Britannia

About our Savings Accounts

General Terms and Conditions for your savings account with Britannia

The following generic Terms and Conditions apply to all our savings accounts. Specific Terms and Conditions may apply to different account types. Please refer to the information for each account type for full details. These terms and conditions (2010 Edition) supersede all previous editions of our General Terms and Conditions.

1. Introduction

1.1 These terms and conditions, (the "General Terms and Conditions") relate to all of the savings accounts and related services which we offer to our customers. In addition, specific terms and conditions also apply to each type of account and service which we offer to our customers (the "Specific Terms and Conditions"). You will find a copy of the Specific Terms and Conditions for each of the accounts which we operate for our customers ("the Accounts") in any one of the following:

• the information fact sheet relating to the applicable Account;
• the application form for the particular Account which you must complete when applying to open the applicable Account; or
• our website.

1.2 By submitting an application for an Account, you offer to open the applicable Account with us on the basis of the General Terms and Conditions together with the Specific Terms and Conditions which relate to the Account in question. Once we have accepted your application, we will open the appropriate Account. Our contract with you in relation to each such Account will then consist of the General Terms and Conditions together with the Specific Terms and Conditions which relate to the Account in question (the "Contract"). Each such Contract will set out our respective rights and obligations in dealing with each other in relation to the applicable Account.

1.3 If, in relation to a particular Account, a provision of the Specific Terms and Conditions conflicts with these General Terms and Conditions, the provision in the Specific Terms and Conditions will take precedence.

1.4 In these General Terms and Conditions and in each of the Specific Terms and Conditions, references to:
1.4.1 "Account" means each of the accounts that you have with us in either your name or jointly with other persons.
1.4.2 "Bank Working Day" means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday in England.
1.4.3 "Electronic Payments" means a payment to or from your account by Internal Transfer, Standing Order, Direct Debit, BACS, Faster Payment or CHAPS.
1.4.4 "Internal Transfer" means a transfer of money from one Britannia Savings Account to another or from a Britannia Savings Account to a Britannia Mortgage Account.
1.4.5 "Payment Account" means an account which we describe as a Payment Account in the Specific Terms and Conditions.
1.4.6 "Reference Rate" means an externally set interest rate such as Bank of England official bank rate.
1.4.7 "we", "us", "our" and "Britannia" means the Co-operative Bank p.l.c., trading as Britannia, registered office address PO Box 101, 1 Balloon Street, Manchester, M60 4EP. The Co-operative Bank is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Our FSA Registration No. is 121885.
1.4.8 "you" means the account holder.

1.5 Please read carefully both these General Terms and Conditions and Specific Terms and Conditions which relate to any Account which you apply to open. If you have any questions, or if you would like any more information and advice about your Account, please ask a member of staff at your local branch. Or, if you prefer, please call our customer helpline on 0845 121 7909 (weekdays 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-12 noon) or write to us at Britannia House, Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands, ST13 5RG.

1.6 Please keep these General Terms and Conditions, together with the Specific Terms and Conditions that apply to each Account that you have with us in a safe place. You may need to refer to them in the future. You can request a copy of these General Terms and Conditions, the Specific Terms and Conditions, statements we have provided to you, together with details of our interest rates and charges at any time without charge.

1.7 You cannot open a savings account with us which is subject to these General Terms and Conditions if you are a Club, Charity, Company, Pension Fund, Unincorporated Association or business unless the Specific Terms and Conditions permit this or we otherwise agree.

2. Proof of identity

2.1 We are required by law to verify the identity and address of all new customers and, sometimes, existing customers who wish to open an Account with us. This is so that we can comply with the Money Laundering Regulations. These Regulations apply to all financial institutions in their dealings with all customers in the UK, and are designed, among other things, to prevent money that has been gained in an illegal way being deposited with us. Therefore when opening an Account please remember to present proof of identity as outlined in the "How to open your Britannia savings account" leaflet, or on our website.

2.2 If necessary, we may make additional enquiries, or seek additional references to confirm your identity as we deem necessary.

3. Jointly-held account

3.1 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that it may be held jointly by two or more persons ("Joint Account Holders"), the following section of the General Terms and Conditions will apply in relation to the jointly held Account ("Joint Accounts").

3.2 Before we agree to open a Joint Account, we require a written authority from all of the Joint Account Holders. Unless otherwise agreed by us (or unless the Joint Account is issued with a CashCard), Joint Accounts can only be operated by the signatures of all of the Joint Account Holders.

3.3 You may want to arrange for any one of the Joint Account Holders to operate the Account with just their own signature, rather than the signatures of all the Joint Account Holders. In that case, we need this to be confirmed in writing by each of the Joint Account Holders. This arrangement can be cancelled (in which case all the signatures of the Joint Account Holders will be required) by any of the Joint Account Holders giving notice in writing to us. However this will not affect any withdrawals, or any other transactions, made before we put your request to cancel the arrangement into effect.

3.4 For any Joint Accounts issued with a CashCard, each of the Joint Account Holders irrevocably agrees that withdrawals may be made on the sole authority of just one of the Joint Account Holders.

3.5 For all Joint Accounts, in the case of each Joint Account, the following principles shall apply:

• we shall treat each Joint Account Holder as being entitled to all of the money in the Joint Account without any concern as to any arrangements between the Joint Account Holders as to the actual division or ownership of the money. However, unless we have agreed otherwise and subject to the exceptions detailed above, we require signatures from all Joint Account Holders when operating the Joint Account.
• all correspondence relating to the Joint Account shall be sent by us to the address of the first named Joint Account Holder.
• any passbook which may be issued in relation to a Joint Account will be sent to the first named Joint Account Holder (we only issue one passbook for jointly held passbook based accounts).
• each Joint Account Holder shall be jointly and severally responsible to us for any debts which may arise on any Joint Account, meaning that the Joint Account Holders are liable to us not only together but also individually for the full amount that is due to us.
• in the event that any Joint Account Holder informs us of any dispute regarding a Joint Account between the Joint Account Holders, we may freeze the Account in which event no further withdrawals will be permitted by any of the Joint Account Holders until such time as all Joint Account Holders confirm to us in writing that the dispute has been resolved.

3.6 Each Joint Account Holder is required to keep us informed about any changes in their personal details, e.g. any change of address.

