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Original poster

anyone ever been DeBanked?

211 replies

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 00:21

After finding myself the wrong side of a bank, who I've been fighting them for a while.. I spoke to a friend of mine who pointed me here. His exact words " You need to put this on mumsnet, cos that place will have an opinion on what's happened to you... "

So firstly has anyone on here ever been #DeBanked, cos my story should serve as a warning to anyone that is a customer of a high street bank.

post your questions and buckle up for a story that will make your hair turn white... fall out and raise more questions than it anwers

my background I'm a nobody, yet my bank chose to debank me, and sieze all my families money after a near fatal accident... and this could happen to you.

more to follow, it's been a long day and I just introduced myself a few hours ago.

OP posts:
Waterweight · 04/02/2025 06:19

@LittleRob Ok am I the only one genuinely curious ?
Please come back & tell us the story ...

Oblomov25 · 04/02/2025 06:21

True Captain.

I've seen Banks behave badly. HMRC make bad mistakes, that they've then tried to cover up. I fought for one employee previously and lesser tenacious people would've given up.

Why is it default to not believe op? Other people get debanked.

Zone2NorthLondon · 04/02/2025 06:30

RechargeableGnu · 04/02/2025 00:34

Shouldn't you be called Rob DeBank?

Fucking priceless

TheQuirkyMaker · 04/02/2025 06:42

PebbleJus · 04/02/2025 01:38

I haven’t been debarked but a close relative has. He spends a lot of time abroad and the bank’s request (by letter) for KYC information went unanswered in the time he was away. Once you’ve missed the deadline and they tell you that they’re closing your account, there appears to be no way back.

The problem for him is that the bank (eventually) gave him his money back in the form of a cheque. Circa £50,000. He has no bank account to cash the cheque and can’t open one due to now being domiciled abroad.

The bank hasn’t withdrawn his credit card though. The credit limit remains the same, just shy of £10,000. If they thought he was a fraudster they would have removed that immediately wouldn’t they?

The bank hasn’t withdrawn his credit card though. The credit limit remains the same, just shy of £10,000.
That isn't true, though, is it? He just has the plastic card, which is useless as it isn't attached to an account.

spooksy · 04/02/2025 06:45

It's suppose to kill you dead, but didn't and nobody told any different so I carried on working...
2009 4 months after the incident I've learned to walk after a fashion and talk again, I mentioned what happened to me to my bank...

So just because he didn't know he was supposed to be dead he carried on working, while unable to walk or speak. Then 4 months after the incident, he's regained these abilities and he's chatting to the bank (for some unexplained reason) about a legal challenge.

Absolutely miraculous to be able to push through being unable to walk, and loss of speech, to carry on working. Thank God someone thought to point out that the accident could have been serious, there's no way he could have realised otherwise.

Bestfootforward11 · 04/02/2025 06:54

Have you been to court?
You don’t need a lawyer to go the financial ombudsman, so the £500,000 in legal fees seems unclear.

wipeywipe · 04/02/2025 06:55

The majority of people 'de-banked' are for very good reasons.

well that's ok then 🤔

wipeywipe · 04/02/2025 06:57

@jellyfishperiwinkle that's terrifying & the fact they wouldn't even tell the victim why.

Izzy24 · 04/02/2025 07:01

wipeywipe · 04/02/2025 06:57

@jellyfishperiwinkle that's terrifying & the fact they wouldn't even tell the victim why.

Agreed - really disturbing. Had made mental note to consider opening an account with a second bank which is evidently pointless.

JHound · 04/02/2025 07:05

askmenow · 04/02/2025 02:23

Well fuck off Banks aren't there for their customers benefit, only their own. As is evidenced by their lack of customer service....

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LOL!

JHound · 04/02/2025 07:06

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 01:29

seems fair #TeamBank

my timeline

2009 125kg about (16stone) falls 4m (18ft) and hits me in the head (bit extreme not everyone has this happen in their lives. It's suppose to kill you dead, but didn't and nobody told any different so I carried on working. At times I wish it did, just kill me but we can't all be that lucky)

2009 4 months after the incident I've learned to walk after a fashion and talk again, I mentioned what happened to me to my bank. Explained that there will be courtcase and insurance claim as I believe I'm the victim in this instance
The bank at first says "well support you, yup no problem"
within 72 hours I'm debanked nothing works they cancel my business accounts and all my accounts and we're off and into the funny and unlikely story

I get stuck in a legal battle for a while, after 10 years the level of injuries are finally agreed on and because I'm debanked and have no access to any of my money, my legal case fails as I can't pay my solicitors and I end up with a 500+K legal bill.

the bank in the meantime tried to take away our home a couple of times as being debanked makes it very complex to get a new account... they've crystalised the debt of the mortgage into what they claim was a owed payable immediately... but as I didn't have a bank account becaue it was removed from me by them... it was a very much a chicken and egg question.

so how would you deal with one minute being able to buy and do as you like to the next not being able to buy a packet of crisps on credit..?

right that me done for a moment as I do have a job to do very soon.

and my mate was right this place is pretty lively...

