Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd

As a Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd customer, you don’t need to worry, as your money is safe.

On 21 May 2024 Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd was placed into Administration and has now stopped trading. James Sleight and Peter Hart of PKF Littlejohn Advisory Limited (“PKF Littlejohn Advisory”) are the appointed Joint Administrators.

The Joint Administrators will contact you by post with documents about the Administration for your information only, as you do not need to do anything.

Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd was declared in default on 21 May 2024 which means the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can step in and return money to members.

FSCS is a free service that protects the customers of authorised financial services firms, such as Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd. This means FSCS protects any savings you have with this credit union up to £85,000 per person.

You don’t need to do anything. FSCS will automatically pay you back your savings using the account information it receives from Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd. FSCS will contact you by post.

In most cases, FSCS aims to make payment within seven days from 21 May 2024, the date Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd was placed into Administration.

Most customers will receive a cheque.

Where it has been agreed suitable, a small number of customers will instead receive a letter to get cash over the counter at the Post Office. To receive payment, take this letter to any Post Office counter, with personal identification, as outlined in the letter.

In both events, FSCS will contact you by post in an unmarked envelope.

FSCS will receive information from Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd that will detail your individual balance. The amount you receive will be the balance on your account on 20 May 2024.

Please contact the Administrators’ team directly on 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com. 

If you disagree with the amount paid by FSCS, please call the Administrators’ team first on 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com and they will look into your query. 

Do not return your payment to FSCS unless you are specifically asked to do so.

You will need to open a bank account with another provider (e.g. a bank, a credit union, or building society) urgently so that you can bank the cheque as soon as possible.

If you need help opening a basic bank account, your local Citizens Advice Bureau should be able to help you. Alternatively, please visit your local high street bank or building society. Below are the details of a Citizens Advice Bureau that is near the Credit Union.

The nearest Citizens Advice to the Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd’s main office is Dudley and Wolverhampton and its details are as follows:

Address: Dudley House, 9-11 Stone Street, WOLVERHAMPTON, West Midlands, DY1 1NP

Email: emailadvicecadudleyandwolverhampton@dudleycabx.org

Website: https://www.citizensadvicedudley.org/ 

A full list of Citizens Advice offices in the local area including postal contact addresses, email contact addresses and telephone numbers is attached to this Q&A’s.

Some local Citizens Advice can only give you advice if you live in their local council area. It's usually best to contact a Citizens Advice based in your local council area.

Opening hours

You can find a record of how to contact Citizens Advice Dudley and Wolverhampton via the Citizens Advice website.

Please note the Dudley and Wolverhampton office is not currently open for attendance without a pre booked face to face appointment.

Telephone services:

You can contact the Citizens Advice Dudley and Wolverhampton Advice Line by telephone on 08082787919. The Advice Line is open during the following times:

• Monday – 9.30am to 3.30pm
• Tuesday - 9.30am to 3.30pm
• Thursday - 9.30am to 3.30pm

Further information on basic bank accounts can be found on the internet, one such example can be found on the MoneyHelper website.

Some people may need the money and do not have another bank account that they can pay a cheque into. The “cash over the counter” option is very flexible and gives people access to their money much more quickly than a cheque for a small balance.

No. FSCS will pay you your compensation by sending you a cheque in an unmarked envelope or by sending you a letter to get cash over the counter.

Yes, your funds are safe and are not affected by the closure of the credit union.

If you hold a prepaid money card with Engage, any funds loaded onto it can continue to be used as normal.

For any questions about your prepaid Engage card, please contact them directly. Their contact details can be found on their website as follows:

Website: www.engageaccount.com
Email:  info@engageaccount.com

Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd savings accounts will be closed. If your salary or benefits are paid into your savings account, you will need to open a new bank account as soon as possible.

You should contact your employer, pension provider or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to tell them to pay your salary or benefits into your new account.

If you are in receipt of any of the following benefits:

• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income Support
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit
• Personal Independence Payment
• Disability Living Allowance
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Pension Credit
• State Pension
• Child Tax Credits
• Working Tax Credits and
• Child Benefit

Some useful contact details are as follows:

• You can contact your local JobCentre Plus, or telephone the DWP on the following Freephone numbers:
  • Employment Support Allowance (ESA) – 0800 169 0310
  • Income Support (IS) – 0800 169 0310
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) – 0800 169 0310
  • Universal Credit – you can contact Universal Credit by calling the Universal Credit Helpline on: 0800 328 5644 or through your online account. Further information can be found on the .gov website.
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – 0800 121 4433
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – 0800 121 4600

All customers will need to provide details of an alternative bank or building society to enable future DWP payments to be made.

To have your benefit payments paid into an alternative bank, building society or local credit union account you will need to contact the following agencies with your new bank details:         

• Housing Benefit – Details of the Local Council: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Website: https://www.dudley.gov.uk/residents/

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council has said on its website that the quickest and easiest way to get in touch with them is online via its website. 

Information relating to Housing Benefit can be found here on the council’s website.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council’s website also says you can contact the benefits team via telephone: 0300 555 8100. This line is open 8:30am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

You can also visit the council in person at their office: Dudley Council Plus, 259 Castle Street, Dudley, DY1 1LQ. Their office is open to the public between 10am – 3pm Monday to Friday. 

• Working Tax/Child Tax Credits - This is an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) administered benefit. To change your bank account details, you will need to contact HMRC on 0345 300 3900
• Child Benefit - This is also HMRC administered. You can change your bank account details online using the HMRC webpages at gov.uk or telephone 0300 200 3100. Alternatively, you can write to HMRC at: HM Revenue & Customs - Child Benefit Office, PO Box 1, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE88 1AA.