3.7 If any of the Joint Account Holders should die, we will recognise the surviving Account Holder(s) as having the sole ownership and interest in the Joint Account as soon as we have been provided with a certified copy of the death certificate of the deceased Joint Account Holder. The surviving Joint Account Holder(s) shall then be entitled to continue the Joint Account in the surviving Joint Account Holder’s name(s) and otherwise on the same terms as before.

3.8 Where a Joint Account can be operated by just one of the Joint Account Holders any signatory on the Account can withdraw all the money in the Account. In the event of relationship breakdown you should tell us that you only want the Account to be operated on the authority of all Joint Account Holders. This will limit your ability to access the money in your Account and may mean that some services eg CashCard are no longer available.

3.9 If you have any questions about operating a Joint Account, please ask a member of staff at your local branch. Or, if you prefer, please call our customer helpline on 0845 121 7909 (weekdays 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-12 noon).

4. Individual Savings accounts (ISAs)

4.1 The following conditions will also apply to all Cash ISAs which we operate for our customers:
4.1.1 An ISA may be held by any individual aged 18 or over (16 for a Cash ISA). The individual must be resident and ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for tax purposes or, if not so resident, either perform duties which, by virtue of Section 28 of Income Tax (Earnings & Pensions) Act 2003 (Crown employees serving overseas), are treated as being performed in the United Kingdom, or be married to, or in civil partnership with, a person who performs such duties. If you are not sure whether you qualify to hold an ISA, we recommend that you seek separate professional advice on that question.
4.1.2 An ISA must be held in an individual’s sole name, and must not be held on behalf of an individual other than you. Joint accounts are not allowed.
4.1.3 You must not have and must not subscribe to another ISA of the same type in the same tax year.
4.1.4 ISA investments will be and must remain in the beneficial ownership of the investor and must not be used as security for a loan.
4.1.5 Interest and bonus will be exempt from UK income tax providing the provisions of this section 4 and the Specific Terms and Conditions for your ISA have been fully met.
4.1.6 Subscriptions only count toward the subscription limits for the tax year in which they are received by ISA managers. Where an investor does not subscribe to the maximum in any tax year, the balance cannot be made up in any other tax year.
4.1.7 Withdrawals cannot be replaced, because withdrawals have no effect on the subscription limits. Once the limit has been reached for the tax year, investors may make no further subscriptions, regardless of withdrawals.
4.1.8 In the event of your death, gross interest will be paid up to and including the date of death. Thereafter, interest will be subject to UK income tax.
4.1.9 ISA holders have the right on request to withdraw from their ISA or transfer from us to another eligible ISA manager, subject to the General Terms and Conditions and the Specific Terms and Conditions of the Account regarding partial withdrawals/transfers and regarding loss of interest. The ISA holder can choose the date funds are withdrawn or transferred subject to us being allowed a reasonable period not exceeding 30 days to implement the withdrawal or transfer.
4.1.10 We may notify you if by reason of any failure to satisfy the ISA Regulations, an ISA has, or will, become void.
4.1.11 All information will be treated in strictest confidence, however, we are obliged by law to return information on ISA holders to HM Revenue & Customs.
4.1.12 The date of your ISA opening is the date that we accept your correctly completed Application and receive payment.
4.1.13 Favourable tax treatment may not be maintained in the future.

5. Account Documents

Passbook based Accounts

5.1 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that a passbook will be issued for the Account then the passbook issued to you by us for your Account remains our property and must be returned to us upon request so that we can bring it up to date with all transactions which have arisen in relation to your Account or for any other reasonable purpose. No entries may be made in the passbook except by us.

Card based Accounts

5.2 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that a CashCard will be issued to the account holder(s), the following conditions will apply in relation to the issue and use of such CashCards ("CashCards"):
5.2.1 The CashCard which is issued for your Account remains our property and can only be used as outlined in these General Terms and Conditions. We may cancel, withdraw or suspend your CashCard where we reasonably believe:

• there may be fraudulent activity or other financial crime affecting the Account;
• the security of the CashCard or PIN have been compromised.

We will let you know in writing, where possible in advance but if not immediately afterwards, where your CashCard is cancelled, withdrawn or suspended unless doing so would compromise our reasonable security measures or would otherwise be unlawful. Should we cancel, withdraw or suspend your CashCard you must not use it after receiving our notification.
5.2.2 We are committed to the highest levels of security for our card-based Accounts. However, we also rely on our account holders to do all they can to protect any CashCard which is issued for their Account from misuse. Please see section 9 for more information on the steps you should take to preserve the security of your Account.
5.2.3 The repeated use of an incorrect PIN may cause your CashCard to be retained. It also sometimes happens that your use of the CashCard may be affected by the failure of a cash machine, system failure, strikes, disputes or other circumstances beyond our control or your CashCard may be damaged or retained by a cash machine. While we do all we can to avoid this kind of problem, please note that we cannot be held liable for any loss or inconvenience that may be caused by conditions like these over which we have no direct control.
5.2.4 From time to time, we may replace or re-issue the CashCard for use on your Account.
5.2.5 We will send you a statement of your Account after every 25 transactions, or every 3 months, whichever comes first.

Statement Based Accounts

5.3 For some savings accounts Britannia does not issue a passbook or a CashCard. We call them Statement Based Accounts. If your Account is a Statement Based Account, we will issue a statement every 3 months or every 25 transactions whichever comes first, unless detailed otherwise in the Specific Terms and Conditions of the Account.

6. Operating your Account

Branch

6.1 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for your Account indicate that you may, or we otherwise agree that you may, operate your Account through any of our branches, the following conditions will apply:
6.1.1 To operate your Account you will be required to present:

• your Passbook; or
• your CashCard; or
• for Statement Based Accounts the most recent statement issued to you.

6.1.2 We may, for reasons of your security, and to fulfil our legal obligations, also ask you to provide us with proof of your identity before allowing you to operate your Account.
6.1.3 You will only be able to operate an account in a branch during its normal advertised working hours.

Telephone Service

6.2 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that telephone account managed services are available ("Telephone Service") the following conditions will apply:
6.2.1 Before you can use the Telephone Service you will first need to activate it by phoning us and giving us the following information ("Security Details"):-

• your Account number, which we will have provided to you when your Account was opened;
• the security information which you provided on your application form; and
• a Password which you will need to think of yourself for the purposes of future identification (we will specify certain minimum requirements for the Password, such as the number of characters).

6.2.2 Once the Telephone Service on your Account has been activated, when telephoning us in connection with your Account you will need to provide your Account number and the Password mentioned above. We will hold the Security Details on file for your protection, to help us satisfy ourselves that the telephone caller is in fact the account holder. You must never provide your full Password over the telephone.
6.2.3 We may change or add to your Security Details at any time in order to protect you and us.
6.2.4 You can only have one set of Security Details at any one time. If you have a Joint Account each account holder must activate use of Telephone Service separately using his or her own security information and providing us with his or her own distinct Password.
6.2.5 We may withdraw or restrict your access to our Telephone Service where we reasonably believe:

• there may be fraudulent activity or other financial crime affecting the Account;
• the security of the Telephone Service has been compromised.

We will let you know in writing, where possible in advance but if not immediately afterwards, where your telephone service is withdrawn or restricted unless doing so would compromise our reasonable security measures or is otherwise unlawful.
6.2.6 You will only be able to use our Telephone Service during its normal advertised working hours.

Post

6.3 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that you may, or we otherwise agree you may, operate your Account through the post, the following conditions will apply:
6.3.1 You can make payments to your account by cheque via the post. You should not send us cash via the post. Any cash received from you by post will be returned to you. Condition 7.13 contains further details on payments into your Account by cheque.
6.3.2 Withdrawals can also be requested through the post by writing to the Customer Support Centre based in Leek, provided the withdrawal request is accompanied by the passbook (where applicable). For your protection, payments to third parties may be subject to further verification by telephone or letter. Therefore please allow sufficient time for this to take place. All cheques will be sent to your registered address. We do not accept faxed withdrawal requests.
6.3.3 Where the Account is operated by post it is on the basis of second class post, and we will process all transactions promptly on receipt.
6.3.4 Where you request a payment from your Account, through the post, by Internal Transfer, BACS or CHAPS we will deal with your request promptly. However the payment may not be debited from your Account until the next Bank Working Day following receipt of your request if it is received on a Bank Working Day and if not on the Bank Working Day after that. The 3 day clearing cycle, set out in condition 7.16.1, for payment by BACS will not commence until the Bank Working Day following the payment being debited from your Account and the payment by CHAPS will be received by the bank we are sending it to on the Bank Working Day it is debited from your Account.

Cash Machine

6.4 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that we will provide you with a CashCard then you may operate your Account through an ATM and the following conditions will apply:
6.4.1 You may take money out of your Account at an ATM using your CashCard and PIN. Subject to Specific Account Terms and Conditions on administration charges, there will be no charge for this if you use a Britannia cash machine. You can also withdraw money from your Account at any other cash machine in the United Kingdom displaying the LINK logo. However, other organisations may make a charge for such withdrawals which will then be debited to your Account and shown on your next statement.
6.4.2 The minimum withdrawal that can be made from a cash machine is normally £10 although some cash machines will allow minimum withdrawals of £5. The maximum withdrawal during any day will be set out in the applicable Specific Terms and Conditions. If no such limit is set out in the Specific Terms and Conditions, you will be able to withdraw up to £250 at a cash machine.

Internet

6.5 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that internet managed services are available, Specific Terms and Conditions for internet use will apply and be available on our website, in addition to these General Terms and Conditions and any Product Specific Terms and Conditions.

7. Payments in and out of your account

7.1 In addition to updating your passbook whenever it is used and providing statements in accordance with condition 5.3 we will provide you, on request, with information relating to each Electronic Payment to and from your Account. This will include for each Electronic Payment the date and amount of the Electronic Payment, a reference enabling you to identify the payment, the amount of any charges (including, where appropriate, a breakdown of those charges) relating to the Electronic Payment, where appropriate information relating to the payer/payee and where applicable the exchange rate used and the amount paid/received in the foreign currency. You can request this additional information up to once a month and it will be provided to you in writing for example, in a statement or your passbook.

7.2 The currency of the Account will be Sterling. We will not accept cash payments in to the Account in any other currency and you cannot make cash withdrawals from the Account in any other currency. Cash paid into your Account will be credited and available for withdrawal from when it is received by us at a Britannia branch.

General Provisions – payments out/withdrawals

7.3 Withdrawals/transfers from your Britannia Accounts will be subject to the Specific Terms and Conditions applicable to the Account concerned. Unless the Specific Terms and Conditions specify otherwise you can withdraw penalty free from your Account at any time. You can cancel a request for a withdrawal on a Bank Working Day during our normal advertised working hours up until the time at which your Account has been debited. Once you have instructed us to make a withdrawal and the Account has been debited in accordance with your instruction, we cannot reverse the instruction.

7.4 We may, for reasons of your security, refuse to carry out a transaction on your Account if we are not satisfied of the identity or authority of the person asking for the transaction. We may also refuse to carry out a transaction if we are not satisfied that it is within the law to do so.

7.5 You are not entitled to make withdrawals against uncleared funds and overdrafts are not permitted on any of our Accounts. If your Account should become overdrawn, you will need to repay the amount of the overdrawn balance immediately. We may use some or all of the money in any other Account you have with us to reduce or clear the overdrawn balance.

7.6 In addition to the other provisions of this contract and the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account we can restrict at any time, without notice, the amount which can be withdrawn from any Account if:
7.6.1 We reasonably believe that there may be fraudulent activity or other financial crime affecting the Account;
7.6.2 We are required to do so by any law, regulation or court order;
7.6.3 There is a dispute (which we reasonably believe may be genuine) about the ownership of, or entitlement to, the money in the Account.

7.7 If we restrict the amount that can be withdrawn from any account or refuse to carry out an Electronic Payment we will tell you of that decision and our reasons for it (either personally, on the phone or in writing) unless it is unlawful for us to do so, within the timings set for the relevant transfer specified in condition 7.16. Following this notification you can contact us for details of how to rectify any errors in the payment. Where you do not think we were justified in restricting or refusing a transaction you should make a complaint in accordance with our complaints procedure.

7.8 If the balance of your Account falls below the minimum figure set out in the Specific Terms and Conditions for the particular Account after making a withdrawal, we may make charges for administering your Account. These are explained more fully in the "Charges" section of the applicable Specific Terms and Conditions.

