Problem getting a UK bank reference

[EdMonk]

None of the UK banks seem to give references or introductions and I need one to open a business bank account in Antigua - they insist on a bank reference, a lawyers letter will not do
I've tried Bank of Scotland (customer for 20 years), Lloyds (25 years), Halifax (40 years) and First Direct (5 years)
Anybody found a solution to this?

 

[Sols]

Are the UK banks refusing to issue a reference at all, or are they refusing to issue a general reference for you? Sometimes banks only issue references to other banks, so you'd provide your bank with instructions to send the reference to the bank in Antigua, not give you one. Or you might need to instruct the bank in Antigua to request it from the bank and give your bank permission to issue a reference.

Aside from that, it's up to the Antiguan bank what they accept when a client's previous banks will not issue reference letters. One common workaround is to provide bank statements going back at least six months (sometimes several years). The point of the reference letter is to prove that you are trusted by another financial institution. Bank statements with activity show that.

Speak with the bank in Antigua and explain your situation. It most likely won't be their first time running into this situation. If they absolutely insist, then you might simply be out of luck. And I'd consider it a bullet dodged if they're so uncooperative.

 

[bastard]

Sometimes the banks agree to send the reference directly to the requesting bank.