Common Questions.

Opening an account with Optimal MetroHub Bank is done entirely online. There is no branch visit and no paperwork to post.

The five steps

1. Choose your product. Personal checking, savings, a business account or a treasury facility — each product page lists the features, rates and eligibility so you can compare before you commit.
2. Complete the application form. We ask for your legal name, date of birth, residential address, contact details, nationality, tax residency and employment or business information.
3. Verify your identity. Upload a government-issued photo ID and a recent proof of address. This is a regulatory requirement for every regulated financial institution — see Why we verify your identity.
4. Wait for the review. Our onboarding team performs identity, sanctions and eligibility checks. You will receive an email at each stage, and you can check progress by signing in.
5. Fund and activate. Once approved, your account number and banking details appear in online banking. Make your first deposit and the account is live.

Before you start

• Use your legal name exactly as it appears on your ID — a mismatch is the single most common cause of delay.
• Have a clear photo or scan of your documents ready. All four corners must be visible and the text legible.
• Use an email address and mobile number you control; both are used for security codes.

If you started an application and did not finish it, sign in with the credentials you created and pick up where you left off. Incomplete applications are held for a limited period before they expire.

Personal accounts

• Photo identification — a valid passport, national identity card or driving licence. It must be unexpired and show your full name, date of birth and photograph.
• Proof of address — a utility bill, bank statement, tax notice or government letter issued in the last three months, showing your name and residential address. Mobile phone bills and screenshots are not accepted.
• Tax identification — your tax identification number and country of tax residency.

Business accounts

• Certificate of incorporation or business registration.
• Memorandum and articles of association, or the equivalent constitutional document.
• Proof of registered business address.
• Identification and proof of address for every director, authorised signatory and beneficial owner holding 25% or more.
• A short description of the business activity, expected turnover and main trading countries.

How to submit them

Documents are uploaded through the secure upload screen in your application or, once you have an account, under Profile → Verification. Accepted formats are JPG, PNG and PDF up to 5 MB per file. Never email documents to anyone claiming to be from Optimal MetroHub Bank — see What we will never ask you for.

Photograph documents on a flat, dark surface in good light. Blurred edges, glare and cropped corners are rejected automatically and add days to your application.

Timelines depend on the product and on how quickly your documents pass verification.

What can slow it down

• Documents that are expired, unreadable, cropped or do not match the name on the application.
• A proof of address older than three months.
• Complex ownership structures on business accounts, which require additional beneficial-owner checks.
• Applications submitted outside working hours or over a public holiday.

You will receive an email whenever the status changes. If your application has been pending noticeably longer than the times above, sign in and raise a support ticket so the onboarding team can look at your specific case.

Your full banking details live inside online banking, never in an email. Here is how to reach them.

1. Sign in to online banking.
2. Open Accounts from the main menu. Every account you hold is listed with its nickname, currency and balance.
3. Select the account you need. The detail page shows:
   • Account number — used for domestic transfers.
   • IBAN — used for European and most international transfers.
   • SWIFT / BIC — identifies Optimal MetroHub Bank to the sending bank.
   • Account holder name and bank address — some senders are required to capture these.
4. Use Copy next to any field, or download a formatted account certificate as a PDF to send to a payer or employer.

Can't sign in yet?

If you have lost access, do not ask anyone to read your account number to you over the phone or social media. Reset your password first, then look the details up yourself. If the reset does not work, raise a support ticket and our team will verify you securely.

Optimal MetroHub Bank staff will never contact you first to ask for your account number, password or one-time passcode. If someone does, end the conversation and report it.

Current (ledger) balance

Every transaction that has fully settled on your account. It does not account for payments that have been authorised but not yet cleared.

Available balance

What you can spend or send at this moment. It is your current balance, minus:

• Card authorisations that have not settled — for example a hotel or fuel pre-authorisation.
• Outgoing transfers that have been submitted but not yet released.
• Cheque or deposit holds during the clearing window.
• Any regulatory or security hold placed on the account.

Common reasons the two differ

1. A card pre-authorisation. Merchants such as hotels, car hire firms and fuel stations reserve an estimated amount and adjust it later. The reserved amount is released automatically, usually within a few working days.
2. A deposit still clearing. Cheque deposits and some incoming transfers clear in stages.
3. A scheduled payment due today. Funds are earmarked shortly before the payment is released.