General provisions – Payments In

7.9 Unless the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account specify otherwise, you can add to the money in your Account at any time. However, there may be a maximum balance for your Account, and you will not be able to pay any more money in once your Account has reached this maximum. You will find details of the maximum balance, if any, in the Specific Terms and Conditions that apply to your Account.

7.10 If you pay a cheque or other item into your Account which is then returned to us unpaid, we will deduct the interest we have paid on the amount of money the cheque or other item was for, as well as deducting the actual amount of the cheque or other item from your Account.

Payments by Cash

7.11 Subject to there being sufficient funds in your Account, you may take up to £500 in cash out of your Account per day.

Payments by Cheque

7.12 If you pay money into your Account by cheque, the cheque will be put through a clearing process. The following timescales will apply. We call the day we receive the cheque 'Day 0' and subsequent days are called Day 1, Day 2 and so on.

• On Day 0 you will start to earn interest.
• On Day 6 you will be able to withdraw the funds (if your Account allows withdrawals).
• By the end of Day 6 you can be certain that the money is yours and cannot be reclaimed without your permission (as long as you have not deliberately committed fraud). However up until the end of Day 6 a cheque may still bounce and the money may be reclaimed from your Account. Up until the beginning of Day 6 you will not be able to withdraw any money against the cheque.

Only Bank Working Days are counted when calculating these timescales and Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays in England are not Bank Working Days. Also please bear in mind that if a cheque is paid in on a day which is not a Bank Working Day, Day 0 will be the next following Bank Working Day (although if a cheque is paid in on a Saturday we will pay interest from that Saturday).

7.13 If you pay in money by cheque, please make it payable to yourself as the account holder. Alternatively make the cheque payable to “Britannia”, writing your Account number immediately after on the same line. You will not be able to withdraw any money against a cheque you have paid in until the cheque has cleared.

7.14 If you wish to withdraw more than £200,000 by cheque at any one time you must give us at least 2 Bank Working Days' notice.

7.15 If you withdraw money via cheque, the amount will be deducted from your Account immediately and the cheque cannot be stopped unless it is reported as being lost or stolen before it has been cashed.

Electronic Payments

7.16 You cannot make payments from your Account by Standing Order or Direct Debit. If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that you may make payments from your Account by BACS or CHAPS, or we otherwise agree to you making a payment from your Account by BACS or CHAPS, the following conditions will apply:
7.16.1 If you want to transfer money from your Account to another Account through the Bankers Automated Clearing System (BACS) then until 1 January 2012 the payment will be processed on a 3 day clearing cycle, and the payment will be received by the bank we are sending it to within 3 Bank Working Days of the clearing cycle commencing. Subject to condition 6.3.4, provided that we receive your request for transfer by 4.00pm on a Bank Working day the 3 day clearing cycle will commence on the next Bank Working Day, if not the 3 day clearing cycle will commence on the next Bank Working Day after that. If you request a transfer by BACS on a date later than the date we receive your request the 3 day clearing cycle will commence on the Bank Working Day after the date for which you requested the transfer to be made if it is a Bank Working Day or the Bank Working Day after that if it is not.
7.16.2 Subject to condition 6.3.4, if you want to transfer money from your Account to another Account by CHAPS then the payment will be debited from your Account and received by the bank we are sending it to on the same Bank Working Day. Provided that we receive your request for transfer by 2.30pm on a Bank Working Day this will be on the day of your request otherwise it may not be taken from your Account and received by the bank we are sending it to until the next Bank Working Day. If you request a transfer by CHAPS on a date later than the date we receive your request and you request the transfer to be made on a bank Working Day the payment will be debited from your Account and received by the bank on the day you request the payment to be made, otherwise it will be the next Bank Working Day.
7.16.3 To make a payment by BACS or CHAPS from your Account you will need to provide us with the account number for the account you wish to send the money to, the name of the bank or building society where the account is held and the sort code. If the information you provide is incorrect or incomplete we will not be responsible to you or the intended recipient for failure to credit the intended recipient’s account or any resulting loss of funds. This applies even if you also supply other information such as the intended recipient’s name. If you or the intended recipient ask us to assist in tracking or recovering funds sent using incorrect information, we will use our reasonable efforts to do so.
7.16.4 If you ask us to pay monies in a currency other than Sterling, the Sterling amount withdrawn will be converted into the required currency during the course of it being sent to the recipient. We will tell you the exchange rate and the amount of the currency paid after the currency conversion on request in accordance with condition 7.1.
7.16.5 If we agree to you making a payment overseas by CHAPS, you cannot make a payment overseas by BACS, then conditions 7.16.2 and 7.16.3 shall not apply and the following conditions shall apply instead:
7.16.5.1 You must provide us with the correct IBAN and SWIFT/BIC/ABA/BSB for the recipient’s account. If the information you provide is incorrect or incomplete we will not be responsible to you or the intended recipient for failure to credit the intended recipient’s account or any resulting loss of funds. This applies even if you also supply other information such as the intended recipient’s name. If you or the intended recipient ask us to assist in tracking or recovering funds sent using incorrect information, we will use our reasonable efforts to do so.
7.16.5.2 Provided that we receive your request for transfer by 1.30pm on a Bank Working Day the payment will be taken from your Account on that Bank Working Day otherwise it may not be taken from your Account until the next Bank Working Day. It will be received by the bank we are sending it to within the following timescales:
7.16.5.2.1 If the bank to which the payment is being sent is within the EEA and the payment is in Euro or Sterling then until 1 January 2012 the payment will be received by the bank we are sending it to within 3 Bank Working Days starting from the Bank Working Day after the payment is debited from your Account. Unless the request for payment is in writing in which case it may take an additional Bank Working Day.
7.16.5.2.2 If the bank to which the payment is being sent is within the EEA and the payment is not in Euro or sterling then it will be received by that bank by the end of the fourth Bank Working Day starting from the Bank Working Day after the payment is debited from your Account.
7.16.5.2.3 If the bank to which the payment is being sent is outside the EEA then the time it will take to be received by that bank will depend on which country the bank is located.

