Community Group Account

An online basic deposit account. Fee-free with no red tape, hoops, hurdles, or long waiting times.

Two men sitting on a park bench, smiling and talking, in a residential neighborhood with row houses and a grassy area.

When your group needs an account number and sort code with no bank fees ever.

As part of our Foundation, we support a fee-free deposit account for any local group, organisation or charity based within central southern England including, Hampshire & IOW, Guildford, Newbury, Woking and Bournemouth.

Easy Opening. No lengthy forms, formal meetings or onerous documents.

Privacy. No credit checks to open your account and no account credit monitoring.

No Fees Ever. No fees for administration, transactions, bank statements or payments.

Account features

Online banking - Yes

Minimum deposit - £1

Maximum deposit - £45,000

Access - Instant access

Bank transfers - Same day

Ethical - Yes

You’re money is guaranteed & 100% safe with us. We’re regulated by the Bank of England and part of the Financial Services Compensations Scheme protecting your money up to £85,000.

What makes our Community Group account so special?

Investing with a not-for-profit community bank means not only are you making a difference as a community group, but you are helping us make a difference too.

Without our members and their deposits, we wouldn’t be here to do the things we do:

Support financial inclusion

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Encourage life-long savings habits

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Support financial education

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Support grass-roots community groups

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Provide support and grants to local groups and community projects

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Offer affordable loans to everyone without discrimination

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Support economic development in local communities

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As a community group, you’ll expect your bank to invest your money in the most socially impactful way.

As an ethical bank, we feel the same way

That’s why all our members’ deposits are not only 100% safe but must meet our high ethical standards and have a meaningful positive impact on our community.

  • No. It is a deposit account but you can still receive payments in and make payments out.

    You can make payments like, bills, equipment and suppliers etc. However, it dosen’t come with a debit card or other business account features

  • It is a ‘always’ fee free account. Make as many payments in or out of your account as you like. There are never any charges on this account.

  • Big banks don’t appear to be interested in micro or volunteer groups. Especially those who use the account infrequently or have small irregular deposits. But, these groups need an account number and sort code to receive grants and donations. That’s where we come in.

  • Once set up, pay money in with your new sort code and account number.

    For payments out, it’s twice a day (weekdays) 10:30AM and 16:30 PM. You can set up regular payments, pay bills, suppliers or buy equipment.

  • While someone can make a donation by stripe or another payment suite, it might not always go straight into your account as some payment providers have limitations. Payments may end up in our ‘suspense’ account’ Don’t worry, it’s easily found but it is harder to know the identity of who sent the payment.

A man and woman are having a conversation outdoors in a neighborhood, with the man sitting on a bench and the woman standing. The man is wearing a gray T-shirt with the logo of Wessex Community Bank, and the woman is holding papers, wearing a green jacket and jeans, and smiling at the man.

IMPORTANT 

  1. This is a deposit account and not a 'business account'. It may not suit your needs if you are looking for an account which provides a business debit card, overdraft or typical business facilities. 

  2. This account does not facilitate dual signatories.