We have been customers of Lloyds Bank for more than 50 years both with personal accounts and Business accounts and have always had an excellent relationship with them. That is until 3 years ago. Against our wishes they transferred 3 of our business accounts to TSB which does not have a branch in our town and means an 8 mile trip to the nearest branch if we need to pay cheques in. Visits to the local branch of Lloyds and phone calls met with a brick wall so we reluctantly accepted the change. This week Lloyds has surpassed itself and suddenly closed the remaining 2 business accounts without telling us why just sending cheques for the balances on the accounts. Both accounts have been in existence for 10 years and in that time have never been overdrawn. Again a visit to the local branch produced no answers because they do not have business managers in branch. After an hour on the phone being passed from one unhelpful operator to another I finally was put through to the so-called Customer Services manager who was quite rude and told me that it was no good going to the Ombudsman because Lloyds Bank has a right to close any account they want without giving any reason at all. So much for loyalty and customer service - it is clear that Lloyds Bank do not want small business customers particularly if you are profitable and do not go overdrawn.

We have been customers of Lloyds Bank for more than 50 years both with personal accounts and Business accounts and have always had an excellent relationship with them. That is until 3 years ago. Against our wishes they transferred 3 of our business accounts to TSB which does not have a branch in our town and means an 8 mile trip to the nearest branch if we need to pay cheques in. Visits to the local branch of Lloyds and phone calls met with a brick wall so we reluctantly accepted the change. This week Lloyds has surpassed itself and suddenly closed the remaining 2 business accounts without telling us why just sending cheques for the balances on the accounts. Both accounts have been in existence for 10 years and in that time have never been overdrawn. Again a visit to the local branch produced no answers because they do not have business managers in branch. After an hour on the phone being passed from one unhelpful operator to another I finally was put through to the so-called Customer Services manager who was quite rude and told me that it was no good going to the Ombudsman because Lloyds Bank has a right to close any account they want without giving any reason at all. So much for loyalty and customer service - it is clear that Lloyds Bank do not want small business customers particularly if you are profitable and do not go overdrawn.

It's a bank; money goes in and comes out, after 18 months they charge you a service fee for doing very little as anything you do is charged on top of that. I never needed a business loan so I am not sure what they be like for that but what I don't like is the constant extra charge for buying things aboard 2.9% for what exactly? Seems like extortion to me.

Do not open a tsb business account, takes forever, they just don't care, never follow anything up. Go try another bank, save your self the hassle.

We opened an account with them a few years back - all their systems very slow, inefficient, bureaucratic. They have now started their due diligence process on our company re money laundering presumably as we have international contacts and the amount of information we, as a small company have had to provide, is enough to make anybody lose the will to live - and they use arrogant, unpleasant staff to carry through these systems. Their payment system is antediluvian. Individual staff can be pleasant but they should find a job elsewhere. Have just tried to make a routine company online payment and their anti-fraud system has picked it up and sent me to a phone answering service on a loop - no possibility at all of sorting it out - but this is entirely typical.

Sharpen up Lloyds Business! Business account looked perfect on paper, I've been banking with Lloyds for 25 years, have ISA's loans and mortgage with them and figured it was another notch for the bank. As it turns out loyalty only goes one way - my history gives me no advantage, even with simpler access to information, and I was quoted 4 - 6 weeks to open a Ltd company account. Most other providers can do the same in 2 days to 2 weeks. I can't imagine that Lloyds do any more due-diligence than any other bank out there, so I am thinking they are probably suffering from one or more of the following: incompetence, poor capacity or are simply incapable. None of which provide confidence that ongoing management will be any better. On top of this, my one experience of the account line (where I discovered the long lead times) the call handler seemed rude until I mentioned I had not yet opened an account and was checking to see how Lloyds business treat their customers before deciding. Her tone promptly changed. Could have been having a bad day, either way the lead times were enough to put me off, I will open an account with Nat West and will be trading by this weekend ...

I've been trying to set up a business account for the last 8 week. So far I've experienced complete of lack of competence, inability to contact anyone about the account. It's impossible to book an appointment at a branch because, I quote 'Everyone is very busy and it will be quicker to go via online application'. I absolutely hate the experience I had with the bank so far and I am about to move my application to HSBC.

I banked with Lloyds for about 8 years now (personal account). Figured, I will set up my business account with them. BIG MISTAKE! I was assigned to a Business Accounts Manager (BAC). Went for the interview, opened the account and got the account details. All seemed to be ok. When I started to receive payments from clients, the transfers were keep bouncing back. I called the BAC and she promised to sort it out. 2 days later she called me that they need additional information to unblock the account which is ok. I have been chasing her ever since. It has been 10 days since the problem happened. I was trying to call, email, text her for 5 days with no answer. I had to go into the bank to complain, then interestingly she called me an hour later. I asked her what she needs and she told me that she can't tell me. I need to come in to see her (which is another tremendous waste of time as I need to book an appointment, go there to find out what they need, then book another time to bring the documents in). I asked her to email me the things. The day after she TEXTED me (no phone call, no emails, an unprofessional text message with a single line "When can you come to the branch? Name") asking me to give her a time when I can come in. Answered immediately saying any time, just tell me when. That was the last time I heard from her. It has been 4 days since. Totally unprofessional...

