Nationwide - closing very old joint account

solentsusie

Hi

Not sure I have put this in the right place but just after some advice.

Opening a new bank account for my mother (she has difficulty walking so wants a bank near the bus stop) so Nationwide is the best choice!

Anyway, I filled in the online application form as a new customer for her totally forgetting that she used to have a joint account there with her sister. The money in it was some inheritance from their aunt. Anyway, cutting a long story short, my mum's sister died (there was very little money left in the account at that time if any at all) and the account I thought had been closed.

Well apparently not. My mother's application has been linked to this other account for the online customer number login details. She was registered for online access, so going online (my mother bless her keeps every document ever sent to her by the bank - good job in this case!) I find that the old joint account is still open. So she now also has a new account linked to this customer number login.

I also open a Noddle account for my mother and find she is linked financially to her sister. Her sister died around 10 years ago. The joint bank account is also showing as an open account.

So my question is. Can my mother close the joint account or have my aunt removed from it without any proof my aunt has died other than a death certificate? I am sure I can obtain one of those from the registry office if needed.

You can request a bank account to be closed online with Nationwide, it looks like they send you a form to sign, but obviously my aunt can't sign it. Would they just take my mother's signature and a death certificate as proof enough to close?

Any advice appreciated. I don't really want to have to send my elderly mother into the bank to deal with this alone and it is very difficult for me to get to the bank with her.

le_loup

I suspect you probably will have to go to the bank with your mother with the documents, however, the best course of action would be to ring the bank and ask this question there, You can do it on the basis of a general enquiry without having to name anyone or to go through security checks.
Just ask how does one remove a dead name from a joint account.

solentsusie

Thanks le loup. I suspect this is the course of action I may have to take.

Just need to get a death certificate for my aunt first. My mother never had one and has lost touch with that part of the family.

xHannahx

Normally a death certificate satisfies the bank on a joint account, as long as it's not in debt.

solentsusie

xHannahx wrote: »

Normally a death certificate satisfies the bank on a joint account, as long as it's not in debt.

No, no debt at all. Just a dormant account.