This is a fantastic PROPER building society (it is still a mutual owned by the members) on victoria…read morestreet next to subway and opposite house of fraser. It is a corner unit and is pretty small but they make good use of the little space available. The windows display plenty of information about the services they offer and there are some very good deals on - as always expected from an organisation that isn't pandering to the shareholders. Inside is well laid out and the staff are really nice and helpful. They are always welcoming and will engage in a little chat while dealing with you. If you need any assistance or information regarding products on offer there is always someone available that can help. The products they do have are far superior to those offered by the majority of the banks. Highly recommended.

I am a Barclays customer and have been for around 9 years now and no matter what my quarms are with…read morethe bank itself this branch is one of the best in Hull. Only recently opened at the end of 2008 it is located in the old Next town centre store in Queen Victoria square opposite Hull City Hall. This branch as superseeded the one originally located at 32 Paragon Square and has a light and airy feel to it, unlike how dingy the old branch was. In side the branch there is a large customer services counter and a addtional two counters for premire customers and forgein exchange. There is two account manager machines, one self services cash dispenser and two paying in\deposit machines. There is also another two self service machines outside down Paragon Street. More friendly branch and is more accessible to parents and disabled customers - where as the Paragon street branch was difficult to manover round.

Located on Pavement and York, this Lloyds Bank branch might be located in an old building but…read morethey've done quite a good job bringing the store into the 21st century, making it feel welcoming, spacious and modern. The store has a large amount of comfortable seating, and an emphasis on technology with high bar-style tables with tablets on, of which you can use the Lloyds Bank online banking application. In a way it feels like the store is slightly too big so space is wasted, staff don't seem as friendly or eager to help and there could easily be more cash machines for basic banking activities due to the size of the branch. The store does have free wi-fi which is pretty common of most high-street banks in the UK. Overall, it is a comfortable, spacious branch with the main downfalls being service and space utilisation. 3*

I love this branch of Lloyd s TSB, right in the center of the square and an impressive building -…read morebanking as it used to be. There are cash points outside which make it nice and handy for your shopping or so you can nip over the road to M&S for lunch and there are more cash points inside. It is a really high ceiling ed branch with lovely architrave details (if you happen to be looking at the ceiling that is). The staff are always really friendly and they open on a Saturday so if that's the only time you can get into see them somebody will be free - be warned though there are always a lot of tourists in the summer so there may be a queue. A lovely branch though and great service.

We took out finance for our caravan with them through CARLOAN4U…read more after setting up the agreement we changed our bank, we have now sent them 5 direct debit forms all off which haven't been processed by advantage. Everytime they failed to take payment via direct debit we paid by card via the telephone. The last time we made a payment the lady assured she would telephone on the number I provided for her, after approximatly 8 weeks (2payments) we hadn't heard anything from them assuming they had taken it from our bank. I then visited my bank to check this and they have no acknowledgment off them trying to set up the direct debit. We then contacted them to discuss this and make payment. We were then told no we are taking the caravan and you have to pay 6000 still in interest. I then contacted my solicitor who contacted them, he also told them again we wanted to make payment. Dispite us trying to set up direct debit, which they said we could only do via there form which they have managed to not process 5. I also asked for there bank details to set the direct debit up in my bank. Or if they could set it up on the telephone, both options were refused. We have done everything in our power to make payment to advantage finance, but they have made it impossible for us to do so. I have now contacted there governing body the FLA who have opened a case to try and resolve the issue and make sure they are following the correct code off conduct. They have also requested they put a hold on any proceedings until they have resolved the situation. Despite this advantage sent 3 men to collect the caravan, they were aggressive, had no ID. Luckily the police drove past and told them that they had to get a court order and that they had to phone them before visiting. it was very frightening, thankfully the police were in the right place at the right time. MY brother also videoed them for evidence, hopefully the FLA will resolve the problem. As my solicitor said they are sharks and they've opened a trap. BEWARE PLEASE DON'T USE ADVANTAGE FINANCE OR CARLOAN4U

My bank. Part of the HSBC group…read more I can not recommend this bank highly enough. One of my favorite things is having my call answered by a human being 24 hours a day all year round. The more you use this bank, the more convenient it gets. If you've made the payment before, you could quite simply phone them up, go through security, and say "I'd like to pay british gas, £39 from my current account, thank you" job done. They also sent me a case of wine when I signed up for my credit card a few years ago. The staff are attentive and always keen to help.No pushy up-selling. HIGHLY recommended.

First Direct is a brilliant bank…read more I moved to the UK when I was 32. From the moment I arrived I heard horror stories from other expats about the difficulties they had setting up bank accounts. With no prior address, utility bill, or credit history they were often laughed right out of high street banks. I spotted ads for First Direct at the time that were promoting them as the UK's first virtual bank, with all interactions processed online, by phone, or by post. With nothing to lose, I applied for a current account online. They immediately gave me one. They set me up quickly and professionally with no fuss at all. They asked me if I wanted a credit card and gave me a generous limit. I continue to be with First Direct, 7 years and counting, and have always found them to be excellent. If you ring them you get a human being right away, and after answering a couple of security questions they're happy to help you. They keep a close watch on my account and card activities and always ring up if they see anything suspicious. Their web site is easy to use and comprehensive. I've used it for credit card limit increases, savings accounts, foreign currency, and several foreign transfers. First Direct are a subsidiary of HSBC, so if you do need to go into a branch to speak to someone or make a deposit you can do it at any HSBC branch. First Direct had an ad campaign a couple of years ago saying they were the UK's most recommended bank. Everyone I know that uses them feels the same as I do. They're tops.

One of the many banks on Sheffield's Fargate, this HSBC store is located close to Three and…read moreopposite Virgin Money in the centre of town. It is a fairly spacious branch but a lot of that space just seems to be empty space - it isn't too nice or modern and it just isn't utilised well. Good staffing levels but the staff didn't seem too friendly or eager to help. They had one of the larger selections of banking machines / ATM's compared to other nearby banks which I liked. The branch opening hours are slightly confusing but they remain pretty much average, including better than many banks nearby including Lloyds - On most days they open at 9 and close at 6 including on Saturday with the only difference being that they close at 5 pm on Thursday's and Saturday's, and open half an hour later on Tuesday's. In terms of ATM levels and opening hours one of the best banks in the city, in terms of overall feel it is lacking to my favourite banks in Sheffield which include nearby Halifax, Natwest and Virgin Money stores, despite being the fourth best in overall feel, it is amongst the best in other factors so is pretty much A-OK. 3*

Now, with the state of the economy, I'd normally be the first one to give the banks a good verbal…read moreshoeing but with this branch of HSBC, I really have nothing to say. It's fully equipped with all the latest fancy paying in machines which sometimes have a queue, but the front of house staff are always working hard to help people out and keep the queues moving. The financial teams are also wonderful if you ever have a query or want to change something to do with your account and there really is no hard-sell. Keep it up HSBC!

It took me ages to find this bank, not ecause it is hidden, but because they advertise that it is…read more'on university campus'. Its only a 10 minute walk from the campus, but because I believed it to be on the campus, once I had walked for 5 minutes away from the uni, I thought I must have missed it! I opened an account with them and another bank at the same time, and Natwest took twice as long and asked for double the amount of paperwork than the other bank.