Bank closed your account with a Cifas marker?
Updated 28 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
In short
When a bank closes an account over suspected fraud, it can also file a Cifas marker, which other banks see when you apply. Banks often give little or no reason. You can still find out what they hold with a free Cifas report and a data request, then complain and take it to the Financial Ombudsman if needed.
What usually happened
A bank that believes an account was used for fraud or financial crime can close it and add a record to the Cifas National Fraud Database. Other members can see it when you apply to them. That is why one closure can turn into refusals everywhere.
Markers often follow money moving through an account in a way the bank found suspicious. For example a payment for something sold online that the buyer later reported as fraud, or money received and passed on for someone else.
Why the bank will not explain
Banks often do not explain closures, and they can hold back some information to protect fraud prevention. That does not stop you. You can still:
- ask for your data with a subject access request,
- ask the bank to review the marker and send a final response,
- go to the Financial Ombudsman, which can ask the bank for evidence it will not show you.
Do this first
- Request your free Cifas report at cifas.org.uk/dsar. See how to check for a marker.
- Send a subject access request to the bank that closed the account, the same day.
- Gather every document about the payments in question while you wait: statements, messages, listings, receipts, proof of postage.
Then challenge it
With your report in hand, send a formal complaint to the bank, then ask Cifas to review it and go to the Ombudsman within 6 months of the final response. Here is the full route, step by step.
Getting a bank account meanwhile
Banks decide applications case by case. Some people with a marker are still refused, even for basic accounts. Challenging the marker is the way to deal with the cause rather than the symptom.
If you knew
If you knowingly let your account be used to move someone else's money, a complaint is unlikely to help and you should get independent legal advice. Citizens Advice is free.
Questions
Can my bank close my account without telling me why?
Banks often give little or no reason, and they can hold back some information to protect fraud prevention. You can still ask for your data and complain.
Will other banks see the marker?
Members of Cifas can see a marker on the National Fraud Database when you apply to them.
What should I do first?
Request your free Cifas report and send a subject access request to the bank on the same day.