Business Customer Commitments

Making sure our standards live up to yours

We will continually review and aim to improve so that we can make life easier for our business customers.

We are fully committed to high standards of service, treating our customers fairly, helping our customers understand how their accounts operate and giving them a better understanding of banking services and maintaining confidence in the security and integrity of banks. You can find impartial information and guidance on money matters on the "Money advice service" website (opens in a new window)

The Lending Code

Yorkshire Bank complies with the requirements of the Lending Code, a voluntary code which sets standards for good lending practices. Impartial guides that provide further information on the Lending Code are available from the Lending Standards Board:

Personal and Private Account customers - Consumer Guide to the Lending Code (opens in a new window)

Small Business Account customers - Guide to the Lending Code for Micro-Enterprises (opens in a new window)

Further details can be found on the Lending Standards Board website www.lendingstandardsboard.org.uk (opens in a new window)

Being available

• We will ensure that our ATMs are available for use at least 95% of the time, 365 days a year.
• We will provide websites that are available more than 99% of the time.
• We will provide a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week direct banking service to our customers, 52 weeks a year.

Listening and keeping you informed

• We will maintain regular programmes of customer research to gather your opinions on our products, processes and communications
• We will make sure that our advertising and promotional literature is clear and not misleading and that you are given clear information about our products and services.
• We will give you clear information about accounts and services, how they work, their terms and conditions and the interest rates which may apply.
• We will provide access to regular overviews of economic and market developments.
• We will provide regular educational seminars to support you in running your business.
• We will give you access to information that will support you in the management of your business, including regular updates on issues affecting you.

Getting back to you

• We aim to give you a timely credit decision for any business lending request you make.
• Once we get complete and valid instructions we will make available the funds for your business/corporate transaction within one working day.
• If you decide to move your current account to another bank, we will give that bank information on your standing orders and Direct Debits within three working days of us receiving the request to do so.

Solving problems

• If you have a complaint about something that has gone wrong we will contact you so we can resolve it as quickly as we can and certainly within 8 weeks whenever possible.
• We will ensure that all customers who raise a complaint are treated fairly and will be kept regularly informed of progress.
• We will be accessible 24 hours a day if your card is lost or stolen at home or abroad.
• We aim to get to you a replacement card within seven business days if your debit or credit card is lost or stolen.
• We will provide easy to pay options for your credit card, including Direct Debit, internet or telephone banking and in branch.
• We aim to protect your cards with up to the minute fraud protection.

Being responsible

• We will treat all your information as confidential and let you know how your information may be used.
• We will reduce our environmental impact by becoming carbon neutral by 30 September 2010.
• We will seek to locate ATMs in safe and secure locations to help protect you and your card details.

Supporting our communities

• We will be active locally and nationally in our communities, and employees are entitled to a minimum two days leave every year to participate in bank initiated volunteering activities.
• We will, through the Yorkshire & Clydesdale Bank Foundation, financially support charities and not for profit groups in the communities in which we operate.