Ag bank recommendation, mid-Wales

[neilo]

Been with HSBC since I started here in 2012, and previously the farm partnership since 1985. Pleased enough with the day to day service & online banking, but the customer service centre is getting past a joke and I've about had enough. I don't borrow enough to warrant a visit, or a personal contact, so only get to wait for phone calls from 'relationship managers' that never happen. Grrr!

Any recommendations for a good bank for a small ag business in mid-Wales? Preferably one where you can actually speak to someone.

TIA.

 

[Yale]

Home

Coutts offers private banking and wealth management services, with the human touch. With us, it’s personal.

www.coutts.com

 

[same crap different day]

Two neighbours left natwest with the same problem, joined HSBC Newtown after speaking with the a new ag manager in the royal welsh show

 

[farmerm]

Been with HSBC since I started here in 2012, and previously the farm partnership since 1985. Pleased enough with the day to day service & online banking, but the customer service centre is getting past a joke and I've about had enough. I don't borrow enough to warrant a visit, or a personal contact, so only get to wait for phone calls from 'relationship managers' that never happen. Grrr!

Any recommendations for a good bank for a small ag business in mid-Wales? Preferably one where you can actually speak to someone.

TIA.

Customer service costs money and banks don't like to spend it. I bet these days you need to have borrowings over £100K and look at risk of defaulting before any of the banks would consider you worthy of personal contact...

 

[Hilly]

Customer service costs money and banks don't like to spend it. I bet these days you need to have borrowings over £100K and look at risk of defaulting before any of the banks would consider you worthy of personal contact...

You mean 500k

 

[onesiedale]

What do you actually need your bank for? We find that so long as our overdraft is agreed annually and we are reaonably on track with our budget then the less we have to do with the bank the better.
We use HSBC, just over the border from you in Shropshire and have found them fine to deal with.

 

[farmerm]

You mean 500k

You are probably correct, in the case of farmers it could even be higher, farm borrowing are usually set against a large asset value which makes the banks exposure minimal, even if the borrower defaults.

 

[Chasingmytail]

Im with Lloyds and my account is Brecon whoever I have a agri manager to speak and visit if necessary to but even now he doesn't have access to everything and I still have to speak to the call centre.

The only other option worth considering is Tridos now (based in Bristol).

 

[pellow]

Lloyds Ag have a priority scale, under £500k and your in with the hairdressers and car mechanics, between £500k and £1 Mill you get some man on a phone somewhere who knows the difference between a sheep and a goat and over £1 mill you have a real life ag bank manager

 

[lazy farmer]

Lloyds Ag have a priority scale, under £500k and your in with the hairdressers and car mechanics, between £500k and £1 Mill you get some man on a phone somewhere who knows the difference between a sheep and a goat and over £1 mill you have a real life ag bank manager

We have Real Lloyd’s manager and we have no where near that level of debt.

 

[little_p]

I wasn't very impressed with the lady in Barclays, Llandrindod who was supposed to have some Ag / Business expertise. Although found their call centre in Leicester good for usual business banking.

Two neighbours left natwest with the same problem, joined HSBC Newtown after speaking with the a new ag manager in the royal welsh show

Also heard good things about HSBC in Newtown. Was told that they had a good understanding of lending for poultry houses at least.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Rabo ?

they have a big presence here in ag ( they only deal in agriculture )

 

[pellow]

We have Real Lloyd’s manager and we have no where near that level of debt.

not sure it makes any difference but I'm a new business, also I know a relative of mine still has an ag manager and low debt, but have been big debtors in the past so they probably carried on

 

[deleted user 837354]

So what you guys are saying is that I should investigate becoming a banker because I could grow clients and get them to spend money. I'll write that down on my list of back-up plans.

 

[lazy farmer]

So what you guys are saying is that I should investigate becoming a banker because I could grow clients and get them to spend money. I'll write that down on my list of back-up plans.

I would have thought you’d be all over peer to peer lending.

 

[Bald Rick]

Lloyds Ag have a priority scale, under £500k and your in with the hairdressers and car mechanics, between £500k and £1 Mill you get some man on a phone somewhere who knows the difference between a sheep and a goat and over £1 mill you have a real life ag bank manager

And if you have the mobile number of the head of Ag for a particular bank stored on your phone???

 

[7610 super q]

Shocking. Banking in this area is transit van based now. Assuming it turns up. And the list of things they can't do is a mile long. Bit like the queue. Assuming it turns up. How the hell it's gone from a large plush building on every high street to ex pikey transit vans in a decade I don't know. f**king internet banking has a lot to answer for.
So in answer to the OP..... No, I can't recommend anyone.

 

[Beowulf]

I dunno why you're all so keen to talk to a bank manager. If any of mine ever come to see me it's either a) they want me to start paying money back, or b) want to give me more money.

I don't want to have the former conversation, and I probably shouldn't be allowed to have the latter.