Lloyds TSB Bank

Best banking experience ever. I just got my shiny new spouse visa last month (hooray) and needed to open myself a proper bank account in the UK. After doing my online research and comparing different banks, I set about stopping in at branches to see what they could offer me. I was shooed away from two large chains and told I could only get an incredibly patronising student type account (I’m 27!) on account of my lack of history here by another. Then I found Lloyds TSB.
The branch is small and often crowded with people trying to deposit money at the cashier’s desk, but it’s worth it if you’re opening an account. I waited for about 10 minutes in a comfy chair while someone checked my ID. Then I was taken into a back office, where a lovely woman named Elizabeth helped me out. She explained the two account types they can set up in-​branch and walked me through the process. Once I agreed, she checked my credit and discovered that I qualified for the better of the two accounts and free overdraft, which is apparently unheard of for new immigrants like myself. I got set up with my basic current account, overdraft, debit card, and online banking right then and there. No hard sell, no trying to tack on extras, none of that. Just a really nice woman helping me get what I came in for.
As a result, my husband and I will be doing ALL of our banking with Lloyds TSB going forward. So nice to be treated like a human being!