How do I trace direct debits?

Benuk73 wrote:

I was recently told by a bank that, If I Didnt know what a DD was for or who with, to cancel it, and I would soon get a letter from them asking to make an alternative payment

You were given really bad advice. You could be charged for late/missed payment and in some cases once a DD has been cancelled you need to change policy/reference numbers to set up a new DD, meaning manual payments and lots of hassle.

If you ever need to know the originator of a Direct Debit then ask the bank to check for you. As mentioned before they can 'easily' find the OIN number and type it in to the system, producing the originators contact details. They will either phone up for you or give you the details to phone yourself.

Glad you didn't the only time i will give advice like that as i work for a bank is when the originator of the direct debit hasn't taken the Direct Debit for more than 6 months. You may want to watch to as i have been caught and although working for a bank didn't know this at the time if you have a direct debit that is set up twice and for the same thing and they are both active by cancelling one it cancel's out the other active one to. Even though it will show as active on your account the bank will send corresspondence to the originator to say that the direct debit has been cancelled. The company will then think that this is the direct debit that they are claiming for now and cancel the direct debit from their end. Fortunately for me through phoning my bank and speaking to a department called Periodic Payments they were able to re-instate the direct debit back up from the bank's end. So be careful sometimes if the company's have set up a new direct debit and havent cancelled the old instruction as long as they are not taking any money from it, it will become inactive in its own time.