Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

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:
PebbleJus · 04/02/2025 08:40

GaspingGekko · 04/02/2025 05:11

Your close relative should be able to cash their cheque in the country they are domiciled in.
I've done that before now with a cheque from Singapore.

I’ll tell him to try this. Thank you.

RocketNan · 04/02/2025 08:50

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.

Rob’s playing all the right notes just not necessarily in the right order.

NotTerfNorCis · 04/02/2025 08:55

To be fair, he did have a serious head injury in 2009.

WellsAndThistles · 04/02/2025 08:59

NotTerfNorCis · 04/02/2025 08:55

To be fair, he did have a serious head injury in 2009.

I think the moral of the story is, if you have 150KG of concrete land on your head, switch banks ASAP.

endofthelinefinally · 04/02/2025 09:03

DH went into Barclays to deal with something re his mum's account. He had POA and this was clearly displayed on the account. This was back when there were people behind the counter in an actual branch.
The staff member accused him of fraud in front of everyone and froze the account on the spot. It was extraordinary and took ages to sort out.
My late son was forced to empty his account at knifepoint at a cash machine. It was on cctv, the perpetrators were arrested and found guilty.
Bank wouldn't refund the money. They are a law unto themselves.

PebbleJus · 04/02/2025 09:22

endofthelinefinally

Presumably, the bank refused to refund the money because they weren’t responsible for the loss of the money. It wasn’t your son’s fault but it wasn’t the bank’s fault either.

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 10:01

going back to page 4

The new solicitors are saying that this needs to be resolved, however they're being ignored by the bank
The ombudsman made a ruling that the bank chooses to ignore
the police claimed this wasn't theft, as the there's no evidence. I did ask them to call into the bank for a chat. They declined, I got terribly angry perhaps a level of frustration had set in. Apparently this happens when you get an aquired brain injury. There's some other really odd things that happen and most are hard to explain.

So they closed all my accounts apart from the mortgage however they removed all my details, so this wasn't accessible from a counter clerk position. I had to speak with the bank, as my business account was also at the same outfit and my staff needed to be paid. However to continue to trade would have been a breech of the corporate veil. So I had no choice but to endeavour to open a channel with the Bank as quickly as possible. So as soon as I could, around 10 months after my accident. Before that my wife dealt with the accounts ran the business and all round did a very good job. However once I opened the door to the bank it got really complex. More importantly that didn't go too well, and I got very jammed up by the banks replies. As negotiations are or tend to fall into two formats distributive and integrated bargaining

distributive = for every winner in a negotiation there has to be a looser
integrated = the negotiations continue, it's a symbiotic relationship between both parties as one needs the other.

The Bank didn't need me, while my family did. I took the best course of action based on getting what I thought would be a rematch with the Bank. That never happened.

Thinking about this I would choose team bank everytime "Might is, always Right"
slavery never did anyone any harm
bullying people is totally acceptable for the bully
people have too many rights... the needs of the few will always out weigh the needs of the many

How do you attach a picture to this sort of thread..?

Once properly debanked in early 2010 I wasn't able to pay my mortgage, for the best part of year. My wife who had not ever wanted to be in the stressful position of now being the managing director had a breakdown, because she probably had enough of the front row seat of watching stuggle to make sense of stuff that made no sense. The bank in debanking me, did my credit rating so opening a new account was near impossible, that's what took a year. The only account I could get was for folks on benefits and asylum seekers. I couldn't transfer my business account as this was at the cusp of money laundering rules changing, I wasn't able to answer the questions. I closed the business everyone got made redundant, that afftect intotal about 40 people, some I've never able to speak to again.

It would have been called a black swan event, everything I had learnt from being in business for 10+ years and working for big companies before that. No longer applied.

For someone who's meant to be dead, I'm doing alright i guess hard to measure a piece of string if they only give you one end. I didn't setout that day to get killed, it wasn't my intention to end up being a medical guinea pig for 10 years. While the various specialists all poked and prodded. trying to prove their own theories of what happened. They could have just asked me, and when you discount everything that can't be correct, whatever unlikley story you endup left with must be true.