If you need help contacting these agencies, your local Citizens Advice Bureau should be able to help you. Contact them using the details provided in question 9 above.

In the circumstances, it is absolutely crucial that you make arrangements with your employer, pension provider or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to tell them to pay your salary or benefits into your alternative account. Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd bank accounts will be closed very soon by the banks and any monies will be automatically returned / bounced back to the party trying to make the payment.

For junior members, regardless of the amount FSCS will issue a payment by cheque. FSCS will send a cheque payment in the name of the account holder for the money in their account at 20 May 2024.

If the account is operated by an adult on behalf of the child, the cheque will be sent to the account operator’s address, if that has been registered with the credit union, but the payment will be in the child’s name. A new account in that name will need to be opened with an alternative provider. We cannot make the payments to parents or guardians.

If this payment is just for savings, you should cancel it as no further money will be added to your savings account. You will need to arrange for these payments to be paid into a new or different account and should cancel any existing payments to your Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd savings account.

You can cancel the standing order at any branch of your bank or building society, over the phone or via secure online banking. However, you will need to give your bank/building society a couple of days’ notice before the payment is due to come out of your account. If your standing order is also for loan repayments, do not cancel it and please see the question below.

Do not cancel any repayments as your loan agreement remains in place and you must make your repayments as originally contracted.

Future loan repayments will be managed by the Joint Administrators James Sleight and Peter Hart of PKF Littlejohn Advisory who will contact you by post about this and provide you with the Administration bank account details as soon as they can.

If you made payments covering both loans and savings the Joint Administrators’ team will be able to advise you of the new amount you need to pay each month for your loan so that you do not fall into arrears.

For further information about your loan, please call the Joint Administrators’ team on 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com and they will look into your query.

Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd is no longer accepting loan repayments through a service point (a service point is another point, or location, from where a credit union may have offered its services).

Please contact the Joint Administrators’ team on 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com to discuss arrangements for the repayment of your loan another way.

If you wish to open a new credit union account you can do so with another credit union. You can get information about credit unions from the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (“ABCUL”) website  or the ACE Credit Union Services website.

In Scotland, you can get information about credit unions by checking the website of the Scottish League of Credit Unions members.

FSCS will receive information from Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd which will show the individual balances of all accounts held by its members as at 20 May 2024.

Any amounts paid into your account on or after the Administration date will not be added to your savings balance and will be dealt with by the Joint Administrators, who you can contact by phone on 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail at cccu@pkf-l.com.

SCS will send payment to the address that Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd holds on its database. 

If you did not let Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd know of your change of address before it was placed into Administration, or you notified Castle & Crystal Credit Union Ltd of this change but did not receive confirmation that its records had been updated before it was placed into Administration, FSCS will need to see evidence of your change of address before any compensation payment can be made.

Please contact the Joint Administrators’ team in the first instance by calling 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com and supply the team with evidence of the change of address. Once confirmed, they will instruct FSCS to make payment via the new postal address.

Documents that can be used as evidence include a council tax bill, a utility bill (not a mobile phone bill) or benefits entitlement letter, so long as they are less than three months old.

If you have already received your cash over the counter, or banked the cheque, you do not need to take any further action. If you have not received your payment or can’t bank the cheque, we will need to see evidence of your name change before we can return your money.

Please contact the Joint Administrators’ team on 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com with evidence of the change of name and once confirmed they will tell FSCS to make payment in the new name.

Documents that can be used as evidence include an original or certified copy a marriage certificate or a deed poll. Additionally, you will need to provide a council tax bill, or a utility bill (not a mobile phone bill) or benefits entitlement letter with your new name, dated less than three months ago.

If the estate has already received cash over the counter, or banked the cheque, you do not need to take any further action. If the estate has not received the payment, you will need to send FSCS the original Death Certificate, Grant of Probate and a copy of the will or letter of administration.  These documents are required before FSCS can make a payment.

However, should you wish to contact FSCS regarding any issues that you may have, please call freephone 0800 678 1100 or 020 7741 4100. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm excluding public holidays.

Alternatively, you can send these documents to the Joint Administrators by email to cccu@pkf-l.com or by post to PKF Littlejohn Advisory Limited, 3^rd Floor, One Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5HN. The Joint Administrators will then contact FSCS so that we can pay compensation.

In the first instance, you should call the Joint Administrators’ team on 01384 660120 or 01384 815771, or alternatively call 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com.

If you have a query about compensation from FSCS, further information is on its website at www.fscs.org.uk; or call freephone 0800 678 1100 or 020 7741 4100. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm excluding public holidays.

The Joint Administrators are Data Controllers and a privacy notice statement as required by the General Data Protection Regulation is available at: www.pkf-l.com/about-us/our-policies/data-protection-privacy-notice/

Should you wish to be supplied with a hard copy, free of charge, please contact the Joint Administrators’ team on 0113 244 5141 or e-mail cccu@pkf-l.com.

If you were a member of Castle and Crystal Credit Union Ltd, it is possible that the Joint Administrator, James Sleight of PKF Littlejohn Advisory or members of his team, the FSCS, or the credit union will contact you.

Should this happen, these parties will follow appropriate security protocols to provide assurance that the call is genuine. Should you have any concerns about the legitimacy of the call, please end the call and contact the relevant party directly using the contact details above.