ID for Principality BS - certified copies

cottager

I opened a Regular Saver Bond with Principality online last night, and TBH was a bit miffed as there was no question about whether I was an existing customer, so stuck with having to send ID which is a bind.

This with application and cheque must go to Cardiff, and if I want to send copies (which I do, as don't want to part with originals) they must be certified by a 'solicitor, accountant, bank official or an individual regulated by the FSA'.

They also want a hurry-up, saying it must all be with them within 5 working days, so by Friday.

There's a Principality branch locally -- does anyone happen to know if a member of staff there would count as a 'bank official'? Sorry, being a bit idle here as I could phone them tomorrow, but just thought if someone knew this was OK I could whizz down first thing and get it done.

Otherwise I'd need to go to my bank instead (NatWest). Do you know if this sort of thing means making an appointment, or could I literally pop in off the street and get it done?

I'd go to OH's accountant normally, but she's away at the moment.
Many thanks.

mars_2

When I opened an account for my Mother earlier this year I just took the form, one of her old statements from another bank and her passport down to the local branch. A member of staff there photo copied them and sent them away to Cardiff.

caveat_emptor

cottager wrote: »

There's a Principality branch locally -- does anyone happen to know if a member of staff there would count as a 'bank official'?
Many thanks.

Short answer is no. The person verifying the document copies has to know they're yours. But as mars says if you take a passport to a branch and you still look like your photo, then the other docs can be verified from this.

tradetime

I have used local branches to verify documentation, on a number of accounts, even if the accounts can only be opened or operated online. In general I have found staff helpful and accommodating in this process. Just make sure one of your ID's is a photo id such as passport or driving license so they can see you are who you say you are.

cottager

Thanks for that. I have nothing with a photo. Old-style driving licence, and no current passport; only have utility bills and bank/cc statements. My branch passbook for the existing account has my signature though, and I do pay in there... though only every 2 or 3 months, so they don't know me well.

What about my bank then? -- there every week so they know me, or the counter staff do at least.

At what level in the bank hierarchy are you classed as an 'official' and able to certify ID copies? Customer adviser? (never had a reason to see one). Account manager? (ditto)

I'm just one of those 'invisible' people who pays in every week (for about 40 yrs, same bank) but never sees anybody 'high up', and they never ask to see me... but I am me, honestly!

Veryunique_2

cottager wrote: »

Thanks for that. I have nothing with a photo. Old-style driving licence, and no current passport; only have utility bills and bank/cc statements. My branch passbook for the existing account has my signature though, and I do pay in there... though only every 2 or 3 months, so they don't know me well.

What about my bank then? -- there every week so they know me, or the counter staff do at least.

At what level in the bank hierarchy are you classed as an 'official' and able to certify ID copies? Customer adviser? (never had a reason to see one). Account manager? (ditto)

I'm just one of those 'invisible' people who pays in every week (for about 40 yrs, same bank) but never sees anybody 'high up', and they never ask to see me... but I am me, honestly!

I don't think you will have much luck at NatWest if my experience is anything to go by. In March/April this year they were happy to photocopy passport and had cerfication stamp. Even happy to write This is true likeness etc. This was done by whoever was manning Information Desk . This month, however,I got a flat refusal as the account being opened was not one of theirs. This has apparently been the case for the past 3-4 months. I created a bit of a fuss as I am a cutomer of 50 years standing (and also part of the
invisible brigade and taken for granted) and after a long wait some young whipper snapper consented to certify ID for the Saga application only (I obviously looked suitably doddery) but baulked at having to disclose his name and address and so I ended up empty handed.

I would go into your local Principality Branch with every possible piece of ID and see what happens. You have nothing to lose.

terry2

cottager wrote: »

I opened a Regular Saver Bond with Principality online last night, and TBH was a bit miffed as there was no question about whether I was an existing customer, so stuck with having to send ID which is a bind.

They also want a hurry-up, saying it must all be with them within 5 working days, so by Friday.

Yes, this sort of thing seems to be getting more common. What I did was get a replacement birth certificate (from HM Gov) and send that off - it is is classed as an original and not a copy so all is well - and if it gets lost I can always get another. However the 5 days might be a problem in your case.

There are lots of firms offering to do this, but it is cheaper (and faster)
to do it yourself - just start here
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

cottager

Veryunique wrote: »

This month, however, I got a flat refusal as the account being opened was not one of theirs. This has apparently been the case for the past 3-4 months.

Really? I'd be like you then, and bristle.
So how did you resolve your problem?

Veryunique wrote: »

also part of the invisible brigade

Weird that, isn't it!? You go in so regularly and chat to whoever you deal with on the counter (or the customer desk now and then for a small query), and at that level they all know you. I guess because I've never been any 'trouble' to the bank (always in credit) and never asked for a loan or o/draft or for any advice about anything, I'm beneath the radar. While queueing I see other staff wafting about or in little side rooms with customers, but we've never actually had any contact. So when something like this crops up, you begin to wonder if you really exist! :rolleyes:

An odd situation, this requirement for ID. I understand the security aspects and anti-fraud measures, and I'm all for banks/BS being careful on my behalf -- how could I not be -- so can't be two-faced and say it's a load of rubbish, but the practicalities of it can be a darn nuisance and really quite awkward if you don't fit into a typical profile, e.g. don't travel any more so passport's lapsed, still got original driving licence, lived in the same place 24 yrs (so no house purchase)... or you don't actually have any utility bills in your own name, only your OH's.

