Where am I?
Jan. 28th, 2011 03:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dormouse1953Just got a letter from the Nationwide Building Society, telling me about how they are closing a number of branches. Useful to know, I thought, but then I saw the list of branches they give. They are all in south-east London, about 50 miles from where I now live. The letter ends with the line "significant changes to Nationwide's branch network within your area" and the reverse has a table of "Alternative Branch and ATM services in your area", all branches in south-east London.
They'd sent the letter to my current address, but I suddenly realised that my account must still be listed as being at the Lewisham branch.
The idea of a bank account (and presumably a building society account) being associated with a branch seems to be a hangover from the days when you used to put on your best suit to meet your local bank manager. I remember my father taking me to meet our bank manager when I started a bank account before going to university, and he recommending that the account I started should be at the branch nearest my university.
I have memories that when I took out a mortgage on a flat in Lewisham over thirty years ago, it was a requirement to move my savings account to the Lewisham branch. (I'd opened it at a branch in the north of England.) But I don't recall having to do that when moving to Guildford back in 1995. And, more recently, I changed the type of savings account I have to one that is postal based anyway. But, despite all this, despite having my address correct, they still think it would be useful to know where branches are in south-east London.
The bank account I started back in 1970 was moved to my home town after I graduated but I left there soon after when I got a job. As my living arrangements were slightly fluid when I moved to London, I never moved the account after that and it never seemed worth the hassle. With ATMs and the like, it doesn't seem to matter where your account is.
About a year ago, I got a letter from the bank telling me that that branch was now closing and they moved the account to a nearby town (which I've never lived in). I phoned the enquiries number on the letter and asked if it was worth moving my account down to Guildford, and they said no.
They'd sent the letter to my current address, but I suddenly realised that my account must still be listed as being at the Lewisham branch.
The idea of a bank account (and presumably a building society account) being associated with a branch seems to be a hangover from the days when you used to put on your best suit to meet your local bank manager. I remember my father taking me to meet our bank manager when I started a bank account before going to university, and he recommending that the account I started should be at the branch nearest my university.
I have memories that when I took out a mortgage on a flat in Lewisham over thirty years ago, it was a requirement to move my savings account to the Lewisham branch. (I'd opened it at a branch in the north of England.) But I don't recall having to do that when moving to Guildford back in 1995. And, more recently, I changed the type of savings account I have to one that is postal based anyway. But, despite all this, despite having my address correct, they still think it would be useful to know where branches are in south-east London.
The bank account I started back in 1970 was moved to my home town after I graduated but I left there soon after when I got a job. As my living arrangements were slightly fluid when I moved to London, I never moved the account after that and it never seemed worth the hassle. With ATMs and the like, it doesn't seem to matter where your account is.
About a year ago, I got a letter from the bank telling me that that branch was now closing and they moved the account to a nearby town (which I've never lived in). I phoned the enquiries number on the letter and asked if it was worth moving my account down to Guildford, and they said no.