Open any transaction in your history to see whether it is pending or settled, and the date it is expected to clear. If an amount has been held for longer than five working days with no explanation, raise a support ticket.

1. Sign in and open Accounts → Statements, or open an account and choose Export.
2. Pick the account and the period. You can select a calendar month, a quarter, a tax year, or a custom range.
3. Choose your format:
   • PDF — a formatted statement suitable for landlords, embassies and accountants.
   • CSV — raw rows for spreadsheets and bookkeeping software.
4. Select Generate. Large ranges are prepared in the background and appear in your downloads list when ready.

Official and stamped statements

If a third party requires a statement bearing the bank's stamp and signature — for a visa application, a mortgage broker or an audit — raise a support ticket specifying the period, the intended recipient and whether you need it in PDF or by post. These are prepared manually and normally issued within two working days.

How far back can I go?

Online statements cover the full life of the account. Archived periods older than seven years may need to be retrieved manually; ask through a support ticket.

1. Open the sign-in page from the Login button in the site header. Always start from Optimal MetroHub Bank's own website rather than a link in an email.
2. Enter the username you chose during your application, and your password.
3. Enter the one-time passcode sent to your registered mobile or email.
4. Complete the two-factor authentication setup when prompted. This takes about a minute and protects every payment you make afterwards.
5. Review the security summary and confirm your contact details are correct.

Check you are on the real site

• The address bar shows a padlock and the correct domain — check the spelling character by character.
• We never ask for your full password over the phone, by email or in a chat window.
• If a page asks for your card PIN in order to log in, it is not us. Close it and report it.

Trouble getting in? Work through I forgot my password, I am not receiving my one-time passcode, or My account is locked — between them they resolve almost every sign-in problem.

1. Go to the sign-in page and select Forgot password.
2. Enter your username or the email address registered on the account.
3. We send a reset link to your registered email and, where enabled, a one-time passcode to your mobile.
4. Open the link and set a new password. It must be at least 12 characters and include upper case, lower case, a number and a symbol.
5. Sign in with the new password. Existing sessions on other devices are signed out automatically.

If the reset email does not arrive

• Wait two minutes — delivery is usually instant but can queue.
• Check spam, junk and any promotions tab.
• Confirm you are checking the address registered on the account, not a newer personal one.
• Reset links expire for security. If yours has expired, request a fresh one.

If you no longer have access to the registered email address, the self-service reset cannot reach you. Raise a support ticket, or use the contact page — we will verify your identity through an alternative route before changing anything.

After several consecutive failed sign-in attempts, we lock the account temporarily. This is what stops an attacker from guessing passwords.

What to do

1. Wait for the cool-down. The lock lifts automatically after a short period — the sign-in screen tells you how long.
2. Reset your password rather than guessing again. Guessing simply restarts the lock.
3. Check your saved passwords. An out-of-date entry in a browser or password manager silently retrying is a very common cause.

If you did not cause the lock

Repeated failed attempts that were not you mean someone else is trying your credentials. Treat it seriously:

• Reset your password immediately and choose one you have never used elsewhere.
• Confirm two-factor authentication is switched on.
• Review your trusted devices and remove anything you do not recognise.
• Report it so we can review the attempts and, if needed, add extra monitoring to your account.

A lock that will not clear, or a message saying the account is suspended rather than temporarily locked, means the account needs manual review. Raise a support ticket or call us.

Work through these in order

1. Only the newest code works. If you requested several, use the last one. Earlier codes are invalidated the moment a new one is issued.
2. Codes expire. Most expire within a few minutes. If yours has, request a fresh one rather than retyping the old.
3. Check signal and roaming. SMS delivery fails silently on a weak network or when roaming restrictions are in place.
4. Check spam and junk if your codes arrive by email, and look for a filter that may be moving them.
5. Confirm the number on file is the one in your hand. If you changed number without telling us, codes go to the old device.
6. Restart the device. A stalled messaging app is more common than it sounds.

Using an authenticator app

If you use an authenticator app rather than SMS, codes are generated on the device and do not depend on signal. If they are being rejected, the usual cause is clock drift — enable automatic date and time on the device, then try again.

Still nothing

If you have lost the phone or number entirely, you cannot self-serve past this point by design. Use the contact page or raise a support ticket; we will verify your identity another way and re-register your device.

