Which is the best bank in the UK/Scotland?

All the big ones are much of a muchness as far as customer service is concerned. The "big four" in England are Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest. In Scotland, it's a little different and there are others that are part of the same groupings, such as the Royal Bank of Scotland (connected with NatWest). There is also Clydesdale, which used to be part of HSBC when it was called Midland but is now owned by the National Bank of Australia. The Bank of Scotland is owned by Lloyds.

And that's pretty much it because of all the mergers and takeovers.

I've been happy with Lloyds for the last 30 years, and have experience of the other three - no complaints there either. What I do NOT recommend is a bank that used to be a building society. Chris mentions Santander, which is one of these. My mother changed to it from HSBC and then moved house. It failed to recognise when she told them her new address, and failed to set up a simple direct debit.

What you will also find in Scotland is that though UK banknotes generally are issued by the Bank of England, the three big Scottish banks, RBS, Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale, also issue their own and sometimes there are problems using them in the rest of the UK.

There is no best bank, best credit union (if there are credit unions in Scotland), or best bank account. You need to look at the totality of each bank’s or credit union’s services, accounts, and fees. Every bank and credit union offers several accounts with different features and different fees. Some banks and credit unions may have low overdraft fees, but high fees in other areas. Some accounts waive all fees if you maintain a minimum balance. Ask each institution about the minimum amount you have to keep in your account to avoid a monthly maintenance fee. Also ask if the amount you have to keep in your account is based on the average amount you have in your account during the month, or whether it's based on the lowest amount you have in your account on any single day during the month. The minimum balance varies from institution to institution. For example Bank of America in Dallas, Texas sets its minimum balance for its checking accounts at $5,000 to avoid monthly maintenance fees. Other accounts have a monthly fee, but no fee on each transaction. Other accounts have no monthly fee, but a fee for each transaction. ►All institutions are required to print a schedule of fees. Read each schedule carefully, especially the small print and the footnotes. ◄

Credit unions (if there are credit unions in Scotland) generally have lower fees and are friendlier to their depositors. This is because credit unions are owned by—and answer to—their depositors. Banks are owned by stockholders who view depositors as nothing more than a source of income.

I suggest that you visit several banks and credit unions and speak to the customer service personnel. Bring a written list of questions which are important to YOU. Find out the features and charges of each of their accounts. Find out how many ATMs are available, and whether there is a service charge for using the ATM. Make sure you get everything in writing. Do not accept anything the customer service person tells you verbally.

One is much the same as another.
We have all had a bad experience with one of them and others have no problems with those that the rest of us had problems with.

I live in Scotland and im with the royal bank of scotland, and ive been with a few others, personally i'd suggest the same bank im with. they are very good. hope that helps :)

I have been using Santander for years , hassle free and no problems , hope that helps

I think it's HSBC