The best and worst banks: First Direct tops the table and Barclays gets the wooden spoon
More than 90% of First Direct's current account customers rate its service as 'great', so it's little wonder it has yet again secured the top spot in our biannual banking poll.
In fact, First Direct has won every banking service poll we've ever conducted – and we started the survey back in 2008.
But consumers were less impressed by the service on offer at Barclays, however, and it has been voted the worst current account provider for the second time in a row.
If you're unhappy with your bank and are thinking of switching, see our Best Bank Accounts guide for the top deals.
However, Barclays wasn't the only high street giant to let its account holders down – RBS and HSBC both continue to languish near the bottom of the table in 11th and 12th place, respectively.
See the table below for the full results:
Current account service rating February 2015 (Results and ranking from August 2014 in brackets)
| Rank | Provider | Great | OK | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | First Direct | 92% (92%) | 6% (6%) | 2% (2%) |
| 2 (3) | Smile | 77% (72%) | 19% (22%) | 4%(7%) |
| 3 (4) | Nationwide | 73% (69%) | 23% (25%) | 4%(6%) |
| 4 (2) | Santander | 73% (72%) | 22% (22%) | 5% (6%) |
| 5 (5) | Co-op Bank | 72% (70%) | 21% (23%) | 7% (7%) |
| 6 (6) | Halifax | 57% (55%) | 33% (36%) | 10% (9%) |
| 7 (7) | TSB | 55% (52%) | 35% (36%) | 10% (12%) |
| 8 (10) | Lloyds Bank | 48% (47%) | 40% (40%) | 13% (13%) |
| 9=(8) | Bank of Scotland | 47% (49%) | 37% (39%) | 16% (12%) |
| 9=(13) | NatWest | 45% (38%) | 41% (46%) | 14% (15%) |
| 11(11) | RBS | 45% (46%) | 39% (37%) | 16% (17%) |
| 12 (12) | HSBC | 43% (42%) | 41% (43%) | 16% (15%) |
| 13 (n/a) (i) | Clydesdale & Yorkshire | 43% (n/a) | 40% (n/a) | 16% (n/a) |
| 14 (14) | Barclays | 39% (38%) | 43% (36%) | 18% (26%) |
| 11,935 votes in total. Ranked based on 2 points for each great percentage point, 1 point for each OK percentage point, and 0 for poor. We've excluded banks with fewer than 100 votes. (i) Clydesdale was listed on its own in our last poll so the results aren't comparable. | ||||
Unhappy with your bank account? Ditch it
Guy Anker, managing editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, says: "With current accounts, customer service really counts. Whether you bank online or in a branch, this is the one financial product you do genuinely have a real day-to-day interaction with.
"Our index shows once again the strength of First Direct's service and the continued improvement from Santander, which used to languish at the bottom. However, the bottom of the pile is dominated by many high street banks. This should be seen as a stark warning that they risk losing customers if they don't raise their game.
"Anyone unhappy with the service they're getting from their bank needs to ditch it, especially as some of the best deals are from banks with good service. Switching is no longer the chore it used to be ‒ all your direct debits and standing orders can be moved within seven working days, and any payments made in error to your old account will be auto-forwarded."
What does Barclays say?
A spokesperson for Barclays says: "While over 80% of respondents rated our service ok or great, even one dissatisfied customer is one too many. We will continue to work hard to improve our services in order to do better moving forward."
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8 October 2024
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