1. Sign in and open Transfers → Local transfer.
2. Pick a saved beneficiary, or choose New beneficiary and enter their full account name, account number and bank.
3. Select the account to debit and enter the amount.
4. Add a reference the recipient will recognise — an invoice number, for example.
5. Choose Send now or schedule it for a future date.
6. Review every figure on the confirmation screen, then approve with your one-time passcode.

Getting the details right

• The account name must match the name registered at the receiving bank. Nicknames and abbreviations cause returns.
• Enter the account number without spaces or dashes.
• Double-check the amount and the currency before approving. Once released, a payment cannot simply be undone.

Fraudsters commonly send a fake invoice with altered bank details. If a supplier's account details change, confirm them by phoning a number you already had for them — never a number on the new invoice.

What you need before you start

• Beneficiary's full legal name and address as held by their bank.
• IBAN or local account number.
• SWIFT / BIC of the beneficiary bank, and its branch address.
• For some corridors, a local routing code, purpose-of-payment code or the beneficiary's tax number.

Sending the payment

1. Open Transfers → International wire.
2. Enter or select the beneficiary and complete the bank details.
3. Enter the amount and choose the currency to send in.
4. Select who pays the correspondent charges — shared, or paid entirely by you so the beneficiary receives the full amount.
5. State the purpose of the payment. This is a regulatory requirement and a vague answer can delay the wire.
6. Review the rate, fees and estimated arrival, then approve with your one-time passcode.

Cut-off times

Wires submitted before the daily cut-off are released the same working day. Anything after that, or on a weekend or public holiday in either country, is released on the next working day.

Large or first-time wires may be held briefly for a compliance check. If we need anything from you, you will see a task in online banking and receive an email.

What adds time

• Cut-off times. A payment submitted at 18:00 is processed the next working day.
• Weekends and public holidays in either the sending or the receiving country.
• Correspondent banks. An international wire may pass through one or two intermediaries, each adding a processing step.
• Compliance checks on first-time beneficiaries, unusual amounts or higher-risk corridors.
• Incorrect details. A mismatched name or IBAN causes the receiving bank to investigate or return the payment.

The transfer detail page in your history shows the current status and, for wires, the reference you can quote to the beneficiary's bank.

Where to find your limits

Your personal limits are shown live on the transfer screen and under Profile → Limits. They are the authoritative figures for your account — published ranges are indicative only.

What sets them

• Account type — personal, premium, business and treasury accounts have different bands.
• Verification level — a fully verified account has materially higher limits than one with documents still outstanding.
• Account age and history — newly opened accounts start lower and step up automatically.
• Transfer type — internal, domestic and international each have their own ceiling.

If a payment is blocked by a limit

1. Split it across working days, if the deadline allows.
2. Complete any outstanding verification — this often lifts the limit immediately.
3. Request a temporary or permanent increase by raising a support ticket. Tell us the amount, the reason and the date you need it by. Increases are assessed case by case and typically answered within one working day.

Limits are a fraud control, not an obstacle. They cap what an attacker could move if they ever reached your account.

Check the status yourself first

1. Sign in and open Transfers → History.
2. Select the payment. The status will be one of:
   • Submitted — queued, not yet released.
   • Processing — released to the payment network.
   • Completed — left Optimal MetroHub Bank and was accepted by the next bank in the chain.
   • Returned — sent back to us; the reason is shown and funds are re-credited.
   • On hold — a compliance or security check is in progress.
3. Note the transaction reference. The beneficiary can give this to their bank to locate the credit.

Before you ask for a trace

• Confirm the expected arrival date has actually passed — see How long does a transfer take.
• Ask the beneficiary to check their account under the exact name and reference used.
• Verify the account number and IBAN you entered against the original instruction.

Requesting a trace

Raise a support ticket including the transaction reference, the date sent, the amount and currency, and the beneficiary's bank. We open a formal trace with the correspondent banks. Traces typically take three to ten working days depending on the corridor, and we update the ticket at each step.

Still cancellable

If the status is Scheduled or Submitted, the money has not left. Open the transfer in Transfers → History and choose Cancel. The funds return to your available balance immediately.

Already released

Once a payment is Processing or Completed it is in the hands of the receiving bank. It can only come back if that bank agrees to return it, which normally means the beneficiary consenting. We can raise a recall request, but no bank can guarantee the outcome.

To request a recall, raise a support ticket immediately with:

• The transaction reference, date, amount and currency.
• The reason — duplicate payment, wrong beneficiary, wrong amount, or suspected fraud.
• Any correspondence with the beneficiary.

