Petition · past parliament · HM Treasury
Require banks to give a specific, contestable reason before closing an account
Closed
6,283 signatures
What the petition asks
Please impose the following legal requirement on banks:
"Before closing a customer's account, the bank must provide the customer with:
1) a valid, specific reason
and
2) an independent route of appeal."
"Before closing a customer's account, the bank must provide the customer with:
1) a valid, specific reason
and
2) an independent route of appeal."
Banks are currently able to close customers' accounts with neither of the above, a situation which is open to abuse given that such lack of transparency could conceal the reasons for closure, up to and including something as trivial as the institution's personal dislike of either the customer or their opinions, particularly if the customer is a public figure of some description.
The law should require transparency and a right of appeal, and I ask that it be amended as suggested to ensure this.
The law should require transparency and a right of appeal, and I ask that it be amended as suggested to ensure this.
Timeline
| 6 Jul 2023 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 6 Jan 2024 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
6,283
Status
Closed
Department
HM Treasury
Opened
6 Jul 2023
Closed
6 Jan 2024
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.