student accounts

[pixiewize]

has anyone else had trouble opening a student bank account in their 2nd year? i live in Wales and in my first year i got a grant from my local LEA. (ALG, Assembly Learning Grant) so i didnt need to open an account with the temptation of an overdraft. this year however i do not qualify for the grant so would very much like to open an account with the security of an overdraft. i have tried to at several banks but failed the credit check in all. i have no outstanding balances anywhere and have never asked for credit before. the banks are telling me that it is because i am trying to open an account in my 2nd year. i think that it is highly unfair. i am being penilised for not wanting to over-spend in my first year. has anyone else experienced this problem? how do i get around it? and what are banks protocall on 2nd year students?

[scorpio61]

This might not help but you can go to any bank in the UK and open a "basic" bank account, you don't get a check book but it has all the normal facilities. Anyone can open an acc of this nature, even bankrupts, it was an instruction from the government to all the banks back in 2000