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Review of the Arbuthnot Latham, Current Account:

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Arbuthnot Latham: An 18-Year Client Review

# Arbuthnot Latham: An 18-Year Client Review I was a personal and corporate client of Arbuthnot Latham for 18 years. The relationship ended in November 2025, prompting me to ask: what value had this private-banking relationship actually added? In September 2025 our company withdrew £20,000 in cash to pay hotel and staff tips at a major annual event for an ultra-high-net-worth client. Arbuthnot had accommodated the same requirement for at least a decade. The following month I asked to pay around £8,000 in personal cash, proceeds from a car sale, into my account. Shortly afterwards I received a standard email attaching notices to close both accounts because they now fell “outside of our risk appetite”. I do not know whether either cash transaction influenced the decision because the bank did not tell me. I accept that banks may be constrained in what they disclose. What surprised me was the handling. After 18 years there was no personal call, meeting or meaningful explanation. When I asked my private banker what had changed, I essentially received the same standard communication again. That jarred with Arbuthnot’s marketing: “What sets us apart is the importance we place on building real relationships with you.” The ending did not resemble that promise. It also made me reassess the previous 18 years. At the start I had one private banker who genuinely added value. Thereafter came a succession who, in my view, added remarkably little. I cannot recall a single serious annual review of my wealth, circumstances, business interests or priorities. There was little proactive effort to understand how Arbuthnot might help me or deepen the relationship. In 2025 I gave Arbuthnot the opportunity to manage around €900,000. It took roughly three weeks to produce a proposal. Another adviser I met the same day identified, in our first meeting, a time-sensitive recommendation offering a significant tax benefit if acted upon within five days. Unsurprisingly, they got the business. On another occasion I deposited US$100,000 almost on a whim. Nobody called to ask whether I had other funds or whether the bank could help further. The money arrived and apparently that was that. Foreign exchange was similarly cumbersome. I would call the admin team, who would call the FX department, which sourced a rate through NatWest. I was told the rate could not necessarily be guaranteed, so the rate charged might differ from the one discussed. Other providers let me transact online or agree a rate directly by phone and honour it. Arbuthnot’s process sometimes brought quills and carrier pigeons to mind. During the closure I asked for a breakdown of fees and charges paid over 18 years. I was told this would take around three weeks. In a digital age, that struck me as extraordinary. It is important to be fair. Arbuthnot’s administrative team were consistently excellent: helpful, personable and professional. Ironically, some of the best personal service came from the people handling day-to-day administration rather than the private-banking relationship itself. Ultimately, I am grateful Arbuthnot closed the accounts because it forced me to look elsewhere. The difference in responsiveness, technology, commercial curiosity and relationship management has been substantial. Arbuthnot’s service reminds me of the floors in its new Finsbury Circus offices: made to look like marble, but actually painted MDF. In my experience, the appearance and promise were more impressive than what sat underneath. Most disappointing was the ending. After an 18-year relationship, an impersonal standard email and no meaningful human conversation felt at odds with a bank that puts “real relationships” at the heart of its marketing. If you are considering Arbuthnot Latham, look beyond the heritage, offices and awards and ask: what, in practical terms, will this bank add to my financial life that a more modern private bank will not? Reviewed on: 29th August 2026

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