HSBC

HSBC and sister bank First Direct have extended their offer of a 12-month interest-free overdraft buffer of £500 for current account customers who request it. The banks, which are part of the same group, had been due to axe the cost of living support for new applicants from 1 April, but now say customers have until 10 May to apply. Here's what you need to know.

Flat-owners impacted by the cladding crisis in England may now be able to sell or remortgage their homes, with six major lenders agreeing to offer mortgages under new industry guidance. But the measures only cover properties in buildings of 11m and over and so not everyone affected will benefit – and we're yet to see how it will work in practice. Here's what we know so far.

High street banks including HSBC, NatWest and Lloyds are set to close at least 193 more branches next year – we've rounded up the planned closures for each bank and what the alternatives are if you still want face-to-face banking.

HSBC has announced another round of bank branch closures, with 114 more outlets set to shut between April and September next year. The move is on top of the closure of 69 branches earlier this year. Below we list the branches disappearing and what the alternatives are if you still want face-to-face banking.

HSBC has upped the rate of its Online Bonus easy-access savings account to 3%, beating the top market rates. You'll need to have (or get) an HSBC current or savings account, however, and the rate is significantly dented if you withdraw money. Here’s how it compares. 

HSBC has today (1 June) made its temporary Covid-19 opening hours permanent across its UK branch network. The move means a cut to hours at 122 branches based on their pre-Covid levels, with 26 of these outlets seeing opening hours fall by more than 30%. However, 148 branches will get a 30-minute boost to opening times. 

HSBC is to close 69 branches across the UK between July and October this year. The move follows the closure of a further 82 HSBC branches last year.

Debit and credit card users must ensure their bank or lender has their up-to-date contact details as new rules take force today that see card providers forced to check if it's really you making transactions. If your card firm can't reach you, your payment could be declined. Here's what you need to know.

HSBC customers who use the bank's app should carefully check the value of any transfers they make after it changed the way people enter payments, with some warning they nearly transferred thousands of pounds by mistake.

Former and existing HSBC, First Direct, John Lewis Finance and M&S Bank customers have been receiving payments from HSBC Banking Group – which the lenders come under – out of the blue over the past 10 months, and we still haven't really been told why. We've been pushing HSBC for answers and have put questions to the bank from ourselves and a former whistleblower to find out what's going on.