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.

HSBC's main branch serving Brighton centre is located close to the buses on North Street, it is an…read moreaverage sized branch by HSBC standards, albeit smaller than locations I'm more of a "regular" too such as Manchester St Ann's and Liverpool. The store has a good amount of seating and express banking machines, although I didn't like the fact that there were too many different machines for different things, such as for paying in cash and cheques and withdrawing it, considering nearly every other bank does it all in one machine now, with probably Halifax and the Lloyds Banking Group the only exception, I don't like this approach as it is confusing and slightly time-consuming depending on if you need to queue and switch between machines. There is also a small counter, which is slightly hidden into the back of the store, the waits didn't seem to be too long. Open 9-5 Monday to Saturday, the hours are pretty generic and common, but with many local banks shutting earlier especially on Saturday's, the opening hours are pretty decent here and the minimum of how they should be for a bank. Decent bank. 3*

Like the Falmer HSBC, this place is very good as banks go. There are loads of free cash machines…read moreand it's the most easily accessed place for free cash withdrawals on this end of the North Laine. There's usually a queue for the counter, but never a long wait. And there're always plenty of staff on hand in the week to help with whatever (new accounts, internet banking, loans...).

As the name implies, this branch is right in the pedestrianised part of the town centre, so very…read moreeasy access, and its a good branch too. Its small enough so that the manager herself is often in the banking hall greeting new customers, and often working out quotes etc with them as well. I liked the level of service offered, they actually phoned back when they said they would. I'm not quite sure they have the depth of knowledge for all modern banking needs in a branch this size, but in the areas they do cover, they seem to be tip-top.

This particular HSBC branch is pretty handy if you live in this end of town, as it offers most…read morefacilities larger branches do with the bonus of usually being dead quiet. In fact this dead quietness can go the other way sometimes - as in you may go in for a quick query and get way more attention than you intended/than you were in the mood for! When I lived near Seven Dials I went to chat to someone about setting up a joint bank account, and I went another time for a bank draft - both times I was sat down at a desk whilst a very patient member of staff chatted to me - one time she even stayed a bit past closing time to finish something! I'm not too fussed about this face-to-face thing, being of the internet age where it's just a bit of a chore to have to physically do something! But I appreciate this is important to some people, and it was certainly a refreshing change to the fast paced city centre banks. All in all, my best banking experience!

This is quite a quiet branch in some ways, but it has most of the modern automated machinery that…read morewe really need from our banking services these days. I think this would be one of the best branches to come to if you needed to have an appointment to talk over your financial situation - they have the usual expertise, but seem to have a better ratio of staff to customers than usual. And there's very rarely a queue. Its just outside the main reach of shops around Seven Dials - must be all of three minutes away, towards Shoreham Road, so still very accessible. There are ATMs outside too.

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.

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!

I'd originally opened my bank account with Barclays in the Cowplain branch, but since I moved into…read moreWaterlooville 12 years ago, I only ever go here. It's a very small branch but the way they've laid out the bank clerk window, the cashpoint and the customer service section really does make good use of the space without it actually feeling cramped. The bank has the more clean/white/sterile Barclays look to it, so it's been revamped as one of the newer branches, and it's always kept tidy and never too hot/cold like most other banks The staff there are very helpful and the customer service reps make time to listen to you; one time I was taking about £50 of coins down to the clerk window at the end of the day and he actually happily helped me count it into bags (not that I would recommend doing this daily)! I continue to keep coming here because it's small enough to feel like you're getting a more personalized service, as the tellers will recognise regulars, but the staff are efficient enough so that you're not kept waiting forever either.

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.