I started the process of opening the account in the middle of March 2015. The voice recorded phone message stated that customers could complete the application online, which was preferable to doing it over the phone. Naturally, this was the option I chose; only to discover at the end of the application that I still had to speak to an advisor over the phone. They called me about a week after this, but I missed the call as I was at work. I attempted on 4 different occasions to call back; the 1st time I was on hold for 30 mins, 2nd time an hour, 3rd time 45 mins & finally 50 mins. I had to to abandon the calls the first 3 times due to other commitments, and finally got through on the 4th attempt. This 'finalisation' call lasted about 1.5 hours, with the exact same questions I had answered on the online application being asked. At the end of the call, I was informed that the entire process, including singing the final forms that would be sent out to me through the post would take about 3 weeks (14 working days upon receipt of the signed forms). We are now in June. I've heard absolutely nothing from them. This was the account my business was to operate with/from, and I couldn't have any transactions, hugely hindering the business. Each phone call to them to enquire about the progress of the application has resulted in 'we're doing our best'. Following utter frustration, I went to Metro Bank after reading good reports about it - THE ACcOUNT WAS OPENED IN 2 DAYS!!!!!!!! LLOYDS - NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!!!!

Set up a business account with lloyds and it took 4 months. Was told it will be set up in the next few days for 3 months (had no other business account to pay funds into!). Documentation was lost on 5 different occasions. Tried to cancel after it had been set up as had gone elsewhere and have so far sent 2 letters (You can not cancel via any other means) but have had no response to my request to cancel.

Terrible call waiting times, being passed from pillar to post with people that clearly don't care less! The switchboards are incredibly frustrating, and you often have to speak with several people to get your call resolved - you have to go through security every single time you speak with someone. I wouldn't recommend using Lloyds bank for your business at all - everything seems like a chore for them. The online banking is also frustrating with their "stone age" card reader, and being constantly logged out when performing the simplest of tasks.

I wish I'd read the reviews from the others on this site before I decided to setup (or attempt to setup) a business account with Lloyds. I went to Lloyds as that's where my personal account is, such a mistake! Waiting times to speak to an agent to ask for status updates is at least 20 minutes. They've missed each deadline and failed their service level agreements. When I finally reached the last step in their defined process, I should have then been sent a letter with my account details and to confirm the account was active. Frustratingly it was at this point a new step in the process was added with another 3-5 day processing time (this step was never mentioned to me before, even though i called the status update line many times in this marathon). If the economy is to grow small business need to be able to put the money they make into an account, banks must get better at helping us to do this. Lloyds scores no points with me and will soon lose my personal and business accounts.

Always have to spend at least 10mins waiting for them to answer.Wont let me transfer monies in my other account without signing other paperwork & then it takes two weeks!!!! Utter useless cant wait til my new buisness account opens so i can get rid!

I recently tried to set up a Limited Company bank account with Lloyds. It was the worst experience of my life. They said they couldn't due to the fact of a duplicate postcode in the registered office, this had also happened to two of my friends. I write this review on 10/10/2014 as after 2 months I have finally had progress with my account. Despite an endless amount of calls to companies house and my accountancy firm, Lloyds were the only party that could see there error. They have today finally admitted that the error was on their part. They did say that they were going to get back with me and didn't. What a terribly managed organisation.

Do not open a Business Account with this bank. I have waiting for over 2 months for them to open a business account and I can still not pay anything in. Minimum waiting time for the call centre is 20 mins. When you do get through they don't know their elbow from their..... They forget to ask for certain letters/missives and you wonder why there is no progress, you call them and they then inform you they are waiting for a letter that they haven't told you that they need. Said letter was sent recorded delivery, they lost it. Sent another one guaranteed next day.... took four days for the letter to get on the system. Told it would then take 7 working days for account to open. I rang on day 7 to be told the account was open on day 4 but nobody bothered to tell me. Finally today went to pay cheques in...the account had been set up wrong and do not include my trading as name, so could pay no cheques in. What I really struggle with is the lies, phone calls not returned, told things will be done by a certain time and they are not. They just care about the effect it has on you or your business.

Incompetence and non-truths, excessive wait times to speak to a lying person. 6 weeks since I applied to open business account. If the processes to setup a new account are not fit for purpose , then Lloyds should not encourage new business as it is evident they do not particularly want your business. It does make you wonder about the entire Lloyds business. I shall soon be an ex-personal account holder as a business behaving like this are obviously on a downward spiral. Nobody appears to care and are happy to lie on the phone.