My brother and I have been entrusted with a Nationwide trust account that our late mother left us 14 years ago. This account was meant to support our disabled brother. However, recent events have led to a series of complications and delays.

Outrageous Behaviour by Nationwide

Nationwide recently informed us that it intended to close this account and demanded the original trust document and HMRC registration. Without any prior warning, they placed a security block on the account. We promptly took the required documents to the local branch. It has been nearly three weeks since then, yet the account remains blocked, and Nationwide refuses to provide us with a timeline for the release of the funds.This behaviour is causing our brother great distress. His essential laptop, which he depends on, has broken and cannot be replaced without the funds from the trust account. Additionally, we were unable to book a long-awaited trip to see his beloved Manchester United at Old Trafford.It seems that many banks have been quietly divesting themselves of trust accounts, partly due to the complexity and cost imposed by anti-money-laundering laws. Nationwide claims that this is to offer its customers "better services," but for our type of account - used by a very small percentage of customers - it is becoming obsolete.

Initial Response and Its Deceit

Nationwide's initial response to us was far from honest. They claimed to have given us the required 90 days' notice and placed a block on the account while waiting for beneficiary details. But this is not true! The only time we were asked for information was in the letter announcing the closure, and we promptly provided the necessary documents. Since then, our repeated attempts to understand why the account was blocked and when it would be reinstated only elicited generic responses about money-laundering rules.It was only the day after I contacted Nationwide that they asked for beneficiary details - a full 17 days after we had taken the requested documents to the bank. And we were able to provide them over the phone immediately.

The Communication Fiasco

The situation was further complicated by the fact that Nationwide only allowed us to communicate with them through phone or chatbot. They claimed that emails posed as much of a security risk as our account.When I asked if Nationwide wanted to reconsider its initial response, they then decided that, after reviewing the documents we brought in, they needed additional details and would ask for them at the "next interaction." Proactively contacting them did not seem to occur to them.The "next interaction" was when we called to question the ongoing block, but, in their words, the team "didn't fully provide the clarity needed." In other words, they simply forgot to ask for the information that was prolonging the block.A week later, we called again, and again, they forgot to mention this crucial requirement!

Revised Statement and Compensation

A revised Nationwide statement finally admits their mistakes. It states, "We have spoken to the customer to apologize that we could have been clearer about the different reasons for the closure and block, and that we didn't ask for the missing information earlier. We have confirmed that we will outline the position above in a letter. We have also offered £150 compensation as the service she received fell below our usual high standard."Finally, the funds have been sent, and we are opening an account elsewhere.If you have similar problems, please email [email protected]. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions.