The wrong name on the cheque!

spankee

This is quite a complicated one so I'll make it as short as possible. My mum has successfully claimed PPI back. She's had the cheque in her handbag for 3 months now, too worried to do anything about it.

The problem is... She was born in Ireland and never knew her real parents. Her name was, after adoption, Patricia Margaret Jones.
She married my dad at 18 and became
Patricia Margaret Roberts.
She never had a birth certificate, only adoption papers.

my dad died and she remarried. Pat Margaret Martin.

2 years ago at the age of 72 she had her birth certificate, her name was Carol Patricia Williams.

So her problem is, the ppi cheque is made out to Margaret Roberts (which is what that account was under) but all her official documents say Carol pat Williams!

WHAT can she do? She's got bills, documents... wedding certs, you name it in a variety of her names, and her bank account is in her name now, Pat Mags Martin.

She deserves that money. She paid it, it's hers, but she's too worried to contact the payer and ask them to change the name on the cheque because she's got no concrete proof of what her name is. But rather several different variations! She won't contact the bank either. She's scared to death they'll think she doing something wrong.

Any suggestions?
Obviously no one will talk to me because I'm not her, and she's an old lady who's too nervous!

Sinhanada

Has she been with the same bank all her life? If so, and she's changed her name then the cheque should clear if banked - it is after all in her old name.

spankee

No she hasn't. She had to change to one of those 'plain' bank accounts because she was in debt. So this new bank account (she's had to for around 3 - 4 years) is in her new married name.

[Deleted User]

Unless you can persuade your Mother to contact the payer and explain the situation then the cheque will remain unpaid.

The financial institution involved has already awarded this money, so it will now only be concerned that it is paid to the correct person.

Mojisola

spankee wrote: »

The problem is... She was born in Ireland and never knew her real parents. Her name was, after adoption, Patricia Margaret Jones.
She married my dad at 18 and became
Patricia Margaret Roberts.
She never had a birth certificate, only adoption papers.

my dad died and she remarried. Pat Margaret Martin.

2 years ago at the age of 72 she had her birth certificate, her name was Carol Patricia Williams.

So her problem is, the ppi cheque is made out to Margaret Roberts (which is what that account was under) but all her official documents say Carol pat Williams!

So she changed her names to what was on her original birth certificate instead of the ones she'd used all her life?

Don't her adoption papers and marriage certificate name her as Patricia Margaret Jones?