7.17 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for an Account indicate that you may make payments into your Account by CHAPS, BACS, Direct Debit, Faster Payments or Standing Order, or we otherwise agree to you making such a payment to your Account, the following section of the General Terms and Conditions will apply:
7.17.1 The sender will need to provide the bank or building society they wish to use to send the payment to us with our name, instructions to put your Account number in the reference field and:

• For payments by CHAPS: The account number 23531800 and Sort Code: 01-05-02
• For all other Electronic Payments: The account number 00000000 and Sort Code: 57-13-27.

If the information provided to the sender is wrong we will not be responsible to you or the sender for failure to credit your Account or any resulting loss of funds. This applies even if the sender also supplies other information such as your name. If you or the sender ask us to assist in recovering funds where incorrect information has been provided to the sender, we will use our reasonable efforts to do so.
7.17.2 Money received will start to earn interest, from the day we receive it provided that we receive it on a Bank Working Day, otherwise it will start to earn interest on the next Bank Working Day. It will be available for withdrawal from when it is credited to your Account.
7.17.3 If we receive monies electronically in a currency other than Sterling then this will be converted into Sterling before we credit it to your Account. We will tell you the exchange rate and the amount of the currency received before the currency conversion on request in accordance with condition 7.1.

7.18 You can make an Internal Transfer where the Terms and Conditions of both accounts permit this or we otherwise agree. You will need to provide us with the account number for the Account you wish to transfer the money to. The payment will be credited to the Account you wish the transfer to be made to immediately after it is debited from the Account you are transferring the payment from. Subject to 6.3.4, provided that we receive your request for transfer on a Bank Working Day this will be on the day of your request otherwise it may not be taken from your Account until the next Bank Working Day. If you request a transfer by Internal Transfer on a date later than the date we receive your request and you request the transfer to be made on a Bank Working Day the payment will be debited from your Account and credited to the other account on the day you request the transfer to be made, otherwise it will be the next Bank Working Day. For the purposes of this condition 7.18 only Bank Working Day includes a Saturday.

8. Interest

8.1 There may be a minimum amount of money that you will need to keep in your Account to earn the published rate of interest for that Account. Where this applies, we may pay you any rate of interest, including zero, if the balance falls below the minimum set out in the Specific Terms and Conditions for your Account.

8.2 Unless the Specific Terms and Conditions for your Account specify otherwise, we calculate interest on a daily basis and we pay you interest from the day we receive your payment into your Account up to and including the day before you make a withdrawal, or close your Account. You can check our current interest rates, without charge, by:
8.2.1 Calling us on 0845 121 7909 (weekdays 8am-8pm, Saturdays 9am-12 noon).
8.2.2 Contacting any of our branches and asking for a copy of the current interest rates leaflet.
8.2.3 Visiting our website at britannia.co.uk

8.3 If the Specific Terms and Conditions for your Account specify that the interest rates paid on your Account are either variable or tiered, these interest rates or tiers (if applicable) may be changed for one or more of the following reasons (which may relate to circumstances existing at the time or those which we reasonably expect to apply in the near future):
8.3.1 To take account, in a proportionate manner, of any changes in the Bank of England repo rate, commonly known as the Bank Base Rate (or in the nearest equivalent rate of any central bank or monetary authority which replaces the Bank Base Rate) and/or any changes in LIBOR (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate) or any other market rates which influence the cost of funds to us.
8.3.2 To enable us to maintain the competitiveness of interest rates we charge to borrowers and the interest rates we pay to the providers of funds to us, whilst having regard to the interests of our borrowers, in the interests of our business as a whole.
8.3.3 To take account, in a proportionate manner, of any changes in relevant laws, codes of practice, regulations or to take account of any decision, requirement or recommendation by a court, ombudsman or regulator.
8.3.4 To fulfil any interest rate guarantee that may apply to your Account.
8.3.5 In the event of Britannia taking over, being taken over by, or merging with, another financial services provider, to harmonise the interest rates paid by both parties in a reasonable manner.
8.3.6 To take into account, in a proportionate manner, changes in the costs we incur in operating our savings business.
8.3.7 To act in a proportionate manner to maintain the financial strength of Britannia in the interests of all our customers.

8.4 Where we make a change to interest rates (or tiers, if applicable) for one of more of the reasons set out above we will let you know by one or more of the following methods:
8.4.1 If your Account is a Payment Account and we are reducing the interest rate (otherwise than where the interest rate is linked to a Reference Rate), by giving you 2 months' personal notice of the change. If you do not agree to the change, following receipt of this notice you may switch your Account to another Britannia account (subject to the terms and conditions of that account) or close the Account (without prior notice and without paying any additional charge or suffering any loss of interest), in which case you must notify us before the change takes effect. Where you notify us that you do not accept the change we will take this as notice that you wish to close your Account.
8.4.2 If your Account is a Payment Account where the interest rate on the Account is linked to a Reference Rate we are not required to give you 2 months' notice in accordance with condition 8.4.1 where a change in the interest rate is made because of a movement in the Reference Rate. Any change following a change in the Reference Rate will be made in accordance with the Specific Terms.
8.4.3 If your Account is not a Payment Account and we are reducing the interest rate, by giving you notice in good time. Except where permitted by a code of practice that applies to us, or by our regulator or another similar body (for example if the change is not material) we will give you notice at least 14 days before the change (or any longer period required by a code of practice that applies to us, or by our regulator or other similar body). We will also write to you if we are required to do so by our regulator or another similar body.
8.4.4 If we are increasing the interest rate, whether your Account is a Payment Account or not, we can make the change immediately and provide notice either:
8.4.4.1 Personally within 30 days of the change being made, and/or
8.4.4.2 In our branches and by advertisement in two national newspapers and on our website, in each case within three Bank Working Days of the change being made.

8.5 For accounts paying interest annually or monthly, interest payments made in a leap year will be calculated on a 1/366th basis for each day. The calculation will be on a 1/365th basis for each day when it is not a leap year.

