I am bankrupt and have an account with Nationwide, although they are no longer offering new accounts to undischarged bankrupts. I rang them anonymously and asked if they would close the account and they said no, they had no plans to do so. I would imagine this would apply to people in IVAs as well.
If you do want to open another account, have you tried the Halifax, Abbey or Barclays? They all do basic bank accounts, as do Lloyds TSB. Stay clear of HSBC and First Direct as they close the accounts of people in IVAs.
Good luck with your IVA!
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is the present - a gift to make the most of.
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http://skippy13.blogs.iva.co.uk/