Lloyds’ empty apology

R.B. writes: I have held a Lloyds Bank account for over 50 years. I telephoned to give notice to withdraw £11,000 at the Twickenham branch, and woman who answered said she’d email staff there. However, when I phoned the branch, I was told no email had arrived – and I could not have the money.

YOU and your wife are in your 70s, and have been pretty well confined to your home during the pandemic. Your children have looked after your needs – and you wanted to repay them and have some cash in the house for future expenses.

When you explained this, Lloyds requested ten weeks of your shopping bills and your children’s bank details, after which it would transfer the money to them. Or, you could make 22 separate cashpoint trips and withdraw £500 a time. This is despite the bank’s website advising that cash withdrawals up to £2,500 are allowed with no notice.

Banks walk a tightrope in circumstances like these. All banks tell staff to try to take care of senior citizens asking for large cash sums, in case they are victims of a scam. But requesting supermarket receipts does seem excessive.

Lloyds told me: ‘We have apologised for the inconvenience and, after receiving further information, a branch colleague was able to help Mr B with a cash withdrawal.’

This would be fine – except that it did not happen. You received no apology, and went of your own accord to a different Lloyds branch where staff cheerfully let you have £5,000. The bank tells me its original apology must have gone astray, so it has repeated it and emphasised it has your best interests at heart.