Always great service from UTB. As the Treasurer for a local charity, I use a number of Banks. UTB's telephone response is light years better that Barclays, NatWest and CAF.
Nice people to deal with.

I wanted to close the local account and transfer the funds to the new branch of the organisation. The account has been closed but the funds are still with Unity. After numerous phone calls I was asked to send a letter signed by 2 signatories via the email they list above which I have duly done. Letter sent and more phone calls to more call handlers and the funds are still with Unity. I then personally checked the account numbers I had given Unity via my own personal bank to check I was not going crazy and to make sure the details are correct. My bank confirmed the details are correct so I do not see why monies cannot be transferred. I have now asked for a cheque to be sent because I cannot see how I can transfer funds any other way. I have called and have been told on numerous occasions the department dealing with it will call me back they have never contacted me. I called today and was told I will definitely receive a cheque in the post but I feel I will be posting again next week with news of more phone calls and a no show cheque delivery.

My redacted email to the bank following a refusal of a new account:

'Dear xxxx

I thank you for your assistance at times within this process, but I am sure you can appreciate how very frustrating this news is. My enquiry has spanned almost 5 weeks and I've spent in the region of 5-6 hours working on an application, to simply open a bank account ... I've spent far less time on writing successful applications for grant funding. Not only this but I've already indicated there would be an immediate deposit into the account of over £30k, of which the sources are 100% trackable.

We are a genuine social enterprise, which has emanated from a hugely successful, fourteen year old social enterprise. Our historical track record is impeccable, especially in how we've managed to remain sustainable whilst not compromising our values one bit, and I genuinely can't see how there could be any 'red flags' against having us as a customer. I have done my best to present a full picture and if anything was going to be an issue, I am at a loss as to why it could not be picked up earlier in the application timeframe instead of delaying the process of us opening a new account, which we are absolutely desperate to do, and is causing us ongoing problems.

We could have opened multiple accounts with other banks in that time frame, some within an hour, and with better financial terms but I have persisted with Unity due to how the bank aligns with our own social values and commitments. Unfortunately I am now left with a very sour taste in my mouth following these recent experiences. I will now, reluctantly, have to go to a provider, likely with little-no ethical grounding, due to the fact I now need to expedite this as a matter of urgency, so time is now the prevailing priority.

The final insult for me is to not even offer an explanation, simply a general one liner, reading 'I am writing to advise you that following a careful review of your application, we unfortunately have to decline your request on this occasion.' No decision maker could even bother to add a short paragraph with an explanation.

On another day, I would probably write a formal complaint based on my experiences, but that will get neither me or the organisation anywhere and will be more wasted time for me, so I will just draw a line under this.

All I ask is if you could please forward on my comments to any colleague who has been involved in the assessment of our application and any relevant managerial figures.

Sincerely, and with great disappointment

I've been using Unity Trust Bank for a few years with various Town Councils and they are in a good place now. The software works well and I'm happy with the recent improvements to the look and functionality of the online banking. Unity have got over their customer service problems of a few years ago so telephone support is responsive and helpful. All in all, a good service which matches our needs very well.

I have dealt with this bank for several years and found them to be very polite, professional and customer focused, They also offer very competitive rates. I would like to say a big thank you to Jgoti,Sue,Milly and Rita who I have dealt with recently and are very helpful and a real credit not
only to themselves, but also to the bank. Thank you MB Portsmouth.

I've recently opened a savings account with Unity Trust. From start to finish experience was very good and the account was opened promptly. I've also been assigned a Relationship Manager who has been extremely helpful. Highly recommended.

Nikki who conducted our KYC review was really friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you.

Spoke to Ranny who was very helpful and patient with helping me set up our new business account. We waited on hold for about 10 minutes while I got my code through! Thank you.

It was great, we were well supported. I was expecting it to be a nightmare on top of my very busy schedule but there was time, space, support ... and patience to get everything completed. Thank you :)

Oh my God, they must be the worst bank bar none! Close their phone lines at 4pm every evening.
Every mandate must be printed, signed and either posted back to them or scanned into their portal. Then they might read it within 10-14 WORKING DAYS if you're lucky? If not, call them between 9am and 4pm (Mon-Fri) and try to push it along, after waiting what seems like an age for the phone to be answered! We've trying for nearly 3 months to change internet bank login details and remove account nominees (we're a small group account). They take a huge amount of time and what a normal bank would do in a couple of days will take this crowd nearly 4 months. Hilarious! Eventually, I go to make a payment this evening and guess what? Because we have been locked out of this account for a year or so it is classed as a dormant account and although we can login, see the account and do what we like apart from transfer money from it. OMG, what next? Another call tomorrow morning after 9am - not good, Avoid at al costs!

The old website and system far exceeds the new one!
When you enter monthly transaction dates and print off to show all transactions from the 1st to end on month enabling a prompt bank reconciliation the balance is INCORRECT. It also does not show you all the payments made. It is only when you download to EXCEL does it show you a correct balance and the missing transactions, however this is not as transparent for the internal auditor as there is nothing to tell him/her the spreadsheet is from Unity Bank or indeed if it is correct. Quite a few issues have arisen with the way Unity Bank operates now and wth this major one I feel strongly about council to consider changing banks. Really disappointed.

I am, or have been, a trustee of several small charities and have experienced “KnowYour Customer” reviews in the past.

I recently made contact with Unity bank as I have taken over the role of treasurer. Nikki Lee, a KYC analyst at Unity, was very happy to speak to me, although I was not at the time the registered contact.

I would like to record thank you for the efficient way in which you have conducted the KYC process. I have had recent experience of this at another bank, for another charity I represent, and this experience could not be more different. I understand that banks have individual approaches to this regulatory requirement, but unlike yourself, not all appear to recognise the customer's needs, or in some cases the cost in time and money providing evidence that can be obtained easily from other reliable sources.

Nikki called me fully prepared, having already done this. If this is evidence of how well the bank carries out its affairs, I would certainly recommend it.

I tried to open an account, but after my application they took almost 2 weeks to respond, and my account still isn't open. This is much longer than I've experienced anywhere else. Very long waiting times to get through to speak to them on the phone too. While I don't agree with the app-based banks which allow people to open accounts in a few minutes without any real security checks, Unity Trust Bank are at the other end of the scale - and there's plenty other choice with better offerings elsewhere.

The business was locked out of the bank account for 1 month. No access to pay wages or suppliers, whilst some simple simple changes were actioned on the account. They advertise 10- 14 days.
For simple changes in staff they don't have an online portal or even a form, the advisor said 'send an email'. Then after 14 days, we called up to see if it was done and they say that they need more information and so the farse continues. No proactive communication
Customer Service said that they would expedite things, but they lied. In 30 years of working in Finance I would say this is the worst bank I have had to deal with.

Joshua, thank you so much for your support in what has been a difficult task for me to complete, you stayed on the line with me on request and was extremely calm and in assisting me, I can't tell you how grateful I am. You offered a 5 star service, UNITY bank continues to be tip top! Thanks Joshua!
I would easily recommend to our 2000 or so members!

Very easy to use website. Always great service for our small charity and especially good responses to online queries via the message feature.

Some initial set ups for online access, new signatories can feel a bit "Heath Robinson" - in terms of having to scan, sign and pass documents between signatories before scanning again and emailing or uploading,.. Exhasuting at times!

Excellent customer service and you can actually speak with a human

Fiorentina was excellent patient and understanding of the problems I was having with trying to open a business account with your bank.
Then Steve took over a couple of days later and again he was very good and understanding of the problems I was having with your systems.
Account still not open!

Florentina
This advisor was excellent, she reassured me and took me through a potentially tricky problem, to a successful outcome.
I was particularly impressed because my call was right at the end of her shift!