I don't have anything in writing about the promised loan, that's the problem. But I do have the 'sick' manager's name and a diary entry of our meeting. If I send a SAR will they not just cherry pick which bits of info they send and say they don't have the rest? Also, from the template, not quite sure where to send it - to the bank's registered address or the branch I was dealing with?

Thanks for the encouragement.

Oh dear. So things haven't moved on at all then! But there must be a difference between a complaint and a legal action, surely?

Begbies Traynor, Exeter

Thank you. Have the template. Have read your articles but predate BCOB so thought I might not be covered.

Thanks. Thought might be the case.

Hi, I'm new and, until yesterday, when I read your Announcement about BCOBs, I didn't even know I was legally entitled to fair treatment by a bank! In 2005 my sons and I took out a loan with HSBC to fit out and start a restaurant. As planned I took out a 60% mortgage on my house(interest only) to complete the startup. On the plan we were due to have paid everything back in three to five years. We negotiated an additional loan in 2006 as we were starting to run up costs. In 2007 I needed to go to the bank again. I had rewritten the business plan with actuals and you could see that if we had additional money we would be turning the corner at the end of 2007. The manager I'd always dealt with agreed in principle, then disappeared off the face of the earth. Too many weeks later after numerous enquiries HSBC said he had gone on 'sickness leave' and there was no record of our discussion or the promise so we had to start again. I was turned down. Not only that, they sent someone from a team called special measures or similar to 'help' me. His 'help' included a threat that if I didn't go to an administration firm he would close the account: also that because he was a specialist all my charges would now be increased. I went along to the firm he recommended who said they couldn't help me, the only route was bankruptcy. For various reasons this was not an option so I managed to mortgage the rest of my house. For their own reasons HSBC wanted my business closed. I was an old customer and immediately prior to this business loan, had successfully borrowed, used and paid back a £480,000 short term loan. I was also in parallel running another small business with an overdraft and business loan and had been with First Direct since it started. So it was nothing to do with my history, which had been impeccable. The manager who 'went sick' had been working alongside me and helpfully advising, but once he disappeared the bully boy tactics started. I did not go bankrupt but will have to work until 70, at which time I lose the roof as I sell up to pay the mortgage off. While the above sorry tale was happening, I was obviously subject to the usual practices of bouncing payments, charging for that, then going overdrawn, then charging, then bouncing etc etc. They also threatened to plunder my other accounts which I rapidly changed. Is there anything I can do - or is it all too late?

Hi, I'm new and maybe in the wrong place but I'm sure someone will help me there. We started a business with a loan from Barclays. The business plan showed a period of 3-4 years to go into profit. It involved converting a country house into self catering holiday accomodation. During the six months it took to sell and purchase properties the interest rate doubled. We were on target time wise and were due to open in the summer, as in the plan. Obviously we were struggling with repayments and had extended the overdraft. On the Friday of a bank holiday weekend we received a letter out of the blue informing us that,words to the effect, 'in our best interests', they had frozen our account. We were still building, so couldn't open and if we sold, we would have lost thousands - and we had four children and nowhere to go. The interest rate being charged was around 20%. The year was 1987. Now I know this is probably too long ago (not long enough as I am sweating thinking about it again) - but Appropos LIBOR fixing I am sure I heard that it has been going on for ages and had influenced those excessive interest rates in the 80's. My question is, if it did and if B did, would the likes of me be entitled to a piece of compensation that sufferers from the last decade will no doubt be getting? Our business never recovered and although we ran it for fourteen years it was always at a loss and had to be subsidised by salaried employment.