While I agree that HSBC is at fault, to be blunt about it ... determining fault and pointing fingers doesn't pay the bills. Banks can and will screw you over,

While I agree that HSBC is at fault, to be blunt about it ... determining fault and pointing fingers doesn't pay the bills. Banks can and will screw you over, hard. I may one day write my own experience up as an object lesson and cautionary tale for those who might succumb to the sirens song of bank "services" and "products". The best advice is to consult an attorney right now. Yeah, it will cost you money. The 1 hour spent talking with them, and paying them for that time is well worth the fee, in general. This will give insight into how to approach the problem. Another avenue that the OP should explore is sort of an amplified version of what they did at medium. Like it or not Medium is not quite "wide" distribution. They should choose another outlet to tell their story, one that gets much wider public attention, and enables them to call out HSBC in a very public forum. I don't know if the UK has the same rule as the US in "absolute truth is a defense". If so, go to a widely read/reported media outlet. Tell your story truthfully, in depth. Let them be your megaphone. HSBC will react when confronted with bad press. If your story is rock solid and unimpeachable, they will need to move quickly. Otherwise, they have no incentive to do so. Incentivize them.