Luckily I do have one for our broadband line and I pay the bill, though when it was set up BT missed off my first initial which also doesn't help! This has just reminded me to write because hey, guess what, I can't get it corrected over the phone because they don't know it's really me! :rotfl:

Veryunique wrote: »

I would go into your local Principality Branch with every possible piece of ID and see what happens. You have nothing to lose.

I will, and thanks.

terry2 wrote: »

What I did was get a replacement birth certificate (from HM Gov) and send that off - it is is classed as an original and not a copy so all is well

Thanks Terry -- through f/history this is well used! You're right, it is fastest from the GRO, but Principality application must be there by Friday so with the best will in the world there isn't enough time unfortunately. Also, it isn't (surprisingly) on the list of acceptable ID, or not for me at least -- only for under 19s.

Hey-ho, thwarted in all directions... but appreciate the suggestion.

Compound_2

OP, I was surprised you had to send ID despite being an existing customer. On the Principality website, it says that they will attempt to use electronic verification, and only ask for ID if this fails. I would have thought they'd do the verification when you post in the signed application form and cheque, rather than when you click to submit your details to produce the form to print. Thus they'd write to ask for ID. Has anyone managed to open the Regular Saver Bond without needing paper ID?

cottager

Compound wrote: »

OP, I was surprised you had to send ID despite being an existing customer. On the Principality website, it says that they will attempt to use electronic verification, and only ask for ID if this fails. I would have thought they'd do the verification when you post in the signed application form and cheque, rather than when you click to submit your details to produce the form to print. Thus they'd write to ask for ID. Has anyone managed to open the Regular Saver Bond without needing paper ID?

Well, a few days further on I can report a bit more... whether it will be the same for everyone I don't know.

One thing which made a big difference is having a Principality office within reach. All PBS offices are in Wales apart from three in the border region at Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford (according to their branch finder), so if you're elsewhere in the UK it probably means a postal element, even if it's an account you can apply for online.

I applied for 2 accounts online, their eSaver and the Regular Saver Bond. Unless I missed something I was never given the opportunity online to say I was an existing customer (it's an older branch-only account) as the question wasn't asked.

Since then I've spoken with both the HO at Cardiff and with staff in branch, and can report back. Whether all of what I've been told is accurate is hard to tell.

1. From Cardiff I was told the PBS online entity is quite separate from PBS the branch office entity (in fact there's a reference to this somewhere at the site, though can't remember where I came across it). At the branch they weren't aware of this 'difference', surprised even ("That's interesting", they said), and especially to learn there was nowhere to indicate an existing customer. I guess both must be under the same umbrella, but in practice it appears they work independently of each other... which to me doesn't seem very practical.

Because of this I can see how being an existing branch customer would be irrelevant. Much better if they were 'joined up'. The CS desk at Cardiff later confirmed it would still be necessary to send ID, regardless of any existing branch account.

2. In branch I was told they could have opened both accounts there. Not too sure about that... the Regular Saver possibly, which turns out to be a passbook account, but I'm a bit doubtful about the eSaver.

3. As other posters suggested, for ID it's certainly possible to visit a branch for documents to be copied, stamped and countersigned -- no problem.
They also have internal mail going to Cardiff every night, so the whole application with cheque and ID can be left with them to send on. My stuff went in on Tuesday, and I had my Regular Saver Bond passbook back by post from Cardiff on Thursday.

4. I applied for both accounts together, the Regular Saver first. At the end you print off the application form filled in with the details supplied, which you then sign and post off to Cardiff with cheque/ID (or as above can take into a branch to send on, if you have one nearby).

5. The eSaver application was slightly different: nothing to print off at the end to send to PBS, only an online acknowledgement with the account number, and a request to send the opening deposit and ID to Cardiff.

Compound: I can't really comment about the electronic verification on the site (I saw it too), as I usually seem to hit this problem!
Having opened new accounts elsewhere as well lately, I've had to produce ID for all of them, and on the face of it there is no good reason, having lived in the same place for 24 yrs, on the electoral roll, no bad credit history, accounts galore of all types etc etc. The only one I didn't have trouble with was an ISA application online earlier in the year, but maybe having to enter a NI number for that was the difference.

All I can think of is it's an issue with our address. For one thing it's spelled slightly incorrectly in the auto-enter databases which are often used when completing online forms (enter your postcode and it finds it for you), and also includes an extra line which postally is unnecessary and therefore never used by us. Even so, they're not so different as to not obviously be the same address.

The main reason could be that our postal address differs from what it is on the electoral roll. For reasons best known to Royal Mail (in fairness, historically, probably for sorting reasons when mail was manually sorted locally), our proper postal address is one village just across a county border. But electorally that village isn't part of our address at all, and instead it's another one, because it's the ward we're in. Our 'post town' (the one you put in capitals) is the same either way.

This means our postal address would never match the electoral roll, so I wonder if this is why electronic ID fails for me... as I assume the electoral roll is probably one of the sources consulted?? Maybe my details don't precisely marry up as they should.

If this is the reason, hopefully not too many of us suffer from this problem!

If you go ahead with your Regular Saver Bond application, Compound, I would certainly be very interested to hear if electronic ID works for you, as it may help solve what keeps happening with me
When you've been through the online process, would you mind posting again to let me know? -- thanks!

Trollop

I have just applied for the Principality Regular Saver Bond Issue 5 and have just printed out the forms. I haven't seen anywhere thus far during the application, requesting me to send any ID. I assume I have passed the electronic verification (but then again, I always seem to pass this stage without any problems thus far).

A question for you cottager. Now that you have opened the Regular Saver account, do they send out a confirmation letter when the account has been opened? Does this letter include your account number? Will you be funding the account by setting up a standing order online? (I assume this is possible, once you're given your account details)

Thanks