First Direct (styled first direct) is a telephone and internet based direct retail bank, which is a division of HSBC UK Bank plc based in the United Kingdom. First Direct has headquarters in Leeds, England, and has 1.9 million customers.[1] It was awarded Most Trusted Financial Provider by Moneywise in 2019, and was ranked top in the February 2020 Competition and Markets Authority bi-annual survey for overall service quality.[2]
History
First Direct was formed on 1 October 1989 by Midland Bank, one of the 'big four' banks in the United Kingdom. It became a part of HSBC in June 1992, when HSBC acquired Midland Bank. First Direct took its first call on 12:01am on 1 October 1989; more than 1,000 calls were taken within the first twenty four hours.
The launch of First Direct in 1989 was advertised twofold. Firstly, there was an advert for Audi which was interrupted by a broadcast purportedly back in time from 2010, celebrating the 21st anniversary of the company (the interruption was agreed with Audi beforehand).