Every time I go to this branch of Halifax it usually annoys me…read more The staff are slow. There's always a queue. And whenever you ask the customer service rep for advice, they usually go and ask someone else and then return, a few minutes later saying they didn't know either! Trust me, I've experienced this on a handful of different occasions. This morning however, I experienced the exact opposite. The staff were acute and helpful. They actually knew the interest rates and had leaflets on the different accounts. There was only one lady waiting infront of me. And the guy behind the counter tried to chat me up.

This Halifax branch provides a handy cash point right at the bottom of North Street, facing Old…read moreSteine, and is frequented by many a pre-night out/ mid-night out student as they get off the 25 and head either up North Street or towards the seafront. They used to have this distorting mirror on the door when shut in the evenings, which was always good fun with beer goggled eyes. These days, I'm no longer a student, and the mirrored door is no longer there. Still, the cashpoint provides a useful service as the next bank - North Street's Natwest - is a good three minute stumble up the road.

This Natwest location is well and truly still open, so I don't know why it is marked as closed, it…read moreis their "Brighton City Centre" location, located inside Churchill Square Shopping Centre. Opening hours of 9:30 am to 5 pm, opening half an hour later on Wednesday's, and opening half an hour earlier on Saturday's are pretty common and generic for a bank, still for me closing at 2 on Saturday is really poor and unreasonable, considering almost every other bank is open until at least 4 pm nearby, with the exception being Nationwide which closes at 3 and Metro Bank, the closest rival which is open until 5. Considering this is a mall location which isn't too common for banks, especially in Brighton, the decor makes you feel like you're in an actual Natwest store, with a good amount of seating and basic banking machines for doing everyday activities. The staff could have been a little more outgoing and helpful, yet they did seem to be busier as anticipated and in need of another staff member or two. 3* - Let down by staffing levels and opening hours. They do also have coin facilities which many banks seem to be phasing out either completely or with machines.

This is probably the best place to pick up some cash in Churchill Square, as, unlike some of the…read moreother ATMs littered around the place, you won't be charged money here, which is always a bonus.

I am always impressed when I go into Barclays Bank. They are always friendly and helpful and tend…read moreto go out of their way to make sure that you leave happy and satisfied. I have never had any issues with them. They have a couple of cash machines outside as well as a cash machine inside the lobby and a paying in machine together with a machine that can give you balances/statements instead of having to wait for a cashier. The building is very spacious so you hardly ever find it to be crowded. A big 5*

I use the Natwest on London Road most of the time but this is the largest Natwest in Brighton and…read morethe most central so I stop in here when I'm in town. As it's the largest Natwest it also feels very impersonal, not aided by it being in a grand building- a lovely building but impersonal. The size though means lots of staff and a string of cashiers desk- so quick service and queuing for a minimum of time. It's a bank so I don't have much more to say!

There are a couple of reasons why this is the best bank I've visited full stop:…read more The staff are polite, friendly and courteous. The branch is clean, small and easy to get to. The queues are short and it's easy to pay money and cheques in. The cash-points inside and out always have money and mini-statements, even on Bank Holidays. The best point however, is their excellent customer service. Every time I've asked about opening or closing a bank account, they've been able to help me out on the spot. They also seem knowledgable about the business bank accounts with Bank of Scotland - Halifax's sister bank - unlike all the other branches in the city!

Lloyds Bank's main central Brighton location is located on North Street. It is fairly close to a…read morebranch of HSBC which I found to be much more modern, but that's a different story. Opening hours are pretty common for a bank in the area, opening at 9 Monday-Saturday, albeit opening half an hour later on Wednesday's (not great, but considering most local banks open at 10 it's an improvement), closing at 5 pm every day, except Saturday's where they close an hour earlier. Opening hours aren't something which often ranks and justifies a business, but in my opinion for a bank it can make or break whether you're going to become a member of that bank because let's face it you want a bank with flexible hours and even in 2019 some banks are open for a short space of time, so they're becoming used less and shutting down, causing even more problems which we sadly face right now in the UK. Back to my regular review - Inside the bank, as per the grand old building it is located in, it is a little old but still feels nice, it is a different feel to other Lloyds branches such as my local store on Manchester - Market Street. There are a few basic banking machines here to conduct activities. The staff seemed friendly enough, but where they lacked was knowledge. I was sat down in the bank checking my emails, avoiding the busy crowds and sun so bright I could barely see my phone on a sunny south coast day, and I noticed a member of staff giving incorrect advice regarding online banking. Having been a member of almost every UK bank, I consider myself an expert in the British banking world so I was shocked to find out she was giving out incorrect information and the wrong advice to a customer who had lost their phone, she talked through the method which would take more time, compared to getting the issue sorted today which for me either shows a lack of training or the staff member being rather lazy. Friendly staff who seem happy to help, but perhaps an issue with their training, decent location for Lloyds Bank customers yet it is probably one of the older banks in the city, compared to every other bank, with the exception being TSB who used to partner with Lloyds, having much nicer, newer banks. 2*

A medium sized branch of Lloyds TSB bank situated close to the Royal Pavilion on North Street…read more It has two entrances, one of which provides level access for wheelchair users. It can get busy at lunchtimes but generally has shorter queues than the West Street branch.

Another small, busy branch. Again, the staff are always happy to help you with any queries…read more And its nice that they have a cash machine, as the one further up the road at HSBC always seems to be out of order, and the only other ones are at the bottom of the hill and at Tescos.

I'm not sure it's possible to rate a bank as more than three stars, let alone one I've never…read moreactually been in - so, as bank go, Nationwide, yer alright! My actual reason for commenting on this particular branch is that I feel the profile of its two outdoor cashpoints needs raising - why are there always huge queues outside the neighbouring Lloyds TSB cashpoint and yet nobody ever using this one? Beats me.

This is a very, very busy branch since Nationwide took over the Portman Building Society. Its…read morereceived quite a bit of investment, so there's a fair few holes-in-the-wall available. And there's often at least one greeter on duty, who will either demonstrate the machines or see to a query, so that the queue is often a little shorter than it looks. However, the level of expertise of the staff seems to have gone down in recent years, and the regard for privacy. I recently had a member of staff come to see me in the banking hall, rather than taking me to one of the glass-walled interview rooms. And a cashier who was taciturn to the point of . well, not quite rudeness, but not far off. I think its a teething problem with integrating the Portman customer, I hope it is, anyway, because its a good company with good products, very centrally located with a lot of facilities available on a Saturday, when most of us need them most.