# Should I move to Ulster Bank?



## siulas (16 Jul 2012)

Well, before all Ulster Bank fiasco I was thinking to make a move from AIB, but now, after such a serious outage I have some doubts. What everyone is doing? Are you moving to different bank from Ulster after all is sorted? Or are you still thinking to move/stay with them for free banking?


----------



## Guns N Roses (16 Jul 2012)

Moving to Ulster Bank! 

Are you serious!!!!!!

No amount of free banking is worth the hassle.


----------



## justasking2 (16 Jul 2012)

That a little unfair, I have been with them and never had an issue always found staff ver good. This probelm could have happened to any one and to be fair other than in inconveniance of having to into branch for cash was not a major problem for a majority of customers I would think !


----------



## Ann1 (16 Jul 2012)

We bank with Ulster in the North of Ireland and we have had no problems with them. We intend changing over to them when we return down south. We had no problems accessing cash from them during the recent computer problems and all our direct debits were paid on time. We bank with AIB down south and I hate the long queues in the Galway branches ...that would be my biggest gripe.


----------



## STEINER (16 Jul 2012)

I don't bank with Ulster Bank and don't plan on doing do.  If AIB messed up like Ulster, I'd definitely switch, after getting the compensation.


----------



## newirishman (16 Jul 2012)

whatever about the last weeks - I'd recommend Ulster Bank from a day-to-day banking perspective. The internet banking is the best out there in my opinion. 
No way I'd move to any other bank.


----------



## pudds (16 Jul 2012)

Always found them great as above poster has said and this crash will not put me off staying with them. 

They are the last bank to retain real fee free banking for personal customers.  

They opened their branches late and even over the weekend to look after customers.

A spokesman was on the rte 1pm news today saying that they are discussing compensation details with the central bank.

He also said that no customers has closed their account but then many are waiting till their  account is error free before doing so if at all.


Probably  after this shock to the system they are or will be the  safeist bank tech wise to bank with... hopefully.

I fear they may quit here after this but hopefully not.


----------



## Guns N Roses (16 Jul 2012)

pudds said:


> Always found them great as above poster has said and this crash will not put me off staying with them.


 
I can't understand this way of thinking. You receive a bad service and continue to stay with them. Why?



pudds said:


> They are the last bank to retain real fee free banking for personal customers.


 
Nothing is free. They have to be making profit through other means such as higher interest rates etc.



pudds said:


> They opened their branches late and even over the weekend to look after customers.


 
Yes! To fix a mistake of their making. I wouldnt expect anything less.



pudds said:


> A spokesman was on the rte 1pm news today saying that they are discussing compensation details with the central bank.


 
There will be no compensation. How to you compensate a customer for the time they wasted in a queue trying to access their money or compensate them for a poor credit rating? 



pudds said:


> He also said that no customers has closed their account but then many are waiting till their account is error free before doing so if at all.


 
Well he was hardly going to say that customers were leaving in droves. As he said I expect existing customers will wait until all errors have been rectified before leaving.



pudds said:


> Probably after this shock to the system they are or will be the safeist bank tech wise to bank with... hopefully.


 
I wouldn't bet on it.


----------



## Willy Fogg (17 Jul 2012)

I'd be in no rush to change (and am not), even with the issues that have occurred. 

While it's quite obvious the many others aren't satisfied with how it was handled, I personally feel they did the best they could, given what they had to work through and on a day to day basis they've been extremely good to deal with outside of the current problem.


----------



## Kev (18 Jul 2012)

RBS and Ulster banks are under the same umbrella and RBS is moving customers over to Santander and I think that was the problems in the in UK anyway.

But see what has been happening with other banks Barclays and HSBC. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18867054


----------



## Willy Fogg (18 Jul 2012)

Kev said:


> RBS and Ulster banks are under the same umbrella and RBS is moving customers over to Santander and I think that was the problems in the in UK anyway.



It has nothing to do with the sale of some branches to Santander in the UK..