If you have been defrauded

Say so explicitly and immediately. Suspected fraud is handled on a different, faster track than an ordinary error, and speed materially changes the chance of recovering funds. Call the number on our contact page rather than waiting for a ticket reply.

Open the payment in Transfers → History — the reason is recorded against it. These are the usual causes.

1. Insufficient available balance

Your available balance, not your current balance, is what funds a payment. Pending card authorisations and uncleared deposits reduce it.

2. A limit was exceeded

Per-transaction, daily or monthly limits apply per transfer type. The screen shows your remaining allowance.

3. Beneficiary details did not match

An account name that does not match the receiving bank's records, a mistyped IBAN, or a SWIFT/BIC belonging to a different branch will all cause a return. Returned funds normally come back within three to five working days, sometimes less any correspondent fee.

4. Verification or compliance

Outstanding identity documents, an unusual amount, a first payment to a new beneficiary, or a restricted destination can each stop a payment for review. Check your notifications for a task asking for more information.

5. Security step not completed

An expired one-time passcode or an abandoned confirmation screen leaves the payment unsent. Start again and complete the confirmation in one sitting.

If the reason shown does not fit your situation, raise a support ticket with the transaction reference and we will explain exactly what happened.

Codes that are genuine

• One-time passcode (OTP) — sent to your registered mobile or email, or generated by your authenticator app, each time you approve a payment.
• Additional verification code — on some account types and higher-value payments, Optimal MetroHub Bank issues a further code through online banking or by a channel already registered to you.

Genuine codes are always issued to you through a channel already on your account. They appear as a task or notification when you are signed in.

Codes that are not

If someone contacts you claiming your transfer needs a fee paid first, or offers to sell or supply a code so a payment can be "released", it is a scam. Optimal MetroHub Bank does not ask you to pay a third party to unlock your own money, and no legitimate code is ever provided by a stranger on a messaging app.

Never read a code out to anyone, including someone claiming to be from Optimal MetroHub Bank. We will never ask you for one.

What to do

If your payment genuinely requires a code you cannot find, do not look for it elsewhere — sign in, check your notifications, and if it is not there raise a support ticket. If you have been asked for a code by someone else, report it immediately.

1. Sign in and open Cards.
2. Select the new card — it will be marked Inactive.
3. Choose Activate and confirm the last four digits printed on the card.
4. Enter the one-time passcode we send you.
5. Set or confirm your PIN.

Activation is immediate. Once active, the card works for online purchases straight away; contactless usually unlocks after your first chip-and-PIN transaction, which is a card-network security rule.

Virtual cards

Virtual cards are active from the moment they are issued. The full number, expiry and security code are revealed in online banking after a passcode check.

If activation fails

• Check you selected the right card if you hold more than one.
• Make sure the card is not past its expiry date.
• Confirm the account the card is attached to is active and not frozen.

Still stuck? Raise a support ticket with the last four digits — never the full card number.

Freezing is the right first move whenever a card is out of sight but probably not gone for good.

1. Sign in and open Cards.
2. Select the card and toggle Freeze card.

What freezing does

• Declines all new purchases, ATM withdrawals and online payments immediately.
• Leaves the card number valid, so unfreezing restores everything instantly.
• Does not stop transactions already authorised, or existing recurring subscriptions charged by some merchants.

Freeze or report lost?

A frozen card left frozen costs you nothing. When in doubt, freeze first and decide afterwards.

Do this first — right now

1. Freeze the card in online banking under Cards. This takes seconds and stops new transactions at once.
2. Report it as lost or stolen. Card loss and fraud reporting is staffed 24 hours a day — use the number on our contact page if you cannot sign in.
3. Review recent transactions and flag anything you did not make.
4. Order a replacement. A new card with a new number is issued and posted to your registered address.

While you wait for the replacement

Issue a virtual card from online banking. It works immediately for online and in-app payments, so you are not left without a way to pay.

If you see transactions you did not make

Report them as fraud rather than as an ordinary dispute, and do it the same day. You are generally not liable for unauthorised transactions where you have kept your PIN and security details confidential and reported promptly. Delay is the one thing that can weaken your position.

Also update any subscription or wallet that stored the old card, otherwise those payments will start failing.

Open Cards → select card → Recent activity: declines are listed with a reason.

