How long does it take to close a bank account?

Hi everyone,

2 weeks ago I sent a letter to my bank to ask them to close my online deposit account and transfer the money into another account I have with another bank. I've just called them to ask them what is happening as I haven't received confirmation of anything from them. I was told the wrong department got my letter on the 23rd March but it only reached the right department today. This letter was written by me in one of their branches and posted to the relevant department by one of the bank employees.

Has anyone experienced such a delay? I was told in the branch that this would only take a few days.

Thanks a lot.

Why did you choose to write a letter rather than do the transfer online?

Hi Ciaran,

I was told by one of their employees that I couldn't close my deposit account online, I had to write a letter to request that.

CiaranT said:

Why did you choose to write a letter rather than do the transfer online?

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Surprised that the wire transfer could not be done online even if the closure could not.

The wire transfer should take 1 business day as per SEPA rules.

The account closure is at the policy of the bank. Sometimes problems occur like what you described especially when dealing with paper instructions.