9. Security

9.1 You must take all reasonable precautions to prevent misuse of your Account, passbook, CashCard and your customer security details (this can include PINs, Account and card details, and other security details which can include security codes, passwords or secure personal information which allow you to access your Account, including internet and Telephone Services). Failure to take reasonable precautions may, subject to condition 15, result in you suffering financial loss, in access to your Account being blocked or services restricted. Reasonable precautions can include:

• signing a CashCard as soon as you receive it
• keeping your CashCard apart from your PIN
• keeping your passbook, CashCard and statements safe and not allowing anyone else to use your passbook, CashCard, PIN or other security details
• not disclosing your CashCard or security details except when using your CashCard or making payments or registering or resetting your security details to use internet or Telephone Services
• destroying the PIN advice immediately
• never disclosing or writing down your PIN or security details in any way that can be understood by someone else, including a Joint Account Holder
• not choosing a PIN or security details which may be easy to guess
• ensuring no-one hears or sees you when you are using your security details or PIN
• keeping receipts and statements safe and destroying them safely e.g. by shredding
• complying with all reasonable instructions we issue regarding keeping your passbook, CashCard, PIN and security details safe
• not allowing family or friends to use your CashCard, PIN or security details
• following additional guidance we give you in the Internet Terms and Conditions if you operate your Account online using online servicing and internet managed services

9.2 Please check your passbook regularly and any statements we send you as soon as you receive them. You must inform us as soon as possible if you consider there are any incorrect or unauthorised transactions and within 13 months for any incorrect or unauthorised Electronic Payments.

9.3 If you are entitled to a refund of a payment we will reimburse you for any interest and charges you have incurred as a result of the incorrect execution. We will not be responsible for any loss which is not a foreseeable consequence of the incorrect execution of an Electronic Payment.

9.4 In the case of a disputed transaction the burden of proving fraud or gross negligence will lie with us.

9.5 If your passbook, CashCard, PIN, or security details are lost or stolen or you think someone knows them or has used or tried to use them you must tell us immediately you are aware by:

• contacting any of our branches or
• telephoning us :
• on 0845 121 7909 (lines open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-12 noon on Saturdays) if you have lost your Passbook;
• on 0845 121 7905 (lines open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-12 noon on Saturdays) if, in relation to the Telephone Service you have forgotten your Security Details or suspect someone else knows them or may have had access to them;
• on 0845 121 7922 (lines open 24 hours a day) if your CashCard and/or PIN has been lost, stolen, retained by a cash machine or comes into the possession of an unauthorised person

9.6 We will ask you to co-operate with us by providing information or other assistance in connection with the loss or misuse of your passbook, CashCard, cheques, PIN or security details. We may also give the police and any prosecuting authority (for example Crown Prosecution Service) information about you or your Account which we consider relevant to assist with any investigation of criminal activity. In some instances we may ask you to contact the police in connection with suspicious or criminal activity on your Account.

9.7 If you find your passbook, CashCard or cheques after having reported them lost or stolen or you think someone has used or tried to use them you must not use them. You must destroy them as appropriate, by cutting them into pieces and/or returning them to us at Britannia House, Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands, ST13 5RG.

10. Tax

10.1 Unless the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account specify otherwise, we will pay you interest after deducting income tax at the prescribed rate. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you will have to pay additional tax on the interest to cover the difference between the tax deducted and the higher rate tax due. If you are a nontaxpayer, you can apply to receive your interest without tax deducted using HM Revenue & Customs form R85. This is available from any of our branches or the HM Revenue & Customs website www.hmrc.gov.uk.

10.2 If you have a Joint Account, with more than one Joint Account Holder, and any one Joint Account Holder is not currently liable to pay income tax, it is possible for interest to be paid according to each Joint Account Holder's tax status.

10.3 If you are eligible to reclaim tax deducted from the interest you have been paid, we will, on request issue you with a Certificate of Deduction of Income Tax. You should first check whether HM Revenue & Customs require such a certificate.

10.4 The tax position affecting our accounts is subject to changes in the law. Other taxes and costs may exist that are not paid via or imposed by us.

11. Charges

11.1 While we try at all times to keep costs to a minimum, there may be occasions when we make charges for the day-to-day running of your Account.

11.2 Details of the charges which may be applied to and deducted from your Account are set out in the Specific Terms and Conditions for your Account (although they may be changed as set out on the following page).

11.3 You can check our charges by:

• calling us on 0845 121 7909* (weekdays 8am-8pm, Saturdays 9am-12 noon).
• contacting any of our branches.
• visiting our website at britannia.co.uk

11.4 You will also need to pay our reasonable costs and expenses for the carrying out of tasks we reasonably consider to be outside the day-to-day running of your Account including charges for making payments by CHAPS from your Account. If we intend to make a charge for any specific service or product which falls outside the day-today running of your Account, we will tell you before we provide the service or product, and whenever you ask us.

11.5 We may change any of our charges, or introduce new charges, from time to time. The introduction of a new charge or the increase to an existing charge could be for one or more of the following reasons:

• to take account, in a proportionate manner, of changes to our costs in providing the service for which we make the charge.
• to take account, in a proportionate manner, of any changes in relevant laws, codes of practice, regulations or to take account of any decision, requirement or recommendation by a court, ombudsman or regulator.
• to take account, in a proportionate manner, of inflation.
• to take into account, in a proportionate manner, the additional cost of any changes to or improvements we make to the services or facilities we already provide to our personal savers, including technological change.
• to take into account, in a proportionate manner, changes we may reasonably make in the activities we carry out or to carry out new activities.
• where we reasonably consider a change to be necessary to correct a clerical or other non-material error in relation to the type of Account that you have with us.

11.6 Whenever we introduce new charges or increase existing charges we will let you know by one or more of the following methods:
11.6.1 If your Account is a Payment Account by giving you personal notice at least 2 months before the increase, or new charge, takes effect. You may then switch your Account to another Britannia Account (subject to the terms and conditions of that account) or close that account (without prior notice and without paying any additional charge or suffering any loss of interest) before the change takes effect. Where you notify us that you do not accept the change we will take this as notice that you wish to close your Account.
11.6.2 If your Account is a non Payment Account and the charge being introduced or changed relates to an Electronic Payment by giving you personal notice at least 2 months before the increase, or new charge, takes effect. Where you notify us that you do not accept the change then the change will not apply but you will not be able to make Electronic Payments to or from the Account. If we subsequently receive an Electronic Payment for your Account or you request for an Electronic Payment from the Account then this will be treated as agreement from you to the change to the charge.
11.6.3 If the change or charge being introduced relates to the day-to-day running of your Account but does not relate to an Electronic Payment and your Account is not a Payment Account by giving you personal notice at least 30 days before the increase, or new charge, takes effect. You may then switch your Account to another Britannia Account (subject to the terms and conditions of that account) or close that Account (without prior notice and without paying any additional charge or suffering any loss of interest) within 30 days of our telling you about the change.
11.6.4 If the change or charge being introduced does not relate to the day-to-day running of your Account, does not relate to an Electronic Payment and your Account is not a Payment Account we will tell you about the new charge or change to the charge before you incur the new charge.