Common causes, in order of likelihood

1. Available balance too low. Pending authorisations reduce what you can spend.
2. Card is frozen — check the toggle in online banking.
3. Card not yet activated, or past its expiry date.
4. A limit was hit — per-transaction, daily spend, or ATM withdrawal.
5. Wrong details entered online — the security code, expiry or billing address must match exactly what we hold.
6. Country or merchant category blocked in your card controls.
7. Fraud monitoring stopped an unusual pattern — an unfamiliar country, an unusually large amount, or several rapid attempts.

Travelling?

Add a travel notice under Cards → Controls before you go, and check that the destination country is permitted. That prevents the most common travel decline.

If none of this applies

Repeated declines with no clear reason should be reported. Raise a support ticket with the date, time, amount, merchant and the last four digits of the card — never the full number.

Fraud or a dispute?

• You did not authorise it at all — that is fraud. Freeze the card and report it immediately, do not wait.
• You made the payment but something went wrong — goods never arrived, you were charged twice, the amount is wrong, or a cancelled subscription was billed. That is a dispute.

Before raising a dispute

Card scheme rules expect you to try the merchant first, and a documented attempt strengthens your claim. Keep the emails.

Raising it

1. Open the transaction in your card activity and choose Dispute, or raise a support ticket.
2. Tell us the transaction date, amount and merchant, and which category it falls into.
3. Attach your evidence — order confirmation, cancellation email, delivery tracking, correspondence with the merchant.

What happens next

We acknowledge the claim and, where the rules allow, may apply a temporary credit while it is investigated. Card scheme timelines usually run to 45 days and occasionally longer where the merchant contests it. We update the ticket at every stage.

Disputes have deadlines — typically 120 days from the transaction or the expected delivery date. Raise it as soon as you notice.

Act in this order

1. Freeze every card in online banking under Cards.
2. Change your password to one you have never used anywhere else, and choose Sign out everywhere.
3. Call us. Fraud reporting is staffed 24 hours a day — the number is on our contact page. Phoning is faster than any written channel, and speed is what determines whether funds can be stopped.
4. Do not delete anything. Keep the messages, emails, transaction references and any phone numbers used — they are evidence.
5. Report it to your local police or fraud authority and note the crime reference.

If you gave someone remote access to your device

Disconnect it from the internet, and do not use it for banking again until it has been checked. Sign in from a different, trusted device to change your password.

What we will do

We attempt to stop or recall any payment still in flight, secure your account, review recent activity with you, and open a formal case. You will get a case reference and regular updates.

Never feel embarrassed. Modern scams are professional and convincing, and reporting quickly matters far more than how it happened.

We will never ask you to

• Tell us your password or any part of it.
• Tell us your card PIN.
• Read out a one-time passcode or authenticator code.
• Give your full card number and security code over the phone or by email.
• Move money to a "safe account", a "holding account" or any account we name for you.
• Install remote access software so we can "fix" or "check" something.
• Pay a fee, tax or clearance charge to release a transfer, a loan or an inheritance.
• Buy gift cards or cryptocurrency for any reason.

If a call feels wrong

Hang up. Wait five minutes or use a different phone, then call the number on our contact page or on the back of your card. Caller ID can be forged to display our real number, so what appears on your screen proves nothing.

Genuine contact from us

We may call about unusual activity — but the conversation will only ever go one way: we ask you to confirm whether a transaction was yours. We will never ask you to move money, share a code, or grant access to your device.

Real urgency is a scammer's most reliable tool. Any pressure to act immediately and in secret is the warning sign itself.

Two-factor authentication pairs something you know (your password) with something you have (your phone). A stolen password on its own is then useless.

Available methods

• SMS or email passcode — a code sent to your registered contact each time.
• Authenticator app — a code generated on your device, refreshing every 30 seconds. This works without signal and is the stronger option.

Setting up an authenticator app

1. Install an authenticator app on your phone.
2. Sign in and open Profile → Security → Two-factor authentication.
3. Scan the QR code shown, then enter the six-digit code the app generates to confirm the pairing.
4. Save your backup codes somewhere safe and offline. They are your way back in if you lose the phone.

When you will be asked

At sign-in from a new device, when approving payments, when adding a beneficiary, and when changing security settings. Trusted devices may be asked less often for routine sign-in, but never for payments.

Lost your phone?

Use a backup code. If you have none, you cannot self-serve past this point by design — raise a support ticket or call us and we will verify you another way.

