HTB

HTB is the savings brand of a UK specialist bank, and it offers personal savings accounts and cash ISAs to people aged 18 or over who live in the United Kingdom¹. Everything is run through an online savings portal rather than a branch network, so opening and managing an account is done entirely online. The bank describes itself as staffed by experts focused on helping UK customers with savings solutions, and it also serves businesses and intermediaries alongside individual savers².

The brand trades as HTB and Hampshire Trust Bank, and the firm's previous registered name was Hampshire Trust Plc³. The company is registered in England and Wales under company number 01311315, and its registered office is at 80 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4BY². Hampshire Trust Bank and HTB are registered trademarks of the firm behind the brand².

For a saver, the practical picture is simple: HTB sells fixed term and easy access savings, plus cash ISAs, to UK residents, manages them online, and protects eligible deposits under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000 for most depositors². This page explains each of those points in turn: what is on offer, how interest is taxed, who qualifies, how to run the account, what happens when a fixed ISA ends, how to stay safe from fraud, and where to go if something goes wrong.

HTB at a glance

HTB is a brand name, not a separate company. The bank behind it is registered in England and Wales under company number 01311315, with its registered office at 80 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4BY². Its permissions include accepting deposits, entering into regulated mortgage contracts as lender, entering into regulated credit agreements as lender, and regulated consumer hire agreements³. For a personal saver, the permission that matters is accepting deposits: that is what makes it a bank in the ordinary sense of the word, able to hold your money under the UK's deposit protection rules.

The brand sits in the UK savings market alongside the high street banks, building societies and National Savings & Investments. What distinguishes a bank like this from a household-name current account provider is the shape of the offer: HTB's business here is savings, run online, rather than day-to-day banking with branches and counter services. Its website is www.htb.co.uk³.

If you are comparing places to save, the wider market offers a broad range of accounts, including ISAs, instant access and fixed term options⁶, and four types of ISA exist across the market: cash ISAs, stocks and shares ISAs, innovative finance ISAs and lifetime ISAs⁷. HTB's own range covers only part of that ground, which the next section sets out.

HTB savings accounts and cash ISAs

HTB's personal savings range falls into the two shapes most savers will recognise: fixed term accounts, where money is locked away for a set period in return for a rate that holds for that term, and easy access accounts, where money can be withdrawn when it is needed. Alongside these it offers cash ISAs, the tax-free wrapper for savings⁴. Within ISAs, HTB offers a cash ISA only: it does not sell stocks and shares ISAs, innovative finance ISAs or lifetime ISAs⁴. If you want one of those other ISA types, you would need a different provider, and the guides on ISAs and savings accounts explain how each wrapper works.

One point worth knowing before you apply concerns transfers from previous ISA years. Some providers accept transfers of old ISA balances under the "APS" rules; HTB states that it does not currently offer APS on its ISAs, but that it will guide customers through the process where it can⁴. If you hold an older ISA you are thinking of moving, it is worth confirming with HTB first that it can accept the transfer, so the tax-free status of the money is not disturbed.

Deposits can be made by bank transfer from your nominated account, and by cheque. If you send a cheque, HTB starts interest on the second working day after it receives it⁴. This page carries no rates, fees or minimum deposit figures for HTB's accounts: those change with the market, and the current figures are on its own site. What stays constant is the structure: a fixed term account runs to its maturity date, and an easy access account stays open until you close it.

How interest is paid and taxed on HTB savings

HTB adds interest to your account without deducting any tax. That does not mean the interest is tax free, except inside an ISA: HTB reports the interest earned on your account to HMRC for the tax year in which it is earned, and any tax due is worked out through the normal income tax rules⁸. Interest earned inside a cash ISA is not taxable and does not use up any of your tax allowances.

Outside an ISA, how you pay the tax depends on how much interest you earn. For most people, the process is automatic: after the end of the tax year, your bank or building society tells HMRC how much interest you earned, and HMRC will usually collect any tax due through your tax code if you are employed or get a pension⁹. You pay tax on any interest over your allowance at your usual rate of Income Tax⁹. If your savings interest is more than £10,000 in a tax year, you need to tell HMRC yourself on a Self Assessment tax return⁹.

In practice, many savers pay no tax at all on their interest because it falls within their allowances, and the personal tax guide explains how the allowances work. The key practical point with HTB is that nothing is deducted at source: the interest lands in your account in full, and the tax position, if there is one, is settled with HMRC separately. If you are close to the £10,000 Self Assessment threshold, or you are unsure whether your interest will stay within your allowances, that is the point at which it is worth checking the rules rather than assuming.

