FNB is ***********.

FNB is *********** and inconvenienced me as a result! I was somehow flagged as a client that required to comply with the Foreign Tax directives FNB set out. I received an e-mail instructing me to submit my personal details by replying to it. I had never received any correspondence from this email adress before and I thought it was a phishing attempt. I decided to go to a branch and ascertain what this was about. As it turns out, I had to fill out a form (which I did at the Mall of the South branch) and this form was stored in "the system". I later received correspondence that FNB required "further" information with regards to Foreign Tax compliance. I then decided to go back to the branch and find out what that could be about. I was requested to call the number provided in the correspondance (this means that the ****arney branch was unable to help me). I called the number and the lady on the other end (who sounded aggravated) told me I had not filled out my city of birth on the form and had to resubmit the form. In the meantime, I was issued with a threat of freezing my account and eventually it was frozen. In protest I closed my cheque account. I then went to a branch for the third time and this time I made sure that the place of birth was filled in with the correct info. I arrived at the Mall of Africa branch on a Saturday afternoon close to closing time. At first, the lady who was helping me thought I was a foreign national and requested my passport but I told I was a South African citizen. She also confirmed that she was able to access the form I had filled out on a prior occasion at a different branch. I left as they were closing and the lady who was helping me assured me she would submit the form on Monday morning when she started work and that the hold on my account should be lifted sometime during the week. A week passed and the status of my account remained the same. I went to a branch for the fourth time and the lady who was helping me at the Greenstone branch could not find any evidence of a second form being submitted. So I filled in the form for a third time. The hold on my account has been lifted. This is the first institution in recent times that I encountered where information is not stored in a central place. I went to "the branch" several times and the staff at the branch, although friendly and willing to help, displayed that they were not adequately informed about the requirements of the Foreign Tax department. This smells like incompetence (the institution is ***********, this is not aimed at an individual within FNB) to me. Had I know, what I would endure, I would have closed all of my accounts with FNB before being inconvenienced. I still have 3 account with FNB (credit card, vehicle finance and a transactional account). I dont look forward to any other inconvenience from this institution and the 3 other banks I do business with seem to be on top of their game.