I can only assume this (new me) is similar to being autistic? I can't be certain I don't think I was autistic before

There we are if you've ever been debanked, you may know what it's like. If you've never been debanked you may want to consider taking some action now before it happens. Cos it way more complex than I had ever thought

finally my solicitors for the injury claim, where paid by my insurance. I never saw that payment leave my account. Then again they failed to secure the 1+ million pounds promsed payout ... So I never the million quid come in either. I guess from their position they did alright, plus my insurance did alright they got rid of me.

any journalist in here...?

OP posts:
endofthelinefinally · 04/02/2025 10:24

PebbleJus · 04/02/2025 09:22

endofthelinefinally

Presumably, the bank refused to refund the money because they weren’t responsible for the loss of the money. It wasn’t your son’s fault but it wasn’t the bank’s fault either.

They actually said they didn't believe him. If they had said it said it wasn't policy or something I guess that would be one thing, but they just kept saying they it wasn't a "real robbery" The implication being that he was in cahoots with the perpetrators.

ThatFluentTiger · 04/02/2025 10:30

Is the bottom line that the bank wouldn’t give you your money because they were required to transfer it into another account but you didn’t have one and weren’t able to open one?
Its either that or the bank have frozen your account because they suspect something criminal and you’ve never been able to get it unfrozen?

BMW6 · 04/02/2025 10:36

Is this being produced by AI?
Such a word salad and made-up words and phrases (black Swan event????)

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 10:45

@ThatFluentTiger they say the money didn't exist, as I didn't have a bank account. So they could never have debanked me which they still dispute happened. I then proved by scanning statements from them and sending these over for review, at which point the bank investigator apologised (another pointless and meaningless apology but it probably made the person on the phone feel better and she got that off her chest... so isn't loosing any sleep) and then it all went silent.

the ombudsman ruled and now the complaint is out of time, the paper files I've been sent are printed so small you can't read'em. The solicitor wants £500 an hour to read it, I've now asked to have the files electronically the banks says it does not use emails to contact clients which when I played the recording back it sounded more like they don't emails full stop as a business which seems like a lie...

to get to here as taken 15 years... I get up breath, go to work and hope for better days...

some days I really wonder how much better things would be had the accident just chopped me in half...

right coffee break is over and I really need to crack on...

OP posts:
LittleRob · 04/02/2025 10:48

BMW6 · 04/02/2025 10:36

Is this being produced by AI?
Such a word salad and made-up words and phrases (black Swan event????)

until 1697 black swans had never been seen in Europe, so the theory was they could not exist.

till someone saw one and thought shit the bed it's a swan but in black...

also known as really unusual unforeseen events that can't be totally explained but did happen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory

similar in constructs to shroedinger cat...

Black swan theory - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory

OP posts:
HaddyAbrams · 04/02/2025 10:56

My bank closed my account, is that the same as being debanked?

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 10:57

HaddyAbrams · 04/02/2025 10:56

My bank closed my account, is that the same as being debanked?

if they didn't tell you, I suppose so. Did they give you the money back...? did it affect your credit rating..?

OP posts:
TheFatCatsWhiskers1 · 04/02/2025 11:01

Have you been to a law clinic for free legal advice? The citizens advice bureau should be able to direct you.

If this is for real and you want to speak to the media then I can send you the email addresses of some personal finance journalists.

HaddyAbrams · 04/02/2025 11:06

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 10:57

if they didn't tell you, I suppose so. Did they give you the money back...? did it affect your credit rating..?

I knew they were doing it but didn't know when. No they didn't give my money back.

It's because I entered into an IVA and they were one of my creditors.

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 11:07

went to CA "citizens advice" they really struggled to and looked like a goldfish gulping for air at one

went to a law clinic who while well meaning said this needed a real legal team and that would cost money.