Warning signs

• Urgency and threat. "Your account will be closed in 24 hours." Real banks do not work to that clock.
• A link that does not match. Hover over it (or long-press on mobile) and read the real destination. Look at the domain immediately before the first single slash — that is the site you will actually land on.
• Lookalike domains. Swapped letters, added hyphens, or an unexpected country suffix.
• Generic greetings, or personal details that are subtly wrong.
• Unexpected attachments — particularly ZIP, HTML or macro-enabled documents.
• A request for credentials. No genuine message will ever ask you to confirm your password or a passcode.

The habit that beats all of this

Never reach your bank through a link. Type the address yourself or use your own bookmark. It costs five seconds and defeats every phishing message ever written.

If you clicked

1. Do not enter anything further. Close the page.
2. If you already entered credentials, change your password immediately from a device you trust and sign out everywhere.
3. Report it — forward the message to us and tell us what you entered.

Check these before assuming fraud

1. The trading name. Many businesses bill under a parent company or payment processor name that looks nothing like the shop front. Open the transaction — we show the merchant's location and category.
2. The date. Card payments can settle several days after you made them, so the date on the statement may not be the day you paid.
3. Free trials and subscriptions. A trial converting to a paid plan is the single most common "unknown" charge.
4. Others on the account. A joint holder or an additional cardholder may have made it.
5. A pre-authorisation. Hotels, fuel stations and car hire firms reserve an estimate that later adjusts.

If it is still not yours

1. Freeze the card immediately.
2. Report it as fraud rather than as a dispute — the two are handled by different teams on different timelines.
3. Check for other unfamiliar entries, and review your beneficiary list and trusted devices.

Report unauthorised transactions as soon as you spot them. Prompt reporting is what protects your position.

1. Choose the product. Personal loan, auto loan, mortgage, working capital, equipment finance or a growth facility — each product page sets out the terms and typical use.
2. Check affordability. Use the calculator on the product page to model the monthly repayment before you commit.
3. Complete the application. Sign in and open Applications → New application. Existing customers have most fields pre-filled.
4. Upload supporting documents. See What documents do I need for a loan application.
5. Submit and track. Your application appears under Applications with a live status.

What we assess

• Income, and its stability over time.
• Existing commitments and overall debt-to-income position.
• Credit history and conduct on any accounts you hold with us.
• For business lending: trading history, cash flow, and the purpose of the funds.
• The value and condition of any security offered.

Applying does not commit you to anything. You will receive a formal offer setting out the rate, term, total repayable and all fees, and you decide after reading it.

1. Sign in and open Applications.
2. Select the application to see its stage and history.

What the statuses mean

• Draft — started but not submitted. Nothing is being reviewed yet.
• Submitted — received and queued for assessment.
• In review — with an assessor.
• Information required — we need something from you. Open the task and respond; the clock is paused until you do.
• Approved — an offer has been issued for you to review and accept.
• Declined — the application was not successful.
• Withdrawn — cancelled by you, or expired without response.

If it has been longer than expected

Check for an outstanding task first — an unanswered request is the usual reason an application appears to stall. If there is nothing pending from you and the indicative timescale has passed, raise a support ticket quoting the application reference.

1. Choose the account. Business checking, a treasury account, or a multi-currency structure — the business pages compare them.
2. Gather your documents. Certificate of incorporation, constitutional documents, proof of registered address, plus identification and proof of address for every director, authorised signatory and beneficial owner holding 25% or more.
3. Complete the application. Include the nature of the business, expected monthly turnover, main trading countries and your principal counterparties.
4. Verification. We verify the entity and each individual, and run sanctions and adverse-media checks.
5. Approval and setup. On approval, users are created for each signatory with the permissions you specified.

What causes delays

• Ownership structures involving holding companies or trusts, which require documents for each layer until the ultimate individuals are identified.
• Directors resident in different countries, each needing separate verification.
• A vague description of business activity. Be specific about what you sell, to whom, and how you get paid.

Where to look

• Online banking → Profile → Documents holds the fee schedule for each product you actually hold. This is the authoritative version for you.
• Before you confirm. Every transaction screen shows the fee, and for cross-currency payments the rate, before you approve anything.
• On your statement. Fees are itemised, not bundled into the transaction amount.

Typical fee categories

• Monthly account maintenance, where the product has one.
• Outgoing domestic and international transfers.
• Currency conversion.
• ATM withdrawals outside the free allowance, and non-network ATMs.
• Card replacement outside normal renewal.
• Returned or unpaid items.
• Manual services such as stamped statements, audit letters and payment traces.

