When I saw the queue at the branch up the street (on the corner next to Westminster Cathedral), I…read moredecided that my deposit could wait. Walking back to the office, I was pleased to spot the familiar blue logo out of the corner of my eye. No queue here! A couple of cashpoints ("ATM's" to Americans) inside and one outside, plus a handful of business and personal banking teller windows. My deposit was quick and efficient and done in a flash. When I need banking, I'll be back to this branch again! The only downside is that the tellers here are behind a serious amount of glass. It did not give me a very warm and fuzzy feeling and I was very glad to be back on my way with my cash in my account!

A large branch of Lloyds TSB located close to the rear exit of St James's Park underground station,…read moreand the Green by New Scotland Yard. It has cash-points in Caxton Street and two inside near the Butler Place entrance. The interior is very spacious - a rarity these days - and there is a help desk for items like ordering cheque books and general account enquiries. Queues can develop when it's really busy, but it's generally a better bet than the branch near Victoria Station.

I've just recently moved to London from the US and was having a hell of a time getting settled in,…read moremost of which was caused by not being able to procure a UK bank account. It's a bit of a roundabout issue here where you can't get decent housing without a bank account and you can't get a bank account without decent housing. I had no idea that the credit check done on you is actually done on your place of residence and the credit attached there, not necessarily all just you. Very frustrating. At my wits end, and after going to several banks in and around Soho (and getting very rude and exasperated responses to my questions - as if I was doing something wrong by moving to London and not knowing my way around the financial system), I came across this HSBC in Chinatown. Bruce is my HERO. Not only was he completely accommodating to my mistake of thinking an appointment was way earlier than it actually was, he was very reassuring, informative, patient, kind, and most of all, funny. Thank you so much Bruce for easing my final transition into London life and helping me feel like a productive adult once again. You were the only one out of several bank employees in Soho that didn't treat me like an idiot and instead like a friend. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, and most of all, appreciate you alleviating all the stress from this last stage. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This branch of Lloyds Bank is located on Victoria Street, it is basically right outside the…read moreUnderground and Cardinal Place so it is in a convenient location for Victoria, hence central London. The bank its-self is rather small compared to nearby banks compared to the likes of Natwest, but it is still a satisfactory size and includes a small number of machines for withdrawing and paying in cash and cheques to your account. As with any branch, there is a small number of seating, sadly it didn't seem to be too comfortable and free wi-fi, which was satisfactory considering it is a bank and not a tech shop, mainly good for checking emails and online banking. The staff here didn't stand out particularly, again typical of London. The store opening hours are good during the week, but pretty pathetic at weekends, as with 99% of banks in the UK, it remains closed on Sunday's, infact I've only ever seen one Lloyds Bank open on Sunday's, which is my local branch on Manchester - Market Street which also has a coffee shop, on Saturday's the bank closes early at 2 pm, again this is typical of most local banks but still pretty poor if like me you're far from an early bird. Unlike most central London banks which are pretty basic, they did have some cool aspects and adaptations to the store to include the Lloyds Bank horse near the ATM's which I liked. A decent bank let down by service and opening hours but still one of the better locations Lloyds Bank do have in London. 3*

I have a great experience when I was in this branch, all the employees smile to me and they are…read morevery friendly. Jack Hardy was very friendly and helpful. He know how to explain to me everything and he respond to all my question. He was very professional but he know when he can introduce a joke and how to make me to smile and to make my experience more enjoyable. Jack Hardy know how to solve my problems fast and easy. I recommend this branch! Thank you!

One of two Natwest branches on Victoria Street, this is the branch towards the "Victoria" end of…read morethe street, fairly close to both Westminster Cathedral and Victoria Underground Station (Cardinal Place entrance). The branch is set out like a typical newer Natwest store, it is fairly modern and large inside, with a reasonable amount of seating and of course free wifi, which is the case of any bank worth its' salt. Unlike most nearby banks, this bank is open on a Saturday but it closes really early at 2 pm, which is only for four hours which still is pretty poor, pathetic and lazy. I didn't like the set up of the cash machines, albeit there was a good number of cash machines, there was some sort of table right in front of them, making it slightly awkward to use them. The branch, unlike the slightly smaller Natwest store at the other end of Victoria Street, didn't have any particular Unique decor for its' location, which is quite common for Natwest branches and I feel makes the branch feel a little more special, rather than typical. Alongside the staff not seeming too outgoing to help, opening hours and this, I feel a laziness aspect of this bank showing a lot here. 3* - Decent and large modern branch of Natwest in a good location. Does it stand out to another Natwest branch to impress me enough? No.

