Legal information

Terms and Conditions of Use of The Royal Bank of Scotland plc's Internet Web Site

We are a member of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (the Group). For information about our Group of companies please visit www.rbs.com and click on 'About Us', or for similar enquiries please telephone 0131 556 8555 or Textphone 0845 900 5960
This website is owned and maintained by The Royal Bank of Scotland plc ("RBS"). The use of this website is subject to the following terms and conditions which you should read carefully. By using this website you agree to be legally bound by these terms and conditions. If you do not accept these terms and conditions, please do not use this website.
RBS, the DAISY symbol, The Royal Bank of Scotland and MAKE IT HAPPEN are trade marks of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc.

Use of website

1 The information provided on this website or in any communication containing a link to this site is for personal use and informational purposes only and is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction in any country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject any member of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group ("the RBS Group") to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Where any opinions are expressed on this website, they are provided by the RBS Group for personal use and for informational purposes only.
2 Unless otherwise stated on the product pages, the services and products on this website are intended for use by residents of the UK only, and are not aimed at or intended for use by residents of any other jurisdiction.
3 Where any information on this website constitutes a financial promotion it is issued and approved for distribution and use in the UK only.
4 This website is designed to be accessed through its principal home pages and such other pages as we may decide. If you access the site through individual pages directly, which are not designed for this purpose, you may not see important information which is relevant to information on this website. You will be referred on certain site pages to read "Legal information". This Important Information will contain important details and relevant legal or regulatory information and should be read in conjunction with the relevant site pages.

Exclusion of liability

5 These 'Exclusion of Liability' provisions should be read carefully as they exclude or limit our legal liability in connection with your use of this website. Nothing in these terms and conditions and in particular within the 'Exclusion of Liability' clauses shall attempt to exclude liability that is not permissible under applicable law, including without limitation, for death or personal injury, or for fraudulent misrepresentation.
6 Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude or limit or restrict our duties and liabilities to you under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, or any conduct of business rules which we are bound to comply with.
7 While we have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the content of the website, we exclude any warranties, undertakings or representations (either express or implied) to the full extent permitted under applicable law, that the website or (including without limitation) all or any part of the content or materials, accuracy, availability or completeness of the content of the website or any part of the content or materials are appropriate or available for use either in the United Kingdom or in other jurisdictions. If you use this website from other jurisdictions, you are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws.
8 We accept no liability (including without limitation) in either contract, tort, negligence, statutory duty or otherwise (to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law) arising out of the use of or access to this website (which includes without limitation) any errors or omissions contained in this website or if the website is unavailable and we shall not be liable for any direct or indirect:

• economic losses (including without limitation loss of revenues, data, profits, contracts, use, opportunity, business or anticipated savings);
• loss of goodwill or reputation;
• special, incidental, consequential loss or damage, suffered or incurred arising out of or in connection with your use of this website and these terms and conditions.

9 Access to and use of this website is at the user's own risk and we do not warrant that the use of this website or any material downloaded from it will not cause damage to any property, or otherwise minimise or eliminate the inherent risks of the internet including but not limited to loss of data, computer virus infection, spyware, malicious software, trojans and worms. Also, we accept no liability in respect of losses or damages arising out of changes made to the content of this website by unauthorised third parties.
10 To provide increased value to users of this website, we may provide links to other websites or resources (that are not part of the RBS Group) for you to access at your sole discretion. You acknowledge and agree that, as you have chosen to enter the linked website we are not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and do not review or endorse and shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for (i) the privacy practices of such websites, (ii) the content of such websites, including (without limitation) any advertising, content, products, goods or other materials or services on or available from such websites or resources or (iii) the use that others make of these websites or resources, nor for any damage, loss or offence caused or alleged to be caused by, or in connection with, the use of or reliance on any such advertising, content, products, goods or other materials or services available on such external websites or resources.
11 The above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you to the extent that applicable law may not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages.

Personal Data

12 We may use and share your information with other members of the Group to help us and them

• assess financial and insurance risks;
• recover debt;
• develop customer relationships, services and systems;
• prevent and detect crime;

Your information includes information about your transactions.
We do not disclose your information to anyone outside the Group except:

• where we have your permission; or
• where we are required or permitted to do so by law; or
• to other companies who provide a service to us or you where we may transfer rights and obligations under this agreement.

From time to time we may change the way we use your information. Where we believe you may not reasonably expect such a change we shall write to you. If you do not object to the change within 60 days, you consent to that change.
If you would like a copy of the information we hold about you, please write to: The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2YB. A fee may be payable.

Copyright

13 © The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc. All rights, save as expressly granted, are reserved. Reproduction in any form of any part of the contents of this website without our prior written consent is prohibited unless for personal use only.

