After 20years, I also will be looking for a new current account provider, HBOS customer service has been slipping for a while. They only seem to take an interest in me when they are trying to flog me a new product and after recently looking into opening a business account with them and was appalled at the service. Business and personal accounts going elsewhere!

Thanks for the feedback folks, normally it's nice to feel you're not alone, but not being alone in this case means that others are being similarly treated. My intent now is to clear the overdraft, but leave the contrived charges, and move to our other current account ( with the only bank who's maintained some dignity recently ).I will document my reasons to HBOS, and they are very welcome to pursue their justification for the £105 charges in a court of law - I will be there, and would enjoy the opportunity !.

PS - Without wishing to lower the tone, someone told me the collective name for some of these errant bankers was a "wunch", but I didn't get it ( until recently ) . Thanks All,

This is pretty much a carbon copy of my experience. £1,000 overdraft (held for 14 years) "reviewed" on Thursday and withdrawn. No notification beyond the review reference on bank account statement. We have two current accounts into which we pay in excess of 6K in salaries each month and have 14K sat in one of the current accounts. We intend absolutely to walk away.

Don't leave your account overdrawn. Clear the balance. Shut the account and bank with a good bank. HBOS have turned into money grabbers. They are a shower of sh*te.

I had a bank charge applied in early 2007 and have never touched or used the account since. It has steadily accrued interest until December 2008 when the outstanding balance hit £50. They have never contacted me since the bank charge was applied and bank statements arrived every month with another interest charge added.

Since December the harassment by the Halifax has been relentless. They telephoned me daily, sent threatening letters and would not listen to a word I said. Their staff are rude and ignorant. One of them even hung up on me.

I have a bank charge claim against the Halifax on this account for £400 and £250 on another account with them.

I paid the sum they were asking whe they sent me a letter stating they were sending someone to my house to discus the debt and would charge me £50 for the privilage.

The two accounts are now sitting empty and I refuse to close them until the bank charge claim is settled. I have closed both of my childrens' savings accounts and will do the same with the current accounts when the claims are settled.

I now bank with the Nat West but have since been told they are in the same group so thinking about changing again.

I agree they are calling in all overdue monies with a vengence - cant pay big bonuses and dividends if there is no money in the pot, can they. Or are they inline for a cash injection off the Government??????????????/

Overdrafts are repayable on demand but the bank has handled this very badly and you are doing the right thing by taking your custom elsewhere. In your shoes, when closing the account, I would leave it overdrawn by £105 according to the bank records and a zero balance by my records. I would then write to explain what I'd done and why.

Compelled to write, first time, but sure there are many hundreds if not thousands having the same experience.

This is all fact, but to me incredulous..

We have had an account with the Halifax since 1992, and have (by arrangement) for the last several years an agreed overdraft faciltiy of £500. This is our current account, and despite the occasional very minor glitch, has been conducted in very good order. We have minimal debt and are not a credit risk in any shape or form.

We do all our banking on line and get the paperless documents.

Events.....

10/02/09 Everything well with the world - still living within the overdraft, but well within - used the card for several minor transactions this week - no more than £15 a time.

12/02/09. Card declined at the corner shop on a £10 purchase, contacted the Bank, and apparently the overdraft facilities had been withdrawn. Halifax have now introduced an overdraft "review" date. First time in over 15 years for us !. We received absolutely no written warning of this, either by paper or electronically. Subsequently discovered that it was a small line on the statements ( that you'd never spot unless directed to it ).

13/02/09 Overdrat having been disabled at end of play on the 11th, the transactions for the previous few days incurred a £35 charge each - ie £105 charges for about £20 spend, when at the time, the overdraft facility was there !!!

13-14th / 02 / 09 - at least 6 hours on the phone between head office and the local branch. No one can reinstate the facility or at least, explain why it was removed, or even offer a solution or cancel the £35 charges. Head office say contact the branch, branch say powerless as it's down to head office - back and forth back and forth. Eventually, head office said local branch were just "Too Lazy" to do anything, and actually hung up the phone on us ( no we were not rude but we were being persistent !) , but having spoken at some length to the actual local branch manager, it is not in her control to do anything about any of it. - Rock and a Hard Place

We're fortunate in havng funds to deal with this, but will close the account and never go back again, but I'm sure there are many others who get similarly intimidated and to whom real hardship results.

If I were a cynical person, I might suggest that HBOS were suddenly trying to recover / raise cash without thought for customer service or loyalty. In fact, apart from the local branch, we have been talked down to in such a manner that would suggest that the principle of "cutomers" and their "custom" has been completely lost.