C. Hoare & Co Prinate Bank

C. Hoare & Co. Occupies a structurally unusual position in private banking: it has been owned by the same family for 12 generations since 1672, and its partners carry unlimited personal liability. That ownership structure shapes how the bank behaves with clients more directly than any stated policy. For family offices evaluating banking relationships, the consequence is a counterparty that absorbs risk alongside its customers rather than transferring it.

The bank maintains a dedicated family office team and offers services built around the operational realities of multi-entity family structures:

• A single online portal consolidating transactions and account views across multiple entities
• Visa cards issued to family members and employees with customisable mandates and spending limits
• Revolving loan facilities structured for speed, enabling acquisitions without forcing premature asset liquidation
• Foreign exchange services supporting cross-border investment in property, private equity, and art
• Succession and intergenerational planning supported by partner-level experience running a multigenerational family business
• Philanthropy advisory via the award-winning Master Charitable Trust, a donor-advised fund alternative to establishing a private foundation

Relationship managers visit family offices in person to understand operating requirements, and bank partners are available for advisory conversations drawing on direct experience of family governance. The bank also runs a structured network of seminars and a Next Generation programme connecting younger family members with peers in comparable roles.

C. Hoare & Co. Operates from two London branches and serves a deliberately concentrated client base. Families seeking global custody infrastructure, multi-jurisdiction regulatory support, or investment management alongside banking will need to source those capabilities elsewhere. This is a relationship banking offering for UK-based families who value discretion, speed of decision-making, and a counterparty with demonstrable skin in the game.