Who can open an HTB account and what you need

HTB sets three conditions for opening a personal savings account. You need to be aged 18 or over, you need to be a resident in the United Kingdom, and when you apply you must give a nominated account, which must be a current account you hold with a UK bank⁴. The nominated account is the account money is sent to when you withdraw, so it needs to be one you control.

You can also open a joint account with another person, which can suit couples or family members saving together⁴. Both holders of a joint account are joint owners of the money, which matters both for tax, since interest is normally split between the holders, and for what happens to the balance if one of them dies.

Because HTB has no branch network, the application is done online and the account is run through its portal, so an email address and access to online banking for your nominated current account are needed. The nominated account must be a current account held with a UK bank¹. People who do not yet have a UK current account can compare the options in the current accounts guide, which includes basic bank accounts for people who struggle to pass a standard credit check. HTB's published conditions set no minimum deposit for opening, but the current minimums for each account are on its site, and they are listed there alongside each product before applying.

Managing your HTB savings online and by phone

HTB savings accounts are managed through its online savings portal. You log in to see your balance, make withdrawals to your nominated account, and give instructions, including maturity instructions on a fixed term ISA, which the next section covers. The portal is also where the account's terms and any messages from the bank appear.

There is no branch counter service, so everything that a high street bank does face to face happens here, by secure message, or by phone. For general queries, the contact details are on HTB's website, www.htb.co.uk³. For complaints, HTB publishes a dedicated email address, complaints@htb.co.uk, and accepts letters at its registered office, 80 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4BY⁵.

A few practical habits make online-only saving safer and easier. Keep your nominated account details up to date, since withdrawals can only go there. Log in directly by typing the address or using a saved bookmark rather than following a link from an email or text, which is the standard protection against fake login pages. And remember that a genuine bank will never phone you asking to move money to a "safe account": that request, in any form, is a scam.

Transferring an ISA to HTB and what happens at maturity

If you have an ISA elsewhere and want to move it to HTB, the golden rule is to transfer it, never to withdraw the money and pay it in fresh. A transfer between ISA providers keeps the money inside its tax-free wrapper; a withdrawal followed by a new deposit uses up part of your annual ISA allowance and, for old balances, can be impossible to restore. For transfers in from another cash ISA or stocks and shares ISA, HTB requires that you initiate the transfer within 14 days of opening your HTB ISA by providing your new account details to the other bank⁴. HTB states that it does not currently offer APS on its ISAs but will guide customers through the process⁴. The ISAs guide explains the transfer process and the rules on timing.

For fixed rate ISAs, the moment that needs your attention is the end of the term. HTB asks you to give maturity instructions, and you can give them, and change them, through the online savings portal up to 2 working days before the maturity date⁸. If you give no instructions, the balance does not disappear and does not stay in the closed account: it moves into HTB's Maturity Easy Access ISA⁸. That keeps the money tax free and accessible, but the rate it earns from that point is the rate of the easy access account, not the fixed rate you signed up for.

The practical lesson is to put the maturity date in your calendar a couple of weeks early. Two working days is a short window, and if it passes, the default happens automatically. There is nothing harmful about the Maturity Easy Access ISA, but a saver who wanted to fix again, or move the money elsewhere, has to act after the event rather than before it.

Security, fraud and Confirmation of Payee at HTB

Online savings accounts are a target for the same scams that target every bank, and the pattern is well established. Criminals often impersonate trusted organisations, such as banks, HMRC and broadband providers, to get your information¹⁰. A typical approach is a call, text or email claiming to be from your bank's fraud team, telling you your account is at risk and asking you to move money or hand over one-time passcodes.

The protection is to know the rules. A real bank will never ask you to move money to a safe account, will never ask for your full password or one-time passcode, and will never pressure you to act in the moment. If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank immediately and report it to the police at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040¹¹. Speed matters: a payment made in the last hours can sometimes be stopped before it clears, so the first call is to the bank you paid from, not the one you paid into.

When you pay money into an HTB account, the payment system's Confirmation of Payee check compares the name on the account with the name you typed. It is there to catch mistyped and spoofed payee details, but it is a name check, not a guarantee that the person is genuine: if a scammer has talked you into paying, the check will pass, because the account name will match. The scams and fraud guide covers the main scam types and where to report them, and the free Take Five advice is to stop, challenge and protect before any payment you were not expecting¹¹.

