Clawing back a DD from a joint account

Anotherangry

Hello,

I can seem to find any advice online so thought I'd try on here.

Long and Short:
I had a joint bank account with my EX husband and when I left the married home I opened up my own account and transferred all my direct debit's etc.

My EX noticed a DD for Talk Talk (which hadn't been transferred to my new account). So he told the bank he didn't know what it was and they clawed back all payments made to Talk Talk totalling £400!

So the first I was aware was when Talk Talk were asking me for £400.

As the account was/is still in Joint names (his refusal to take me off, go figure?!?) How can you claw back a direct debit which would have been in my name and on the joint account ?

Is this even possible or has he done something he shouldn't....

Apologies for rambling/ making no sense! (it happens a lot)

Any advice/knowledge would be greatfully received.

Paul_Herring

As the account was/is still in Joint names (his refusal to take me off, go figure?!?)

This makes me believe
1) you consider the account no longer yours and don't use it
2) the money to Talk Talk should have come out of one of your sole accounts

Sounds like you owe Talk Talk £400.

And I'd probably have a word with the bank holding the joint account asking for your name to be removed, or the account frozen until your name can be removed.

Anotherangry

Hi,

thanks for posting a reply. I have paid the talk talk amount (it was a few years ago, and was my debt to pay).

I did ask the bank on 3 occasions what I can do about removing myself from the Joint account and each time I was given a form which both parties had to sign, however he never signed until it was £950 overdrawn (even though it has no Overdraft facility). So Im having to pay that back also

Im just interested to know how a direct debit that is in one of the accoutn holders names can be clawed back by the other person......surely they would have needed something from me ?

Paul_Herring

Never having actually had a joint account, I'm not sure, but I'm guessing (by default) either party can question anything on a joint account at any time.

With things such as DD's all either party (i.e. TalkTalk and your bank) will be concerned about are numbers, not names (i.e. your mobile account number and your sort code/account number.)

IOW, TalkTalk will have a DD setup with your bank along the lines of "Please pay, from account 12-34-56 12345678 to us with ref 98765432" - your name is unlikely to be anywhere in that instruction, as such the bank won't know to actually ask you, and will assume, as joint account holders, you're talking to each other. (Don't think that because you've asked to be removed that that fact will be known to everyone looking at your account.)

Anotherangry

Paul_Herring wrote: »

Never having actually had a joint account, I'm not sure, but I'm guessing (by default) either party can question anything on a joint account at any time.

With things such as DD's all either party (i.e. TalkTalk and your bank) will be concerned about are numbers, not names (i.e. your mobile account number and your sort code/account number.)

IOW, TalkTalk will have a DD setup with your bank along the lines of "Please pay, from account 12-34-56 12345678 to us with ref 98765432" - your name is unlikely to be anywhere in that instruction, as such the bank won't know to actually ask you, and will assume, as joint account holders, you're talking to each other. (Don't think that because you've asked to be removed that that fact will be known to everyone looking at your account.)

I never really thought of it as numbers!

Thanks for the help