----------



## kceire (20 Jul 2012)

Guns N Roses said:


> I can't understand this way of thinking. You receive a bad service and continue to stay with them. Why?
> 
> Nothing is free. They have to be making profit through other means such as higher interest rates etc.
> 
> ...


 
I will be staying with UB. Everybody makes mistakes, but its how you rectify these mistakes that make us.......

UB asked me yesterday what kind of compensation figure was i expecting......

Credit rating will not be affected as per previous comments on this thread as UB will not be including them in their monthly submission to the Credit Rating Agency


----------



## Setanta12 (20 Jul 2012)

If you were about to take out a mortgage with them, opening a current account with them might prove very worthwhile.


----------



## DavyD_83 (26 Jul 2012)

If getting mortgage from Ulster, definitely consider opening a current account. And upgrading to a uFirst account.
uFirst costs 10 per month, but reduction in mortgage rate and free bank valuation of house more than covers this from the start. Plus there are other handy benifits like cashback on Ticketmaster tickets, phone insurance etc.
Not affiliated, just happy with service so far - only starting mortgage in coming weeks and had no real ill-effects from the IT issues.


----------



## theresa1 (22 Sep 2012)

Very unhappy with new BOI Current A/c term's regarding keeping €3,000 in the a/c to get free banking. Can I just pop along to my local Ulster bank with original documents and open a current a/c or will they insist on me getting photo-copies or will they photo copy the originals?


----------



## Palerider (22 Sep 2012)

Turn up with original documents, ideally your passport or full driver's licence as photo i.d , I always bring both when openning a new account and two forms of address verification such as Electricity / Gas / Phone / UPC bill.


----------



## TomOC (23 Sep 2012)

Palerider said:


> Turn up with original documents, ideally your passport or full driver's licence as photo i.d , I always bring both when openning a new account and two forms of address verification such as Electricity / Gas / Phone / UPC bill.



And a tax document too showing your tax number


----------



## BOXtheFOX (23 Sep 2012)

I was in my local Ulster Bank branch during the week and they were having a "systems down" problem with their foreign exchange. Not over yet!


----------



## theresa1 (23 Sep 2012)

BOXtheFOX said:


> I was in my local Ulster Bank branch during the week and they were having a "systems down" problem with their foreign exchange. Not over yet!


 


- Yes I.T. problems are abit of a concern. I'm looking for a new current a/c which can be operated freely subject to some conditions and really it's between Ulster and EBS. PTSB and AIB have just too many conditions attached which is now the case with BOI with a balance required of €3,000 - EBS is only €500.


----------



## Lightning (23 Sep 2012)

theresa1 said:


> - Yes I.T. problems are abit of a concern. I'm looking for a new current a/c which can be operated freely subject to some conditions and really it's between Ulster and EBS. PTSB and AIB have just too many conditions attached which is now the case with BOI with a balance required of €3,000 - EBS is only €500.



The 500 EUR balance is not an obligatory requirement with EBS ...



> Day-to-day banking: €0.30 per ATM withdrawal, €0.30 per branch transaction and free debit card transactions OR free if you comply with the below conditions:
> (1) Make no more than 5 ATM or branch withdrawals per month AND
> (2) Lodge €1,500 to your EBS MoneyManager Account per month (which may be by way of several small lodgements that add up to €1,500) OR
> (2) Maintain a minimum balance of €500 in your EBS MoneyManager Account each and every day of the month.
> ...


----------



## Boyd (24 Sep 2012)

CiaranT said:


> (1) Make no more than 5 ATM or branch withdrawals per month AND



What sort of a crazy condition is that, it is supposed to be a current account after all?


----------



## serotoninsid (24 Sep 2012)

username123 said:


> What sort of a crazy condition is that, it is supposed to be a current account after all?


They've run the numbers and know that this accounts for the vast majority of customers.  Therefore, it's almost a case of 'free banking' in name only - if someone asks them if they have removed free banking, they can say no - but the reality is different.


