023 at 12:37 PM, brewsterbudgen said:

I was told, face-to-face, by my Lloyds Bank manager when I met with him last time I was in the UK visiting friends, that as long as the bank has a UK address for correspondence it would make no difference where was living.  

I'm not saying that your Lloyds bank manager was wrong BUT If you read the article you'll see that Prof Baker was also told he could use his daughter's address only for Barclays to later contact him to say this was incorrect... 

 

Prof Barker said his wife was told by Barclays staff when she travelled to Hertfordshire that they would be able to re-register with their daughter’s UK address.

 

But earlier this week, he received a phone call from the bank explaining that the advice he had been given was wrong and that his account would be closed after all.

 

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/barclays-debank-british-expats-134809331.html?guccounter=1 

 

[youreavinalaff]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I'll post whatever I want to post in response to any others' comments, including yours, particularly if it concerns emphasing accuracies.   You don't give posting directions here.

I guess you don't realise you are arguing with someone who knows exactly how the system works.

 

You should give up on this one. 

[quake]

2 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Joe and Jane public in the UK see Expats as deserters. They actually hate the idea that some of us are able to escape to a better life overseas whilst they wallow in the misery of their pathetic lives, conditioned by the state and main stream media. Some of the vitriol I read online by posters (commenting on the Barclays story) was just hatred for expats. Comments such as "they don't contribute to the UK so why should they have a bank account" etc.

 

Best post this week, and so true. 

[quake]

2 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

If my main bank started poking around they would very quickly realise I'm not resident anymore.  I'm not on the electoral roll and I've been non-dom for years.

Who told you you were non-dom,  yourself ?

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

I still have a UK correspondence address,  and I've opened accounts with Starling and Wise as an expat.

Not talking about Wise, which is not a UK bank, but I suspect that your Starling account was opened while you were in the UK or by using all UK details as a UK phone number is one of the first things that have to be provided.   Starling accounts cannot be opened from Thailand using the applicants Thai details.

[SpaceKadet]

This is coming in more and more countries.

The next step will be cashless economy, and then everybody, but mostly expats will be royally F.C.U.K ed.

[Polar Bear]

13 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Not talking about Wise, which is not a UK bank, but I suspect that your Starling account was opened while you were in the UK or by using all UK details as a UK phone number is one of the first things that have to be provided.   Starling accounts cannot be opened from Thailand using the applicants Thai details.

You suspect wrong, I opened it overseas and I dislike you accusing me of lying when you have absolutely no basis for it. You are always extremely confident that you are correct, even though you have little to no information about people and just invent scenarios based solely on your own biased assumptions.

I have a UK phone number. I am not sure what Thai details you think I would need to include. You don't even need to provide an address for Starling unless you want a card. And I was specifically talking about Wise in the post you chose to 'correct' me about. 

 

You are being incredibly rude, and I'm not interested in discussing anything with someone who cannot be civil, so I won't be replying to you again.

[Liverpool Lou]

17 minutes ago, Polar Bear said:

38 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Expand  

You suspect wrong, I opened it overseas and I dislike you accusing me of lying when you have absolutely no basis for it.

In which country?  On this generally Thai-centric forum are you claiming that Starling will open accounts online using a Thai phone number?   They will not, if they would I'd have the Starling account that I've been trying to get for years. 

From Starling's website...

"Who is eligible for a Starling bank account?

You can apply for a Starling account as long as you’re over 16 and live at a UK address"

[youreavinalaff]

3 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Joe and Jane public in the UK see Expats as deserters. They actually hate the idea that some of us are able to escape to a better life overseas whilst they wallow in the misery of their pathetic lives, conditioned by the state and main stream media. Some of the vitriol I read online by posters (commenting on the Barclays story) was just hatred for expats. Comments such as "they don't contribute to the UK so why should they have a bank account" etc.

 

Some Joe and Jane expats appear to have a low, imaginary, opinion on ALL the British public, yet hate it when they themselves are all tarred with the same brush.