To me it sounds as though data before August 2001 is not stored in a "relevant filing system" (a definition from the DPA) and therefore is not easily searchable. As such they require more context and information in order to locate such data. One of the letters suggests that the business was a partnership. Does the other partner have any records? Or information that would help Lloyds with tracing? Also, it looks as though you sent the SAR to their Andover address. You may wish to try the equivalent team within their Commercial Banking arm: Commercial Banking DSAR Team Lloyds Banking Group 1st Floor East Tower House Charterhall Drive Chester CH88 3AN

First of all, I'm not convinced that any of these banks don't have records earlier then for instance, 2001. We know that the NatWest and the RBS have archives going back at least until 1994. About 10 years ago I met and interviewed a woman who was an archivist for Abbey National then Abbey eventually Santander. She told me that they keep all their records going back to 1933. She said that they were paper records and then in the 1960s they move to microfiche and then eventually to electronic records. Apparently they have/had an archive centre in Leighton Buzzard. I don't know if it still exists. However, there must be lots of clients with important business going back well before 2001 and I know that Lloyds are habitual liars. I know of at least three SAR breaches that they have committed and also lies from them about the nonexistence of PPI accompanied by misleading letters claiming to have searched for their archives. They were even criticised for this by the FCA in 2015 – but yet they continued to do this. I have a copy of an identical letter criticised by the FCA which was sent to me in 2017. Of course I could be wrong – maybe they really have destroyed everything – but I doubt it. One comment which stands out for me in their letter of 23 March which you have posted is that they refer uniquely to their electronic records and they are essentially saying that as the information you are looking for predates the electronic records, they haven't been able to carry out a proper search – or maybe no search at all. They talk in terms of a general duty to delete information – but they don't specifically say that your information has been deleted. What one really needs is a way to discover if they maintain a microfiche archive or a paper archive somewhere. I would expect that records at least from 1970 onwards to 2001 would have been kept on microfiche. I don't trust Lloyds bank – and I think anyone who does is a fool. Lloyds routinely break the law in terms of data breaches, mis-selling of products, the use of deceptive/misleading letters. Why is it they are suddenly so squeakyclean now?

can you pop your images upload into one pdf please and attach so we can then read them and zoom read upload ive done the pdf for you in post 8 please read the PM I've sent