----------



## Lightning (24 Sep 2012)

Absolutely, but you can out-smart the T&C's, by taking out larger amounts each time you use an ATM and using your cards as much as possible.

It is easy to keep below 5 ATM withdrawals in a month.


----------



## jman0war (25 Sep 2012)

I take a different POV regarding Ulster Banks' IT issues.
Now that they've suffered from such they are probably IT glitch proof, or close to it.
I am presuming that they've learned a lot from that fiasco and have updated procedures and looked at processes. Which probably puts them ahead of the others in this regard.

But specifically migrating to UB... I would like to but from what I understand I would loose my current credit card and essentially have to re-apply with UB. There is no migrating cc process, only current accounts it seems.

Fair enough in one way, but if i close my existing current account with BOI, and cc account, then I loose access to the credit obviously, but also my credit history, which sucks.
And if UB subsequently declines my application for a cc, then i've really wrong footed myself.


----------



## AlbacoreA (25 Sep 2012)

People learning from mistakes. I don't think it will catch on


----------



## Boyd (25 Sep 2012)

jman0war said:


> I take a different POV regarding Ulster Banks' IT issues.
> Now that they've suffered from such they are probably IT glitch proof, or close to it.
> I am presuming that they've learned a lot from that fiasco and have updated procedures and looked at processes. Which probably puts them ahead of the others in this regard.
> 
> ...



Why not just hang onto your BOI CC and pay it off via UB current account? I have an AIB CC and currently pay it off via BOI current account. You dont need to have current account to have credit card with a particular bank


----------



## jman0war (25 Sep 2012)

username123 said:


> Why not just hang onto your BOI CC and pay it off via UB current account? I have an AIB CC and currently pay it off via BOI current account. You dont need to have current account to have credit card with a particular bank


Oh really?
I thought the credit card with BOI was linked to my current account with them. If I can have a cc card without the current account then maybe that's what i'll do.

Will look into it.


----------



## Willy Fogg (25 Sep 2012)

They aren't linked. You can keep the credit card, and have your current account with another bank.

Indeed, it might be wise: there is no guarantee another bank would approve you for a card or give you the same limit you enjoy with your current card provider.


----------



## theresa1 (14 Nov 2012)

http://www.kildare-nationalist.ie/2012/11/06/bank-refuses-to-open-a-current/


- Person who is not allowed move!


----------



## Time (14 Nov 2012)

That is probably one bank official making an arbitrary decision.

Payslips are not needed and UB will open current accounts for unemployed people.


----------



## Lightning (14 Nov 2012)

Time said:


> That is probably one bank official making an arbitrary decision.
> 
> Payslips are not needed and UB will open current accounts for unemployed people.



There was post here some time ago from someone who is unemployed who said that they could not open a new current account with any Irish bank including Ulster Bank. The reason they gave was that you need a PPS number to open an account these days which is a new-ish Central Bank of Ireland requirement.

Most UK bank accounts are only open to those in UK employment as well. 

It can be difficult for those unemployed to open an account. 

Are you certain that UB currently allow this?


----------



## daheff (21 Nov 2012)

CiaranT said:


> The reason they gave was that you need a PPS number to open an account these days which is a new-ish Central Bank of Ireland requirement.


 

you dont need to be employed to have a PPS number.

I think people are confusing the issue slightly. The Paper article mentioned here says they needed a payslip and as they werent employed couldnt provide one. Hence no bank account. I'd guess that the bank doesnt want any accounts that dont have regular amounts transferred in - maybe a fear of running up an unauthorised overdraft /DDs bouncing etc.


Still seems illogical to refuse people permission to open an account without a payslip


----------



## Time (21 Nov 2012)

They (UB) opened an account for my friend who needed an account to receive his SW payment into as postbank closed down. They had no problem with this. He is not employed. He provided them with a SW payslip. 

The other mainstream banks would not touch him with a bargepole.


----------

