how much can a pensioner have in the bank before it ------?

If you are aged over 60 you are allowed 6,000 before it will affect your Pension Credit or Housing Benefit

After 6,000 there is an assumed income of 1 pound for every 500 you have in savings.

For example if you had 38,000 the first 6,000 is disregarded leaving 32,000. This is divided by 500 which equals 64, so your assumed income would be 64 pounds and deducted off your benefit.

there is no top rate of cut off for people over 60 for Pension credit, but over 16,000 barrs them from Housing Benefit. Your assumed income would eventually reach a point where your Pension Credit would be zero.

Not a lot .. I had £15k. they did not give me a penny towards rent or council tax

£ 6000-00 I think