Hi

Written complaints to the CEO RBS Head office Edinburgh are dealt with quite quickly. Send it by Recorded Delivery. Any complaint to RBS CEO is handed to the Head of the Unit you are dealing with and they have to copy in the CEO with their reply. If you just write to the unit handling your current correspondence it will be dealt with by 'space cadets'.

When you closed the account you should have had a closing statement. Check your records.

Huckster

Thanks to both for your comments. Various lengthy conversations have been quite unfruitful. It seems they are keen to place the onus on me to prove I closed the account. In their glorious system the account was 'transferred to recoveries' in January 2006 - not closed. Since it was with the recoveries team this is their reason as to why no statements etc went out and why there has been no attempt to contact me.

They do not accept that I closed the account and think all my stories of cutting up cards, requesting the balance be transferred etc etc are mere figments of my imagination.

They insist cheques are legal and valid for 6 years and so I have not a leg to stand on there with the cheque being old - a quick google search does seem to support this theory which is rather a shame and I am still in denial about!

They also seem incapable of saying anything other than the charge was valid as there was no money in the account and that consequently the default is valid. I was also under the impression that an account had to be in arrears for a certain amount of time (more than a month) before a default could be applied. Since prior to that the blooming £3 that was supposed to be transferred and wasn't - was still in there & so in credit - there was only 1 month before the default was slapped on. Seems quite harsh - particularly without any letters to let me know.

I had hoped to resolve this over the phone as I know the written route is going to take forever... but that is my next attempt.... any other thoughts also welcome! Thank you!

Jells Bells:

I hope you will be able to take NatWest to the cleaners.

Just one observations. You said you cancelled the cheque but if the cheque was backed by a cheque guarantee card it cannot be cancelled. That said I do not think it can be automatically paid out if presented after 6 months.

The question about no evidence of what you did is interesting. I would turn the tables and submit a £10 Subject Access Request to see what information NatWest had and what efforts they made to contact you. No evidence no effort.

Hi

Make a complaint to NatWest with full details. Cheques are only valid for 6 months or a year I think, so cannot be presented 2 years later as you have stated. I have come across situations awhile ago where late payments have re-opened accounts, even though closed by account holders. This is a mistake within the system and processes in use by the bank.

A written complaint to the bank will resolve this matter pretty quickly.

Huckster

I wonder if anyone can help with this slightly bizarre situation. I closed my NatWest bank account in January 2006. I believed it was closed but in reality it seems is stayed open and 'dormant' as I have a loan account with them also and therefore a current account is required, The loan is repaid through another account.

On checking my credit report, I have discovered that the account defaulted on 23rd March 2007 with a bank charge applied on 23rd February. It has taken some quite amazing amounts of digging but I have discovered the cause of the bank charge - an old cheque dated 23rd September 2005 for £50 was cashed (this was for something I bought in Woolworths and then returned but never got the cheque back). I also have a very clear recollection of cancelling said cheque when I returned my cheque book on the 'just incase' basis. Of course now no evidence of this. Obvoiusly, since I thought the account was closed, there was no money in there and by this point the cheque was 2 years old - ish.

I have never received a single thing from NatWest on this - it was only discovered when I got a copy of my credit report and saw the default sitting there.

So I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this - obviously my aim is to get the default removed. The £38 charge has accrued interest and is now £48 and I would prefer not to have to pay this although I could, in a negotiation situation, be persuaded.

Where do I stand on this - will I ever get it removed? Are they allowed to cash a cheque that is 2 years old? Presumably they should have written to me but am loathed to go down the long and painful process of requesting all docs etc. (I forget the technical term.)

All feedback welcome. Many thanks.