Changes to fees

We give advance notice in writing before any fee increase, in line with your account terms. If you disagree with a change you may close the account without penalty within the notice period.

If a fee on your statement is not clear, raise a support ticket with the date and amount and we will explain exactly what it was for.

The three components

1. Our sending fee — shown on the transfer screen before you confirm, and set out in your fee schedule.
2. Correspondent bank charges — an international wire may pass through one or two intermediary banks, each of which may deduct a charge.
3. Currency conversion — applies whenever the sending and receiving currencies differ.

Choosing who pays

If the beneficiary received less than expected

The usual cause is a correspondent deduction on a shared-charges wire. Raise a support ticket with the transaction reference and we will obtain a breakdown of what was deducted and by whom.

Pick the channel that matches how urgent it is.

Why account questions need you signed in

We will not discuss balances, transactions or personal details over an unverified channel — that is exactly the gap fraudsters exploit. Signing in proves who you are, so we can help properly instead of speaking in generalities.

When we are available

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A support ticket is the right route for anything specific to your account. It creates a written record, routes to the right team, and lets us reference your actual transactions.

Raising one

1. Sign in to online banking. If you are not signed in, the link below takes you to the sign-in page first.
2. Open Support from the main menu.
3. Choose New ticket.
4. Select the category that fits best — transaction issue, account access, card issue, wire transfer, billing, technical, security or other. The category decides which team picks it up, so it is worth a moment's thought.
5. Write a clear subject and description.
6. Attach supporting files — screenshots, receipts, correspondence.
7. Submit. You will see a ticket reference straight away and receive an email confirmation.

What to include

• Dates, amounts and currencies.
• Transaction or application references.
• The last four digits of a card — never the full number, and never a PIN or password.
• What you expected to happen, and what happened instead.
• What you have already tried.

A ticket with the reference and a clear description is usually resolved in one reply. A ticket saying only "my transfer failed" takes several exchanges before anyone can help.

Channels

• Phone — 1-800-BANKING. Best for anything urgent. Card loss and fraud reporting is available 24/7.
• Support ticket — inside online banking. Best for anything about your account, because it is authenticated and creates a written record.
• Contact form — on our contact page, for general and pre-sales enquiries.
• Email — use the email button on our contact page. General enquiries only.

Availability

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Please never send us

• Your password, PIN or a one-time passcode.
• A full card number.
• Identity documents by ordinary email — use the secure upload in online banking or attach them to a ticket.

Email is not a secure channel. Anything sensitive belongs in a support ticket, which is encrypted and tied to your verified account.

The legal position

Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing regulation requires every regulated institution to identify and verify its customers, understand the purpose of the relationship, and keep that information current. This is not optional for us and not something we can waive on request.

Why it is also in your interest

• It stops anyone opening an account or taking credit in your name.
• It is what allows us to refuse instructions from someone impersonating you.
• It keeps the payment system usable — correspondent banks will not process payments from institutions with weak controls.

What we ask for and when

• At onboarding — photo identification, proof of address, tax residency.
• Periodically — a refresh, because regulation requires records to stay current. We will prompt you.
• On specific events — an unusual pattern, a large payment, or a change in circumstances may prompt a question about the source of funds.

Being asked about a payment is routine and is not an accusation. Answering promptly and clearly is normally the end of it.

Common reasons

1. Outstanding verification. A document has expired or a periodic refresh is due. Upload the document and the restriction usually lifts within a working day.
2. Security concern. Unusual sign-in activity or a suspicious pattern triggers a protective hold. This is done to keep your money where it is.
3. Compliance review. A transaction may require us to understand its purpose or source of funds before it proceeds.
4. Dormancy. A long-inactive account is restricted until reactivated.
5. Third-party legal order. A court order or authority instruction we are legally obliged to follow.
6. Unresolved arrears or disputes on a linked facility.

What to do

1. Sign in and check your notifications and tasks — a required action is nearly always listed there.
2. Complete whatever is requested, uploading documents through the secure screen.
3. If nothing is listed, raise a support ticket asking what is needed.

What we can and cannot tell you

Where a restriction relates to a compliance investigation, law may prohibit us from explaining the detail or the timing. That is a legal constraint on us, not a judgement about you. Your funds remain your funds throughout, and we will tell you as soon as we are able to.