Am I allowed to have bank accounts in different names?

marmitequeen

Hi, advice needed from all you clever MSErs (yet again):

When I got married I never changed my name but now I'd like to use my married surname for our joint account. Lots of people I work with (I'm a teacher & author) keep their maiden names as their professional name, so I know having two names is possible.

However, can I have bank accounts in two names? The easiest way of doing this seems to just change my name using my marriage certificate on the joint account, but I don't want to get into trouble with the tax man or anything. My passport, driving licence etc will still be under the name I use day-to-day. Is there anything that says I have to be 'one person' as it were?

Thanks in advance (as ever)!

lucylucky

Yes you can is the short answer.

huw01

How would that work out if you were to open an account with a new financial institution in the future ?

If you used one name on the application but your name on the register of electors was the other name, wouldn't your application fall at the first hurdle ? You can only appear as one person on the electoral register, they don't hold a number of names.

How does using more than one name sit with money laundering regulatons ? It may not pose a problem at all I don't know.

lucylucky

I know a number of people who have kept accounts in their maiden names and have joint accounts in their married name.

Some with the same bank for both accounts others with different banks.

getmore4less

Just make sure your executors know all the names you use so they can trace all your assets.

marmitequeen

Thanks all!!

Just called First Direct as we are changing our joint current account to them and there's no problem at all from their point of view. For anyone interested, I have to apply in my current name as that's easier for the credit and fraud checks and then apply for a change of title form and send that in with a copy of my marriage certificate. They seemed to think it was quite normal for women to keep accounts in two names - I'm normal!! Yay!

Good point from getmore4less - we've also realised we have to do our wills so I'll make sure it's all clear on that as well. Thanks

(Is it bad I'm quite excited about having a second identity???!!!)

pipsi_2

I know quite a few married women who have accounts in both names, mostly because they have accounts that pre-exist the marriage that they haven't bothered to change the name on.

Sharon87

huw01 wrote: »

How would that work out if you were to open an account with a new financial institution in the future ?

If you used one name on the application but your name on the register of electors was the other name, wouldn't your application fall at the first hurdle ? You can only appear as one person on the electoral register, they don't hold a number of names.

How does using more than one name sit with money laundering regulatons ? It may not pose a problem at all I don't know.

You should tell the electoral roll that, my brother is on it twice! He changed his name and he's on it twice for some reason!

huw01

Sharon87 wrote: »

You should tell the electoral roll that, my brother is on it twice! He changed his name and he's on it twice for some reason!

Then he needs to tell his local council that as he is technically committing fraud if he knows he is on it twice.

LittleVoice

huw01 wrote: »

Then he needs to tell his local council that as he is technically committing fraud if he knows he is on it twice.

Surely only fraud if exercised the right to vote in both names in the same election.

huw01

That would be electoral fraud is he voted twice, however the electoral register is used for other purposes, credit referencing, jury summonsing etc. If he knows that he's appearing on the register under different names then he has a duty to inform his local council of it.

I take it from the original post that both his entries appear at the same address with different names. THerefore when he gets his yearly form and signs to say the information is correct and posts the form back then he is committing fraud by falsly supplying information.