A bank with methods and working practices very different than the ones we are familiar in the…read moreUSA.zIt literally feels as stepping back to the times gone by. Slow service,not the most helpful of employees that you would come around and the worse comes when you need to withdraw cash.You are instantly treated as a potential cheater,fraudster or crook.Those people should come align to the 21 st century customer relations and practices and if needed retrained preferably by Americans or send for internship in US banks.

This Natwest branch is located towards the Wesminster area of Victoria Street, so shouldn't be…read moreconfused with their Victoria branch towards the end of the street, which is close to the Railway and Underground Station. From the outside, the bank really does stand out, it is cool and beautiful with modern bricks. Inside and outside the store has a good amount of cash machines and newer ATM's where you can do most of your banking activities, and they also have a counter service too. The bank also has slight twists in the decor which are pretty cool and modern to emphasise the location in Westminster, London such as Big Ben engraded into the wall where some of the banking machines are. The staff didn't seem too friendly or welcoming, albeit this is common for London, it again is a shame to see. This is probably one of the bigger and better banks in Central London, compared to other banks nearby this is vastly superior of which does warrant a four-star rating.

I have been with the RBS for 30 + years and with only a couple of small incidents during that time…read more I WONT do internet banking because I don't trust computers. I am not very interested in Telephone banking because when I want something done I want "face to face" answers and I am wholly pro-community life. We the public have pulled RBS out of the proverbial mire in recent years and now you repay us by closing all your local banks and expect us to lie down and say nowt. Don't give me that - you can go to Nat West because they also couldn't give a stuff about "service" either (all automated). I have left RBS and will never come back and next time you need help - go and ask your past CEO s to lend you their pensions.

Pretty nice bank, I like their way of doing things which is very different from the traditional…read morehigh street banks. Also their debit card (which is a Debit MasterCard with PayPass) comes with no foreign currency fees within Europe. But be careful when using their ATMs with a foreign card for withdrawals. The Metro Bank ATM (operated by Note Machine) will offer debiting the account in your home currency. Do not accept this as an unfavourable exchange rate will be applied. Let your own bank do the currency conversion instead so have the transaction carried out in GBP (choose "Continue without conversion").

Have you ever wondered why every Metro Bank branch will have 3-15 employees but you still wait…read moreforever to get served? This branch is no exception. While 6 people were behind the counter, only 2 were helping customers. Very frustrating! Leyla only exacerbated the problem when, after one of the 8 people in line complained that no one was working, she decided the best use of time was to explain that "they ARE working" and point out what each employee was doing...instead of helping anyone. Needless to say, I promptly switched my bank to Nationwide (I have a referral code for a free £100, hit me up!) and have never looked back since!

This is the local branch of my bank, Lloyds…read more Lloyds Banking Group plc is a major British financial institution formed through the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB in 2009. The Group's history began in 1765 with the founding of Lloyds Bank, which is the fourth oldest bank in the United Kingdom. The Group's headquarters is located at 25 Gresham Street in the City of London and its registered office is on The Mound in Edinburgh. Lloyds Banking Group's activities are organised into Retail Banking (including Mortgages and Sole Traders), Commercial, Life, Pensions & Insurance, and Wealth & International. Lloyds' has extensive overseas operations in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. On 13 October 2008, PM Gordon Brown announced a government plan for the Treasury to invest £37bn of new capital into major UK banks--including Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Lloyds TSB and HBOS--to avert a collapse of the financial sector.Barclays avoided taking a capital investment from the UK Government Today, the Government stake is below 19% and in May, the company paid its first dividend for 7 years In 2015, Lloyds is celebrating its 250th Anniversary.

I have been there a few times already and the staff has always been really helpful and friendly…read more They even come to talk to you if there is a little line (no more than 4-5 people) to try to help if they can. And although it is in a busy area and I always go to lunch time, I never have to queue for more than 10 minutes. Half of the times I did not have to wait at all. I must say I am really happy with my Lloyds services after having such awful experiences with my previous bank.