12. Variation of Terms and Conditions

12.1 We may change, remove from or add to these General Terms and Conditions and/or the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account at any time for any of the following reasons:

• to take account, in a proportionate manner, of any changes in general banking practice, or of any changes in relevant laws or codes of practice.
• to take account, in a proportionate manner, of changes or anticipated changes in the law, regulation, codes of practice or to take account, in a proportionate manner, of any decision, requirement or recommendation by a Court, ombudsman or regulator.
• to take account, in a reasonable manner, of any new or improved services we may provide.
• where we reasonably consider a change to be necessary to correct a clerical or other non-material error in relation to the type of Account that you have with us.
• where we reasonably consider a change will make these General Terms and Conditions, and/or the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account easier to understand.

12.2 At any time prior to 31 December 2012 we may make such changes to these General Terms and Conditions as are reasonably required by us for any one or more of the following purposes:
12.2.1 To allow your Account to be migrated from one computer system owned or used by us to another computer system owned or used by us;
12.2.2 To allow us to align our administration and payment systems and our processing requirements (including IT requirements), including (but without limitation) the requirements of those systems for:
12.2.2.1 Accepting and processing payments made to the credit of your Account;
12.2.2.2 The clearance of cheques paid into your Account;
12.2.2.3 The calculation and payment of interest on money standing to the credit of your Account;
12.2.2.4 Implementing changes in the rate of interest paid on money standing to the credit of your Account;
12.2.2.5 Where applicable, the operation of your Account by telephone or the internet; and
12.2.2.6 Regulating and processing withdrawals and other payments from your Account;
12.2.3 To ensure that the provisions for giving notice to you or processing notices from you under the terms of your Account are consistent with the provisions for giving notice to or processing notices from account holders in all equivalent accounts held by us; and
12.2.4 To allow your Account to be operated consistently with the requirements of the rules of The Co-operative Bank p.l.c.

12.3 Where we make a change to these General Terms and Conditions and/or the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account, we will always let you know. How we tell you about the change depends on the type of Account you have and the type of changes:
12.3.1 If your Account is a Payment Account we will give you 2 months' personal notice of the change. If you do not agree to the change, following receipt of this notice you may switch your Account to another Britannia Account (subject to the terms and conditions of that account) or close the Account (without prior notice and without paying any additional charge or suffering any loss of interest), in which case you must notify us before the change takes effect. Where you notify us that you do not accept the change we will take this as notice that you wish to close your Account.
12.3.2 If your Account is a non Payment Account and the change relates to the provisions of these terms dealing with Electronic Payments we will give you 2 months' personal notice of the change. Where you notify us that you do not accept the change then the change will not apply but you will not be able to make Electronic Payments to or from the Account. If we subsequently receive an Electronic Payment for your Account or you request for an Electronic Payment from the Account then this will be treated as agreement from you to the change to terms.
12.3.3 Otherwise than where Condition 12.3.2 applies, if your Account is not a Payment Account and the change is to your disadvantage we will give you at least 30 days' personal notice of the change. If you do not agree to the change, following receipt of this notice you may switch your Account to another Britannia Account (subject to the terms and conditions of that account) or close the Account (without prior notice and without paying any additional charge or suffering any loss of interest), within 60 days of our telling you about the change.
12.3.4 Otherwise than where Condition 12.3.2 applies, if your Account is not a Payment Account and condition 12.3.3 does not apply (i.e. the change is to your advantage or neither to your advantage or disadvantage) we will tell you about it within 30 days of the change being made either by giving you personal notice and/or provide notice in our branches and by advertisement in two national newspapers and on our website.

13. Duration/Closing or Cancelling your account

13.1 Unless the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account specify otherwise this contract does not have a fixed or minimum duration.

13.2 You have 14 days from the date that your Account was opened within which to cancel it, and you will not suffer a loss of interest although you may still be charged for any services that you have received before your Account is cancelled. We will help you to switch to another Britannia Account or give you your money back, as you wish. You must make sure that your request to cancel is sent to us within 14 days of opening your Account. Notice of cancellation must be given in person at a Britannia Branch or in writing and sent to us either at Britannia House, Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands, ST13 5RG or any Britannia branch. Where your Account investment is paid by cheque we cannot return the funds to you until the cheque has cleared. Also, where you want us to return cash to you, we can't send cash in the post and our branches aren't normally able to return cash amounts greater than £500. We will not accept cancellation instructions by telephone, email or by fax. If you choose not to cancel, the Account Terms and Conditions including any interest rates and account charges will apply.

13.3 You are free to close your Account with Britannia at any time, without giving any reason. However, except for Payment Accounts, you will be subject to any notice period, or penalty, or maturity date set out in the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account.

13.4 We can close your Account and repay any money in it without giving any reason, but before doing so we will give you written notice as follows:

• Where the Specific Terms and Conditions of your Account require you to give more than 60 days notice to withdraw your money without penalty, we will give you notice of at least the minimum period for your Account.
• In all other cases, we will give you notice of at least 60 days if you have a Payment Account and 30 days for all other Accounts.

13.5 Where the relationship between you and us has irretrievably broken down (for example you have been threatening or abusive towards our staff or have otherwise not treated our staff respectfully or you have acted fraudulently) we will treat you as being in breach of these terms and conditions and can immediately terminate this agreement and close your Account. If we terminate this agreement and close your Account we will return your investment to you with any interest we owe. This is unless we reasonably believe that any part of the investment has been unlawfully obtained in which case we will not return that part of the investment or interest on the investment.

14. Inactive Customer Accounts

14.1 If you do not make any payment into or withdrawal from any of your Accounts for a period of three years we may, unless your Account is a fixed term Account, treat your record as being inactive. If so, we may cease to communicate with you regarding your Accounts. However, if we decide to treat your record as inactive, your money will always be your property or, if you die, it will become part of your estate.

14.2 Accordingly, if you contact us at a later date, and we are able to re-verify your identity, we will re-activate your record. Interest is calculated as if your record had not been treated as inactive. In addition, if you wish, we will tell you how to access any inactive/dormant account directory via any account tracing services..