Trade marks

14 This website contains numerous trade marks belonging to The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc and other companies in the RBS Group. These trade marks include, but are not limited to, The Royal Bank of Scotland logo, The Royal Bank of Scotland, RBS, Royline, Highline, Cashline, Zenix and Zenix logo. If you are in doubt as to whether an item is a trade mark of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc or a member of the RBS Group, please contact us for clarification at the registered office address below.

Advice

15 The contents of this website do not purport to provide any financial, investment or professional advice and nothing on the pages of this website shall be deemed to constitute the offer or provision of financial, investment or other professional advice in any way. In particular, you should obtain advice from a qualified expert before making any investment decision.

Regulatory Information

16 RBS is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The Bank is entered in the FSA's Register and its Register number is 121882. The FSA's Register can be accessed at www.fsa.gov.uk/register/. The Bank's registered VAT number is GB 243852752.
17 Persons dealing with any member of the RBS Group outside the UK are not covered by the rules and regulations applicable for the protection of investors in the UK.

Changes to website

18 The contents of this website, including these terms and conditions of use, are subject to change by us without notification and the RBS Group shall not be obliged to remove any outdated information from the website or to expressly mark it as being outdated.

Telephone Calls

19 Calls may be recorded.

Internet communications

20 In order to maintain the security of its systems, protect its staff and detect fraud and other crimes, the RBS Group reserves the right to monitor all internet communications, including web and email traffic, into and out of its domains. Monitoring includes checks for, but not limited to; viruses and other malignant code, criminal activity, and use or content which is unauthorised as being in breach of the Group Dignity at Work and Information Security policies.

Australian Residents

21 Persons accessing this website from Australia should note that their access to, and use of, the information, services and products on this website may be prohibited under the Australian Corporations Act 2001 or under RBS' Australian Financial Services Licence. Nothing contained in this website should be construed as an authorisation to access or use the information, services or products on this website in Australia where such prohibitions apply.
Other Important Information
22 The information, and any opinion contained in this website does not constitute a public offer under any applicable legislation or an offer to sell or solicitation or an offer to buy any securities or financial instruments or any advice or recommendation with respect to such securities or other financial instruments.
23 This website contains certain "forward looking statements" as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements that include the words "expect", "estimate", "project", "anticipate", "should", "intend", "plan", "probability"", "risk", "Value-at-Risk ("VAR")", "target", "goal", "objective", "will", "endeavour", "outlook", "optimistic", "prospects" and similar expressions or variations on such expressions.
24 Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the forward-looking statements contained in this website include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions in the UK and in other countries in which the RBS Group has significant business activities or investments, including in the United States; the monetary and interest rate policies of the Bank of England, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and other G-7 central banks; unanticipated turbulence in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices or equity prices; changes in UK or foreign laws, regulations or taxes; changes in competition or pricing environments; natural and other disasters; the inability to hedge certain risks economically; the adequacy of loss reserves; acquisitions or restructurings; technology changes; changes in consumer spending and saving habits; and the success of the RBS Group in managing the risks involved in the foregoing. The risks and uncertainties are discussed in the RBS Group's SEC filings. The forward-looking statements contained in this website speak only as of the date of the related document, and the RBS Group does not undertake to update any forward looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
25 The information contained in this website is subject to, and must be read in conjunction with, all other publicly available information, including, where relevant any fuller disclosure document published by RBS. Any person at any time acquiring the securities must do so only on the basis of such person's own judgement as to the merits of the suitability of the securities for its purposes and only on such information as is contained such in public information having taken all such professional or other advice as it considers necessary or appropriate in the circumstances and not in reliance on the information contained herein. The information is not tailored for any particular investor and does not constitute individual investment advice.
26 Information in this website relating to the price at which investments have been bought or sold in the past or the yield on investments cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.
27 The financial information published or to be published on this website, or made available or to be made available through this website, such as annual reports and quarterly reports, is compiled and placed on this website with the greatest of care. Nevertheless, only the original hard-copy English versions of this information shall be regarded as the original version. No rights may be derived from financial information published or to be published on this website, or available or to be made available through this website, including with regard to its accuracy and completeness.
28 In addition, it should be noted that the annual report and accounts of the RBS Group which are published on this website or made available through this website, may be subject to adoption by the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of the RBS Group for the year to which the report and accounts relate.
Additional Information for United Kingdom Users
Regulatory Information
29 RBS subscribes to the Banking Code and Business Banking Code. If you would like a Banking Code or Business Banking Code leaflet ask a member of staff at any branch. Full details of the Code are also available from the British Bankers' Association website.
30 If you are not satisfied with any of RBS' products or services we have a complaint handling procedure that you can use to resolve such matters.
The Bank is a member of The Financial Ombudsman Service. If you are still not satisfied after following the Bank's procedures, you can ask the Ombudsman to review the complaint.
You can find out more about The Financial Ombudsman Service in a leaflet available from any branch or by telephoning the Bank. Alternatively you can write to: Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR or telephone 0845 080 1800.
General Information
Enforceability
31 In the event any provision of these terms and conditions of use and access of this website is held unenforceable, it will not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions and will be replaced by an enforceable provision that comes the closest to the intention underlying the unenforceable provision.

