I have never paid a regular tariff of charges with RBS or Handelsbanken. I have always negotiated with my account managers for a better deal. While RBS start with a national plan and perhaps tweak it on a per customer basis I understand Handelsbanken branches are pretty autonomous when it comes to decision making on loans and charges etc. I don’t think they are High Net Worth in the same way as Coutt’s but have a mix of customers predominately Medium Net Worth, perhaps akin to Messrs Drummonds bankers (Drummonds Bank being part of RBS). However I am sure now Handelsbanken Wealth Management is part of their group (following a takeover of Heartwood) there may have been an increase in HNW customers. As a bank their main focus on profit is from effective operation and reducing costs rather than screwing customers for high charges. An example is RBS used to charge me £20 for a SEPA payment but Handelsbanken charge 20p for the same thing.
My initial contact was a positive one. I needed to open an account quickly between Christmas and New Year. My existing bankers would not open one and give me an account number and sort code without me filling in a form and them checking my ID (Little Britain “computer says no” comes to mind) Handelsbanken kindly gave me a sort code and account number to provide my new employer the day before I left on a holiday and on my return from holiday I presented my ID at which point they activated my account fully. It is that sort of customer focus that stands out for me.