Q: I live in Nigeria, can I still open an account with you? What kind of account can I open?
A: Yes, you can open an account with us here in London with proofs of your identity and address in Nigeria.

Q: How do I order for a new cheque book?
A: Contact the Bank’s Customer Services Department by email: customerservices@ubnl.co.uk or by phone: +44 (0) 20 7920 6100.

Q: What should I do if I lose my cheque book?
A: Please contact the Bank as soon as possible, to have it cancelled.

Q: How is interest calculated on my account?
A: Credit interest on your balance is calculated daily at the published rate for your account on the cleared account balance at the close of business. Where the interest earned on an account is subject to income tax, the amount of tax deducted will be shown on your statement when the interest is credited to your account. If you require a detailed explanation of how we calculate interest then please contact us.

Q:When is the interest credited to my account?
A: Interest is credited to your account on the last working day of each month. However if you have a fixed deposit with us, interest will be credited upon maturity of the deposit.

Q: How safe are direct debits?
A: Direct debits are very safe. All direct debit payments made on your behalf by UBUK are protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme which means that if a payment is made incorrectly, you are entitled to an immediate and guaranteed refund from us of the amount paid.

Q: What do I do if I want to cancel a direct debit?
A: You should contact us and provide us with the name of the originator (ie the organisation that the money is being paid to), and the amount and frequency where appropriate. It is also a good idea to contact the originator as well.

Q: When can I draw out money after I have paid in a cheque?
A: You can draw out the money four days after the day that you paid in the cheque (so long as it is a cheque drawn in sterling and on a UK bank). So if you paid in a cheque on Monday, you will be able to draw out the money on the following Friday. This does not mean that the cheque has been paid and we may still need to debit your account if it bounced by the drawer’s bank. Remember also that you must add on an extra day if there is a Bank Holiday during the period.

Q: What is the cheque clearing cycle and how long does it take?
A: When you pay a cheque into your account it has to be sent to the drawer's bank for payment for that bank to decide if it will honour the cheque. It may not if, for example, the person who gave you the cheque hasn't enough money in their account. This process is known as the central cheque clearing cycle and normally takes three working days. We also need to allow extra days for an unpaid cheque to be returned.

Q: What documents do I need to produce in order to open an account?
A: You will need to provide us with evidence of your identity and your usual permanent  residential address. This is usually in the form of your current international passport and a current utility bill which shows the address and your name. We will, however, consider other appropriate documents that you have. See Personal Banking or Business Banking for more information.

Q: How do I send money abroad?
A: To do this you will have to provide us with full details of the beneficiary, including name and address, and full details of the beneficiary’s bank. You must also provide us with the purpose and nature of the payment. We may not be able to process the payment on the same day we receive your request. However, we will make every effort to ensure that the payment is processed by close of business on the following working day.

Q: How much do I need to open an account?
A: A minimum opening deposit of £5,000, US$10,000 or €7,500, is usually required to open an account.

Q: Is there a charge for running my account?
A: There is a monthly maintenance charge which is stated in our charges tariff. There are also other charges for standard services. You will receive a copy of the current tariff when you apply to open an account. Alternatively a copy is available on our website.

Q: How can I obtain a balance of my account?
A: You can telephone us for your balance. However, we will disclose this to you only when we have sufficiently identified you. Alternatively you can register for our internet banking service and obtain your balance from there.

Q: Will I get a statement of account from you?
A: You will receive a statement of account at a frequency agreed with us. Usually this will be monthly.

Q: Do you issue cheque books?
A:You will be issued with a cheque book on your current account, if you request one.

Q: How do I stop or cancel a cheque or my chequebook?
A: You may want to stop a cheque, for example, if it gets lost or stolen or you no longer want the payment to go through. You may also want to put a stop on the remaining cheques in your chequebook if it's been lost or stolen.

To do this, contact us immediately on the contact numbers provided to you. Provide as much information as you can, eg your account details, the cheque number (which you can tell from the cheque stub), who it was made payable to and the amount. There may be a charge for a stopped cheque, depending on the circumstances.

If you find the cheque or chequebook later or change your mind and want to remove the stop, contact us as above. Give the member of staff details of the stop, including the date the stop was applied, and it will be removed.

Q: Is my money safe with UBUK?
A: Yes, your money is safe with us. The Bank is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

In the unlikely event of you needing to make a claim, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme guarantees the first £50,000 of your deposits. For joint accounts, the scheme guarantees the first £100,000 of your deposits.

Most depositors, including individuals and small firms, are covered and deposits denominated in all currencies are treated alike.

Further details of the FSCS are available from us or by writing to the FSCS at, 7^th Floor, Lloyds Chambers, Portsoken Street, London, E1 8BN. Alternatively, you can visit the FSCS website at www.fscs.org.uk or phone 020 7892 7300.

Q: How do I make a complaint?
A: We are committed to providing a high standard of service to you and all our customers. Occasionally we may not live up to our promises and if this happens we want to hear from you.

The Bank is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service and we have our own internal procedures to deal with any complaints. We will provide you with a copy when you open your account and they are also available on our website. Further details of the Financial Ombudsman Service scheme can be obtained from us or visit www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

If you wish to make a complaint about any aspect of our service, please write to the Managing Director, Union Bank UK plc, PO Box 148, 14 - 18 Copthall Avenue, London, EC2R 7BN.