Governing Law

32 The terms and conditions of use of this website are governed by the laws of Scotland and any dispute regarding this website shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Scottish courts.

Registered details

33 The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Registered in Scotland No 90312. Registered Office: 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YB.

Notice to Customers

34 To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, all financial institutions are required by law to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each individual or entity that opens an account.

Inter-Bank Agency Agreements

This section contains information for other banks that either have or may wish to consider setting up an Inter Bank Agency Agreement with us.
35 Inter-Bank Agency Agreements are bi-lateral arrangements between banks. They principally provide a service offering of certain branch counter services to another bank's customers by prior arrangement. They facilitate an essential service that enables businesses to access banking facilities where they might otherwise find this difficult - for example due to location or size of their own bank's branches. The nature and range of the counter services offered is at the discretion of the providing bank. The banks charge each other on a reciprocal basis after the other bank's customer uses the agreed counter service.
The Counter Service transactions that are covered are as follows:

• Cash Transactions
• Cheques Paid In
• Bank Giro Credits
• Wages/Salary Cheques cashed
• Night Safes
• Special Presentations (Cheques)
• Returned Cheques Collected

Whilst we wish to be as co-operative as possible when we receive a request from another bank for the provision of these facilities to their customers, there may be situations where we are unable to provide these facilities, even though we may have a branch situated locally (e.g. the anticipated volumes of activity exceed the capacity of the particular branch).
Outline of the process for setting up a new Inter-Bank Agency Agreement (IBAA) (i.e. where no formal arrangement already exists between RBS and the account-holding bank).

• An application to set up a new IBAA must be made by the account-holding bank.
• The other bank's customers should approach their own bank/ branch indicating that they wish to use the counter facilities at a specific branch or branches of RBS.
• The account-holding bank should then apply, in writing, to RBS at UK Corporate Banking, Domestic Banking Services, 4th Floor, Waterhouse Square, 138-142 Holborn, London EC1N 2TH, outlining the requirements of the customer, including the branch(es) concerned and the pattern and volume of activity the customer is likely to transact.
• The application usually takes a few weeks to process. The processing time will be reduced if all the requisite documentation and information relating to the customer, is submitted with the application.

Outline of the process to be followed where a formal arrangement already exists between RBS and the account holding bank.

• Where a non-RBS customer wishes to use the counter facilities at a specific branch or branches of RBS and the account-holding bank already has a formal Agency Agreement with RBS in place, the account-holding bank should write directly to the RBS branch(es) concerned, requesting these facilities and outlining the requirements of the customer.

Clearance of funds under an IBAA

• For IBAAs, value (via the credit clearing system) will usually be provided to the account-holding bank on working day 3, for both cash and cheques.
• Where there is no mechanism in place to confirm whether a cheque has been paid or not, unpaid cheques will normally be in a collecting banker's hands on working day 4. Under an IBAA, when the original credit has been forwarded to another bank, the advice to that bank (the account holding bank) will not be received by them until at least working day 5.
• At each step, the process may be shortened if information is provided by telephone
• When RBS acts as a "collecting banker" for credits paid into accounts with other banks, it does so "with recourse" in the event that the underlying cheques may be returned unpaid
• It is up to the account-holding bank to determine at which stage it will provide "cleared" funds to its customer. If the underlying transaction is cash paid in at the collecting bank, the account-holding bank should normally provide cleared value on working day 3. However, for cheques, although RBS applies a cleared value on working day 3, it cannot be certain at that time that the cheque will definitely be paid. The earliest occasion on which RBS would be aware of non-payment will be around 4 working days after deposit, although in some circumstances this period could be longer. For this reason, RBS recommends the account holding bank to require its customers to wait until at least working day 5, before allowing them to withdraw funds.

NB. Day 1 = The day that a cheque is paid in at branch and processed (assuming that the cheque is not held over to the next working day, which will happen if it's paid in after the 'cut off' time. The cut off time for most RBS branches is 3:30pm, Monday to Friday, however please note that there can be local variations).