Show quote history

#TeamBank

ShortBreak · 04/02/2025 07:11

Gosh, I've been on MN for so long, but this is a new one.

Superhansrantowindsor · 04/02/2025 07:13

So you had an accident and told the back. Why?
you carried on working at this time whilst dealing with TBI and learning to walk again.
you took out a claim with your employer and then for no reason your bank closed your account.

I think there is a lot of missing information here.
Did you default on bills or go overdrawn due to your accident? Have the bank suspected fraud as you carried on working whilst claiming to be unable to walk and talk?

TorroFerney · 04/02/2025 07:22

RechargeableGnu · 04/02/2025 00:34

Shouldn't you be called Rob DeBank?

Chapeau my friend.

Mere1 · 04/02/2025 07:22

ThatUniqueKoala · 04/02/2025 00:33

YABU.

I'm team Bank.

I may be too.

LavenderFields7 · 04/02/2025 07:23

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

BourbonsAreOverated · 04/02/2025 07:33

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 00:54

but did they keep all you money as well..?

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Yes they did

it was due to an abusive ex and we had a joint account, but they cleared my personal one too (on payday, so they kept that too)

so that was fun

MellowCritic · 04/02/2025 07:35

UbiquitousObjects · 04/02/2025 01:01

When banks 'debank' they don't withold the money in the account permanently unless there's substantial proof that all of the funds in question were obtained fraudulently or criminally from someone else - and even then the money will sit in holding and eventually be forwarded to who the rightful owner is determined to be. The banks don't simply 'bank' the money for themselves. Ever.

The majority of people 'de-banked' are for very good reasons.

No actually the majority aren't. There are more and more cases of errors in the ppl they target due to their extreme over the top secrecy.. they will literally tell you nothing so you cant even defend yourself. Added to this actually they often don't give you the money back for months and months.. you sound very naive or very arrogant ... I'm not sure which!

VodkaCola · 04/02/2025 07:41

I'm still not entirely following this story. It seems to have been told in the wrong order somehow.

Hdjdb42 · 04/02/2025 07:46

This happened to someone I used to work with. He's freelance and was paid regularly by a client, who was investigated, charged and imprisoned for fraud. He couldn't access any of his money for nearly a year! He had to prove that he wasn't part of the fraud, through a solicitor. I think it's scary how much power banks can have over you. Glad you got sorted in the end.

1234567890qwerty · 04/02/2025 07:48

A friend started putting money aside each month as soon as her son was born, this was in a savings account with the same bank her current account was with. 18 years later she transferred the savings to her son's account with the same bank on his birthday. The bank shut his account for suspected money laundering and refused to give him the money. Several months of complaints followed and they finally got the money back after threatening legal action but no apology. They all now bank with a someone else.

I've read similar stories but usually by people who share the story in one go rather than drip feeding as they are about to go to work in 4 hours so don't have time to explain.

spritsailking · 04/02/2025 07:53

Banks have been fined a lot over recent years. There's a very low threshold to freeze an account due to new laws. Banks only care about not being fined so go on the side of caution.
If you've done nothing wrong you'll probably get your money back in a few months but can cost thousands and if you now have a marker against your name you won't get a bank account for 6 years.
Money laundering rules are strict and anything abnormal could trip something.

NotTerfNorCis · 04/02/2025 08:15

I don't get why people automatically sided with the bank - unless there's a back story I'm not aware of.

From what I can gather - the OP had a serious accident and stopped being able to work, therefore to pay his mortgage. Bank shut down his accounts and kept the money. OP can't even pay legal fees because his accounts are frozen.

Is that about right?

PebbleJus · 04/02/2025 08:27

TheQuirkyMaker · 04/02/2025 06:42

The bank hasn’t withdrawn his credit card though. The credit limit remains the same, just shy of £10,000.
That isn't true, though, is it? He just has the plastic card, which is useless as it isn't attached to an account.

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Did you think I said debit card? I said credit card. Credit cards aren’t linked to bank accounts, they are separate financial products. The credit card in question is in regular use, in fact there are several recurring payments attached to it.

JohnofWessex · 04/02/2025 08:39

There does seem to be an issue where people often but not always with connections 'abroad' find their accounts closed without any good reason being given