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.

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.

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!

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.

I use the business banking in HSBC Retford which I've found to be far more competent than in other…read morebranches I've dealt with in the past. The branch itself is located slap-bang in the middle of the high street (Carolgate) so there's no immediate parking as it's pedestrianised. They've got self-service facilities and service counters, and it's a fairly busy branch. It's an old building which has retained a little of its original character, but with the features you'd expect of a modern bank. My opinion of HSBC as a company on the whole is very very very poor, but this branch is about as good as it gets for them.