When I opened an account with Barclays as an exchange student I was given a signed and stamped letter by the university and told to go to a specific Barclays br

When I opened an account with Barclays as an exchange student I was given a signed and stamped letter by the university and told to go to a specific Barclays branch nearby and ask for a specific person who would help me. I thought the whole circularity of the thing was just absurd, especially when on the other hand I could pay with contactless on the tube (very advanced at that time).