Extra support for vulnerable customers and bereavement

Banks are expected to give extra help to customers whose circumstances make standard service harder to use, and the industry's approach to vulnerability has been developing quickly. A new Money and Pensions Service toolkit, published in September 2026, aims to strengthen collaboration between creditors and debt advisers to better support customers experiencing vulnerability, mental health challenges or economic abuse¹². Industry guidance for lenders likewise focuses on supporting customers with a mental capacity or other limitations that may affect their decision-making abilities¹³. What this means in practice is that you can tell HTB about a health condition, a bereavement or a difficult period in your life, and ask for adjustments: more time to make decisions, a preferred contact method, or help from a family member with your authority.

If an account holder dies, the first step is to tell HTB directly, with the death certificate. You can also use the Death Notification Service, which has been created to tell a number of banks, building societies and financial institutions about a person's death at the same time; no account is needed to use it, and its helpline is 0333 207 6574, open 08:30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays¹⁴. Using it saves you contacting each institution one by one at a difficult time.

There is a tax side to a death as well as a banking side. HMRC asks the person dealing with the estate to call its Bereavement Helpline, and if you cannot call, to fill in form P1000 to tell HMRC who is dealing with the money, property and possessions of the person who died¹⁵. The life events guide and the debt guide cover the wider practical steps, including debts after death and where to get free advice.

Making a complaint to HTB

If something goes wrong, start by raising it with the team you dealt with: many problems are fixed at first contact. If it is not, make a formal complaint. HTB asks for your name and address, your account or loan number, your contact details including mobile, email or landline, a clear description of the complaint, and details of how you would like it resolved⁵. Complaints go to complaints@htb.co.uk or by post to 80 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4BY⁵.

HTB sets out a timetable for what happens next. If it cannot resolve your complaint quickly, within the first 3 business days of receiving it, it will promptly send a written acknowledgement. It will send an update on progress within 4 weeks of receiving the complaint, and a final response at the very latest within 8 weeks of when the complaint was received. For complaints relating to payment services, it aims to provide its final response within 15 business days from the date the complaint is received⁵.

If you are still unhappy with HTB's response, you may be able to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free to use and can look at the case independently⁵. The ombudsman normally expects you to give the bank the chance to put things right first, so keep the final response letter, since it contains the reference the ombudsman will ask for. One special case: for motor finance commission complaints that the bank considers outside the scope of the redress scheme, HTB will provide its response no later than 5 months from when you complained⁵. The consumer protection guide explains your rights more broadly.

Former Airdrie Savings Bank customers

Some visitors arrive at this page asking about Airdrie Savings Bank, the Scottish savings institution that closed its doors. This page has no verified detail about any arrangement under which HTB holds or administers former Airdrie accounts, so it cannot describe one. What can be confirmed from the official record is that HTB's registered trading names are HTB and Hampshire Trust Bank, and that the firm's previous registered name was Hampshire Trust Plc³; no Airdrie connection forms part of its current registered structure.

If you hold, or believe you hold, a former Airdrie Savings Bank account, the practical step is to contact HTB through its website, www.htb.co.uk³, with whatever documentation you have. If a balance is protected under the FSCS rules described below, the protection follows the deposit, not the brand name on the passbook, and the banks and building societies directory lists other institutions if you are tracing an account.

How your money is protected at HTB

Money you hold with HTB is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK's deposit protection scheme, up to the applicable limit². The FSCS protects most depositors up to £120,000². HTB states that this protection, up to £120,000, applies to the combined total amount of savings you hold with it, across all your accounts with the brand². If you hold more than £120,000 with HTB, the balance above that limit is not covered by the scheme.

The FSCS is the backstop that applies across the UK banking system: it exists so that if a bank fails, depositors do not lose their protected money, and the Bank of England explains the scheme in plain terms¹⁷. The limit applies per person, per bank, so if you hold accounts with HTB and with another bank that shares its protection, the balances would count together. HTB states that it does not share its protection with anyone, so your £120,000 with it is fully protected, and all your eligible deposits with it, across all its accounts, count towards the one limit².

Two boundaries are worth knowing. The protection covers deposits, not investments: if you ever hold stocks and shares elsewhere, they are covered by different rules. And the limit is a ceiling, not a promise of more: balances above it are not protected. If you have more than £120,000 to save, the savings guide explains how spreading money across banks with separate FSCS protection keeps each slice within the limit.