I did find a decent lawyer from a big firm and we got on really well till he said the problem is we bank with that bank and they will do this to us if we take the case

he declined on those reasons

might is always right.... and I would choose team bank if given the choice but I don't have a choice.

would love to talk with a journo cos there's loads more stuff I can't even put down here for legal reasons

OP posts:
LittleRob · 04/02/2025 11:08

HaddyAbrams · 04/02/2025 11:06

I knew they were doing it but didn't know when. No they didn't give my money back.

It's because I entered into an IVA and they were one of my creditors.

well I suppose they could have had a point in law, but you got out of the jam and life is better now.. Plus it'll soon be spring and things are always better once the sun comes out...

OP posts:
Superhansrantowindsor · 04/02/2025 11:17

Are you able to bullet point each stage of the story starting with the head injury?
People might be more sympathetic and able to help with more clarity.

Heylittlesongbird · 04/02/2025 11:24

I understand the ABI may well have impacted your communication. Could the friend who suggested you write on mumsnet possibly help you to write a timeline and explanation of why the bank said they were doing this?

I’m afraid I really don’t understand why the bank initially did this to you and on what basis. I’m especially confused by the linkage to whether or not you should have died and how that triggered the bank to do this.

TheFatCatsWhiskers1 · 04/02/2025 11:31

@LittleRob I've sent you a PM.

Hoppinggreen · 04/02/2025 11:40

Did you actually die when being hit in the head and then everything that happened after that was your dying brain a la Jacobs Ladder?

Whattodo1610 · 04/02/2025 11:43

I am SO confused by you OP 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Is this correct -
You had a horrific accident and were in hospital on life support or similar?
Your bank therefore closed your accounts as they were notified you’d died?
You then actually survived, but found you had no bank account or money that was in it?

LittleRob · 04/02/2025 12:48

Whattodo1610 · 04/02/2025 11:43

I am SO confused by you OP 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Is this correct -
You had a horrific accident and were in hospital on life support or similar?
Your bank therefore closed your accounts as they were notified you’d died?
You then actually survived, but found you had no bank account or money that was in it?

nobody told me how dangerous the accident was, everyone that was involved did a runner and I was left alone. I did briefly blackout but fought the tunnel vision moment as passing out while on site could be really dangerous. I could have fallen off the tower I was on and really gotten hurt.

After picking myself up I'd worked out that I wasn't bleeding externally so carried on that job wasn't finishing itselfs anytime soon. The local health and safety officer came along told me someone had been hurt, I asked who...? I was the designated responsible adult...! for the location and that job. He took some pictures and wandered off... no ambulance was called.. I have no idea how I got home.

I was seen by my GP the following day on an emergency appointment, I recounted the accident showed him pictures of the thing... that hit me and the dent my head made in it. which theblads kindly left in my van, as evidence...

the GP told me not to worry it was all fine and sent me home turns out I had a brain bleed... broken eye sockets, a fractured skull 2 ruptured discs in my neck. Plus a whole raft of injuries... which I explained but he didn't see too worried about...

Then I'm missing two months (6+ weeks-ish) we've pieced most of that abck together from work track logs, I still went to work drove cars, worked on computer screens, lifted really heavy objects and had a beer or two with clients all of whom later said I wasn't totally focussed on the task at hand.

At about the 6 week mark my face drooped down, I looked like I'd had a stroke after that, left arm stopped working left leg stopped working and the nerve damage was whole other story. I then had to stop working while the stroke was being investigated...

it took 10 years to workout what happened, which in summary was an object of around 125Kg hit me on the head from 4m up.... I ended up being made disabled... with a TBI/ ABI

a few weeks later a young lad was killed in wandsworth after an 45kg thing hit him on the head and he just died...

it is what it is

that's lunch done best I get back to the grind stone

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 04/02/2025 12:50

No idea how any of that relates to banking though

Swipe left for the next trending thread