Our aim is to make it easy for you to bank with us, so we’ve provided some further information and useful tips to help you below.
There are two ways you can pay cash into your account, these are:
You can withdraw cash from your account by setting up an encashment facility at your local NatWest (England and Wales), RBS (Scotland) or Ulster Bank (Northern Ireland) branch.
Please allow five working days for initial set up.
All deposit cheques should be sent in an envelope along with a pre-printed paying in slip to our one-line FREEPOST address:
Freepost UNITY TRUST BANK 1984
Please note that UNITY TRUST BANK must be in capitals as shown, and the address must be on one line. Cheques are sent directly to our clearing centre to prevent any delay in getting the funds into your account.
You can also pay in cheques at your local NatWest (England and Wales), RBS (Scotland) or Ulster Bank (Northern Ireland) branch with a paying in slip.
Your Unity internet banking service allows the designated administrator(s) to set maximum daily payment limits and individual transaction limits on all external payments. The payment limits can be set at a user or business level using the menu option specific to them.
Personalised limits below these amounts can be also be set as follows:
Many of our customers require complex authorisation levels when currently paying by cheque. This may include specifying the number of users required to make a payment according to the value of the transaction being submitted and, naming the users that need to be involved in payments according to the value of the transaction.
These authorisation requirements can be mirrored on payments made using Internet Banking.
This allows you to request that all payments over a certain value have a specified number of users involved in that transaction. This can be up to any three users.
This allows you to state the name of the users that you require to be involved in payments over a certain value. This can be up to two users.
You can register for Internet Banking using the Account Management Form
This means cheques will be processed more quickly – the Image Clearing System speeds up the time it takes to clear a cheque, meaning funds are available faster.
If a cheque in Sterling is processed using Image Clearing it will clear as follows:
| Day 0 | You pay the cheque into your account. |
| Day 1 | You’ll start earning credit interest (if payable) on the amount of the cheque.
The money is available for you to use. Should the bank or building society subsequently receive an instruction not to pay the cheque, we will tell you when this has happened. |
| If a Sterling cheque is paid into your account after 3.30pm on a business day or on a non-business day, the “Image Clearing” process will begin 2 working days after paying in. | |
| Payments into your Account |
| Type of Payment | Availability of Funds |
| Posted cheques | Subject to Royal Mail delivery. Funds take 3 working days to clear from receipt. |
| Cheques or cash paid into account over a bank’s counter | Up to four working days after cheque / cash has been paid in |
| We recommend that you retain copies of all cheques paid in, in the event of a query. Unity Trust Bank has no control over the processes within your nominated branch, which may affect these timescales. |
| Post Office Cash Account Card (POCA) – paying-in cash only | If you are a Small Business Customer or Small Charity, and subject to Post Office opening times, funds available up to 2 working days after paid in.
For Large Corporate Business Customers, funds available up to 3 working days after paying in. |
| CHAPS, Faster Payments & International Payments | If received by 3:00pm, funds available to withdraw the same day. If it’s after 3:00pm funds available on the next working day. |
| Automated BACS Payment | Same working day. |
| Foreign cheques | Negotiation cheque – up to 10 working days after paid in.
Collection cheque – up to 8 weeks after paid in. |
| Payments out of your Account |
| Type of Payment | Cut Off Time |
| Cashed Cheques (you withdraw cash at another bank counter using your encashment facility) | If the cheque is cashed before 3:30pm, funds will leave your account the next working day. Two working days after 3:30pm. |
| Unity Trust Bank has no control over the processes within your nominated branch, which may affect these timescales. |
| Issued Cheques | Funds debited 2 working days once paid in. Funds debited next working day if imaged. |
| Bill Payments via letter or internet banking | As above. |
| *CHAPS, Faster Payments & International Payments | Written CHAPS request received by 2.30pm, sent same day. If it’s after 2:30pm sent next working day.
Written Faster Payment request received by 2.30pm sent same day. If it’s after 2.30pm sent next working day. Internet Faster Payment request received by 3pm sent same day. If it’s after 3pm sent next working day. International payments instruction received by 12pm sent same day. If it’s after 12pm sent next working day. *(Timings are subject to checks) |
| Future Dated Payments | Chosen Processing Date subject to CHAPS, Faster Payments & International Payments Timescales above. |
| Standing Orders via Letter or Internet Banking | As above for Faster Payments (Written and Internet). |
| Unity Trust Bank has no control over the processes within the payee’s bank or building society, which may affect these timescales |
| Direct Debits | No cut off. Payment debited as agreed with DD originator. |
| Unity e-Payment | If sent before 4.30pm funds available to beneficiary 2 working days. After 4.30pm funds available to beneficiary 3 working days. |
| Internal Transfer via Phone, letter or internet | 5pm on day of receipt. |
If you wish to make changes such as adding or removing a signatory, setting up or changing your Internet Banking access and amending the details on your account, you can do this by simply completing the Account Management form. This can be found here.
Opening additional accounts
We understand that you may need to open additional accounts. If all the details and signatories are the same, please complete a new account application form. If details and signatories are not the same, please contact us directly on 0345 145 1000 to progress with your application.
Switching your account
To use the Current Account Switch Service and move your bank account to Unity Trust Bank, complete a Current Account Switch Agreement*** so we can set up your switch and a Current Account Closure Instruction Form*** to authorise closure of your old account. Email the forms to us@unity.co.uk and we will be in touch to confirm details and discuss a switching date with you.
Closing your Unity account
You may need to close your Unity account. In order to do this you will need to fill in an account closure form, which can be found at www.unity.co.uk/form/account-consolidation-closure-form/
If you wish to produce your own, personalised stationery (paying-in books, cheque books etc.), we recommend that you ask your agency/printer which format they would prefer to use and then download the appropriate file from this dedicated page.
The Current Account Switch Service makes switching from one bank or building society to another simple and stress-free.
To find out more, download the Current Account Switch Guarantee and Switching Guide.
