I agree with Len Murray and made the same point a couple of posts before him.........surely somebody at Citywire can answer this?!

I am a long-standing customer of RBS, having opened a current account with Williams & Glyn's back in the 1970s. I still have that account, with a London RBS branch, but I now have another current account used for household expenses with a branch in Kent and an on-line deposit account, which is based in Glasgow, insofar as an on-line account can be based anywhere. I shuffle money between the three accounts using internet banking.

Have all RBS's English branches been sold? If not, I could find myself with one RBS current account and one Santander. Also if the deposit account stays with RBS, as it is based in Scotland, I could find myself losing my instant transfer facility to and from one or both my current accounts.

I have had very bad customer service from Santander (Cahoot current a/c) but the business account my husband and I jointly have with Abbey has been fine. However, I am concerned that, despite never having taken out any business with Santander, all my financial affairs are rapidly being swallowed by the Spanish giant. If they take over Egg, this will mean all my current, business and savings accounts are with them and I suppose only £50000 will be safe if they over-extend themselves and go to the wall. Needless to say, I am researching alternatives from the diminishing pool available to low-income pensioners like me.

Unless you actually NEED to enter the premises of your bank branch it is perfectly possible to remaim with RBS if you are a satisfied customer to date.

Simply tell your "Relationship Manager" you are opting out of the Santander takeover and require assistance is transferring to a branch woth a Scottish sortcode.

My family have already taken this approach as living in rural Devon it is just as long for us to reach Edinburgh by air as it is to take the trin to London!

After 48 years with the RBS Group starting with Williams Deacons Bank I have no wish to sever a much valued connection with my bank. On any occasion when something wrong occurs - always mild such as a late arriving statement - I gently remind the person I am talking to that I first opened my account before they were born!

It works a treat and I shall certanly retain my RBS accounts by making the switch north oof the border.