I've have been living in London for just about 2 years now and I still can't seem to get a current account at ANY bank.

I was able to get a card cash account when I first arrived but my bank refuses to update this because I have failed the credit check, even though I have a two year "relationship" with them.

The thing is how can I build a "credit history" here if I cant get the credit? I do admit that I bought all my furnishings and other household stuff cash --- I wouldn't have gotten them on credit anyway!

Each bank I go to I am told the same story. They all admit the system is "stupid" but no one can offer any alternative.

Does any one out there have any suggestions?

Keep on paying for things with cash.

The only thing you should need to borrow for is a house.

You need an account to get paid into but you didn't mention that so I assume thats OK. You don't NEED credit and its not a right. I dashed away my cards after I payed em off and don't have an overdraft anymore.

PS I bet you have no problems opening a saving account

Yes I was able to open more than 1 savings account!

Then every few months, while I am in the bank someone "invites" me to apply for a credit card which i respectfully decline.

All I want is a current acct so that I can conduct necessary overseas banking via the swith/maestro facility. But this seems like the hardest thing to achieve in this country!

Something could be going against u that u don't know about, for example the place u live in could be blacklisted. Request a credit report so u can check that everything is in order. I did that and found that they put one of my mother's loans on my report, because they had us linked to the same address. I wrote to them and told them to remove it. They also never had me on the electoral role for the address I currently live in, so I had to fill out a form for that. Go to www.experian.co.uk and request a report, all u pay is £2. Someone told me that u can change ur savings account to a current account. It might be worth giving that a try, especially as the account has already been established, and a current account isn't much different to a savings account anyway.

Good luck, let us know how u get on

thanks facetygal, i will get on to experian.

The current account is what i was requesting in the first place!

Yeah but they wouldn't let u do it, so try and see if u can get one of ur savings account converted into a current account. Or upgrade the savings account as much as u can so u get more flexibilty, but u won't be able to have direct debits or standing orders, thats the only problem.

The story continues......I am sooooo pissed!!!

I just went to my bank couple days ago to make a withdrawal and the young man at the counter invited me to speak with one of the customer service reps. He said that, according to his data, I should be using a current account.

So off I go to the C/S reps office and we go through the ritual..... same as before

But.... hey presto..... in less than 2 minutes the lady says to me yes I can have a current account.

I sit there with this puzzled look on my face, then ask, how is this so when fivemonths ago (and nothing has changed in this time) I was unable to get one?

I went on to tell her (honest soul that I am) about my previous visit to the bank and my requests etc etc, how that request was denied yada, yada.... I even told her how I then went to another bank blah, blah. I had even gotten a credit report (thanks facetygal!) but of course being here for only 2 yrs there was no history.

Her response was (quite a pleasant lady too I might add!) she couldn't understand why I was denied a current account, I was banking with them from the time I came to the UK (2 yrs ago). My salary is credited there every month etc etc. She also said that the "building up a relationship with your bank" phase only takes about 6 months and I should have been offered the current a/c back then. She even offered me a credit card (which I refused)

I told her about her colleague (an asian woman) with whom I had a previous meeting, I even had the business card in my purse. When I told her the name she said that the person was no longer at the bank.

When I recounted this episode to my friend at work, who always said she could never understand my difficulty getting the a/c in the first place, she said the reason I didnt get the a/c from the 1st rep was because "they hate black people" and "she was jealous of the amount of salary crediting each month"

Someone..... anyone..... please tell me this woman wasn't that petty and vindictive and my friend is wrong!!!!!

@ niceness, thats unbelievable!!!! gosh, so unproffesional!!!

Anyway glad u were able to sort out ur banking issues, eventually, that is really disgusting though!!!

congrats on getting the a/c you wanted.

I guess thats Barclays Bank