problem with TSB

LibrisLycan

I am dealing with my parents probate, and have just sent a very old bank passbook to TSB using their bereavement address. The passbook was last updated in 1998. I used a standard letter as suggested by the book "Probate" by Gordan Bowley, which advises sending passbooks back for updating.

They've just written back to me saying:

1. That they no longer hold records dating back to 1998, and so can't update the passbook (Is this possible?!! I find that hard to believe?)

2. They claim the account was closed in 2013, a few months before my Mother died. (This can't be possible, unless fraudulent, as my Dad had died by this time and my Mum was bedridden and mentally incapacitated. I didn't close it, and nobody else had access to their papers at this time.)

3. They haven't provided the details I asked for regarding amounts in the account on my Dads date of death, in fact the letter only offers condolences for my Mum, my Dad is not mentioned at all. I definitely sent death certificates for both, and mentioned both in my letter.

What do I do? Chance writing back to the same address and asking them to check everything, or just go straight to complaints procedure?

I read once that old, unused bank accounts can be archived, is that possibly what's happened here (as it looks like the account wasn't touched for 15 years), if not, how do I ask them to investigate fraud?

Funnily enough, I only wrote rather than went into a branch, as I'd heard the TSB is notoriously bad at dealing with bereavement, and thought it would be easier by post.:(

grunnie

Please now ask if it was the bank who closed the account as it hadn't been used in a few years. The money would have been put into a "suspended" account. The TSB was taken over in the passed and then hived off as an independent company again. Don't give up - get back to them again.

Keep_pedalling

Unless the account was closed this is probably classed as a lost account which you should be able to trace here :- https://www.mylostaccount.org.uk/

FreeBear

LibrisLycan wrote: »

Funnily enough, I only wrote rather than went into a branch, as I'd heard the TSB is notoriously bad at dealing with bereavement, and thought it would be easier by post.:(

You might find visiting the branch listed in the passbook might get a better response. I had been trying to track down various assets that my mum had including the possibility of a safe deposit box. Despite the lloyds-TSB merger/demerger and assorted office closures, the local TSB branch still had ledgers going back donkeys years.

Chances are, the account has been classified as dormant, so I'd also recommend the mylostaccount site - It is also worth checking some of the other banks (Santander, Barklays) as they took over a number of smaller banks & building societies - Also check NS&I just in case there were any old post office savings and premium bonds.

Last thing - Do NOT waste your time and money with https://www.uar.co.uk.

Jesamine

Perhaps you should speak to Lloyds Bank, rather than TSB. When Lloyds took on TSB every customer became a LloydsTSB customer.

When the banks were split again TSB took with them only a small proportion of LloydsTSB customers, not necessarily those who were TSB to begin with, and not necessarily your parents' account. 2013 was when the new TSB was created and Lloyds TSB returned to being Lloyds Bank, so perhaps that is the relevance of that date.

DandelionPatrol

Jesamine wrote: »

Perhaps you should speak to Lloyds Bank, rather than TSB. When Lloyds took on TSB every customer became a LloydsTSB customer.

When the banks were split again TSB took with them only a small proportion of LloydsTSB customers, not necessarily those who were TSB to begin with, and not necessarily your parents' account. 2013 was when the new TSB was created and Lloyds TSB returned to being Lloyds Bank, so perhaps that is the relevance of that date.

You are probably right about this. If this is the case, it is a shame that TSB were not able to provide the information.