15. Liability

15.1. Where a Payment is properly authorised by you we are responsible for its correct execution unless we can prove that the error in the payment is due to the fault of the payee's or payer's bank or building society (as the case may be). Where we are liable for an incorrectly executed payment out of your Account we will restore the Account balance to the state it would have been had the defective payment not taken place. Where we are liable for the misallocation or failure to collect funds in to your Account we will restore your Account to the state it would have been in if the payment had been correctly made.

15.2 Subject to conditions 15.3 and 15.4, provided you properly notify us in accordance with condition 9.5 if you believe your passbook, CashCard, PIN or security details are lost or stolen or you think someone knows them or has used or tried to use them, your maximum liability for unauthorised payments is £50.

15.3 Subject to condition 15.4, there will be no limit on your liability where you have acted fraudulently or with intent or gross negligence having failed to comply with condition 9.1.

15.4 Unless you have been fraudulent, you will not be liable for any losses incurred in respect of unauthorised payments:
15.4.1 Occurring after notification under condition 9.5;
15.4.2 Where we have failed to provide a notification process to allow you to report the potential misuse of your passbook, CashCard, PIN or security details unless the failure to provide the service was beyond our reasonable control;
15.4.3 Before you received the CashCard.

15.5 Where you wrongly identify the person and/or account (including account number and sort code) to which a payment should be made, we will make reasonable efforts to recover the payment made, but we will not be liable for any losses which may be incurred by you.

15.6 Where the non-execution or defective execution of a transaction by us was due to abnormal or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which would have been unavoidable despite all efforts to the contrary, the liability provisions in this condition 15 shall not apply to that incorrectly executed transaction.

16. General

16.1 We can suspend all or some of our obligations in this contract and/or your right to make withdrawals if circumstances beyond our reasonable control prevent us from offering a normal service (such as in the event of terrorist threat, computer systems failure or strikes) or if circumstances exist which lead us reasonably to believe our financial stability is under threat (such as where rumours cause actual or potential abnormal levels of cash withdrawals) If we do take such steps we will:
16.1.1 Act proportionately to the circumstances in question;
16.1.2 Take all reasonable steps to ensure that the restrictions are lifted as soon as practical and to minimise the inconvenience to you;
16.1.3 Take into account the interests of our customers as a whole;
16.1.4 If practical, give advance notice; and
16.1.5 Consider exceptions to the restrictions if we are reasonably satisfied that substantial hardship would otherwise be caused.

16.2 Please refer to the "Important Information" section for details relating to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and Customer Service.

16.3 If a situation should arise where money you owe us is due for payment, but has not been paid, we have the right to use money held in your Account to make all or part of this payment. In these circumstances, we will tell you in writing when we have done this. Interest will not be paid on this money after it has been used in this way.

16.4 We will assume that you have received any correctly addressed letter or other personal notice or other communication within three Bank Working Days after we have posted it to you at your registered address. You must advise us immediately of any change of address and provide such evidence of the change as may be required. "Care of" or PO Box numbers are not permitted as a residential address.

16.5 If, due to an accident or oversight, we fail to send you a communication or display a notice, either at our Customer Support Centre, at any branch, in any newspaper or on our website in a particular way whilst correctly having communicated with or notified you in some other appropriate way, the contents of the communication or notice will still apply to your Account and the accident or oversight will not make the communication or notice invalid.

16.6 We do not have to recognise the interest or claim of any person other than the account holder(s) in respect of the money held in your Account, except where we are legally required to do so. We will not be liable in any way for failing to recognise any such interest or claim.

16.7 If you wish to transfer between Accounts held with Britannia, you will be bound by the Product Specific Terms and Conditions existing on your present Account. Once you have opened your new Account, you will be bound by the Product Specific Terms and Conditions relating to the new Account.

16.8 Any notice or other document to be served by you on us may be served:
(a) by leaving it, addressed to the Secretary, at the Registered Office;or
(b) by sending it by post, or delivering it, to him at that Office.

16.9 Telephone calls may be recorded and/or monitored.

16.10 We reserve the right to withdraw an Account from sale at any time and without prior notice.

17. Law and language applicable to the contract

17.1 If you open a savings Account with us we will always communicate with you in English. The contract that you enter into with us when you open an Account is also in English, it will be governed by English Law and will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. English Law will also govern any pre-contract relationship existing between us.

Important Information

Please see below for further details relating to your account.

1. Financial Services Compensation Scheme

The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which would pay compensation of up to £50,000 to eligible depositors in the event of the Bank becoming insolvent. smile and Britannia are trading names of The Co-operative Bank and, as such, protection provided to depositors by the FSCS is limited to £50,000 for the total amount of combined deposits held with The Co-operative Bank, smile and Britannia.

However, if you held Accounts, which were covered by the FSCS, with both The Cooperative Bank (including smile) and with Britannia Building Society immediately prior to the date of merger of the two organisations on 1st August 2009, then until 30th December 2010 those Accounts with each of the Bank and Britannia are covered for up to £50,000 i.e. £50,000 for your Co-operative Bank account(s) and £50,000 for your Britannia Account(s). Certain customers are not covered by the FSCS. The exclusions include large companies, large mutual associations and local authorities: visit www.fscs.org.uk for further details.

Alternatively, please ask a member of staff at your local Britannia branch. Or, if you prefer, please call our customer helpline on 0845 121 7909 (weekdays 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-12
noon).

2. Customer service

Our aim is to provide a first class standard of service at all times. However, there may be occasions when you feel that this has not been achieved.

If you have a complaint about any aspect of the products or services we provide, please contact your local branch or the Customer Support Centre department you have been dealing with. You can choose to contact them either by telephone, in writing, in person at the branch or via our website.

In the unlikely event that we are unable to resolve your complaint you can then contact our Customer Feedback Centre. Their details are Customer Feedback Centre C097, Britannia, Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands, ST13 5RG. Telephone 01538 391744. Lines are open 8am- 6pm Monday-Friday and 9am-12 noon Saturday.

If we cannot settle a complaint, you are entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

More information about the complaint process is summarised in a leaflet ’When things need sorting out'. Please let us know if you would like a copy.

If you have any questions or need more information and advice on your Account, our staff will be more than happy to help.


S/TC0038/03/10