First direct

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first direct is a telephone and internet based commercial bank in the United Kingdom, a division of HSBC Bank plc. First Direct is headquartered in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and has over 1.2 million customers.

First direct was formed on October 1, 1989 by the Midland Bank, one of the "Big 4" banks in the UK. In 1992, it became a part of HSBC following the acquisition of Midland Bank.

According to MORI and NOP research, first direct has been the most recommended bank in the UK for the past 13 years.

First direct is based at two call centres in Leeds and Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Shelving earlier plans to introduce across-the-board charging for current accounts and offering rewards for customer loyalty, the bank announced plans in November 2006 to introduce a £10 per month charge to customers who credit less than £1500 per month to their current accounts or maintain a average balance of less than £1500 per month. These plans have sparked outrage amongst UK customers who up until now have received free banking for current accounts in credit. The charge does not apply if a customer holds any other First Direct product (including savings accounts, credit cards, mortgage, home or car insurance) in addition to a current account. [1]

[edit] External link

• First Direct