A Confusion of Names/Identities

ElizabethJane

I am trying to sought out my mothers affairs. She has now reached the stage when she is not entirely able to do this herself.

She was born with three given names but her mother, in her infinite wisdom, called her by a forth name. That fourth name is now the name of her bank account. Recently she sold some shares to import into her ISA but the bank refused to cash the cheque because it was written to a set of given names which included her new given name (the one now used for her bank account) but as it was not exactly written in the way her account is named, it was returned un-drawn.

As I have searched more into her affairs I note that the name on her birth certificate is not the one on her baptism certificate or the one used on her wedding certificate. What a mess...we are now worried we could all be !!!!!!!s as my father didn't marry the person with the name on the birth certificate!

Now to get her pension, ISA and Premium Bonds and NHS and tax affairs sorted and not to have any accounts frozen due to suspected money laundering what is the best way to proceed?

1. Get her name formally changed by Deed Poll (Chancery) to include her fourth assumed given name?

2. Use a service like DeedPoll.org.uk to register a change of name (how accepted is this for bank purposes?)

3. Use her Baptism certificate which includes her fourth given name to change all her accounts in one name? This is the name used by the solicitors who drew up the Lasting Power of Attorney she now has in place giving me and 3 of my siblings authority over her affairs. (interesting that they were happy to use the name on her Baptism Certificate)

Any other useful suggestions?

Mojisola

ElizabethJane wrote: »

3. Use her Baptism certificate which includes her fourth given name to change all her accounts in one name? This is the name used by the solicitors who drew up the Lasting Power of Attorney she now has in place giving me and 3 of my siblings authority over her affairs. (interesting that they were happy to use the name on her Baptism Certificate)

As this is in place, I would get everything else to co-ordinate with the POA.

tensandunits_2

ElizabethJane wrote: »

What a mess...we are now worried we could all be !!!!!!!s as my father didn't marry the person with the name on the birth certificate!

I wouldn't let it worry you, it's de rigeur to have (or be) illegitimate children these days.

So, just to clarify, she had three names (or surnames?) on her birth certificate, yet another surname on her baptism certificate, and another different maiden name on her marriage certificate?

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Do baptism certificates have the same legal weight as birth/marriage certs?

Maybe Age UK could be helpful, as they offer advice about PoA generally?

I wonder if it might be worth investing in a session with a solicitor. It could be a price worth paying to have the legalities sorted so you can focus on your mother's health and spending time with her.

Mojisola

ElizabethJane wrote: »

As I have searched more into her affairs I note that the name on her birth certificate is not the one on her baptism certificate or the one used on her wedding certificate.

My grandmother was the same - the civil birth registration used two given names and a surname; the baptism certificate shows the same two given names but a different surname (and a different birth date to the civil registration); her marriage certificate shows a completely different given name with the surname from her baptism cert but she also 'lost' a couple of years so that she appeared younger than her husband.

lika_86

Is it that you're just helping with all the difficult stuff, or has she lost mental capacity? I wonder if a sworn affidavit might work.

trailingspouse

I think for a certain generation, names were less fixed than they are now. My grandmother (born 1916) was given one name, but called by another all her life. This caused issues when she was in hospital in her later years, as she was worried they would think she didn't know her own name and would diagnose her with dementia if she got it wrong.

TonyMMM

There is no need for the name on a marriage certificate to match that on her birth certificate - forget any issues arising from that. Nor does she need to carry out any change of name process - her name is already whatever she calls herself.

Other than that, it is just a case of making sure that her various combinations of names are recognised by whichever institutions/banks need to know.

What they will accept as evidence may vary, and depends on how different the names are - but anything to link the two, such as the baptism certificate, should be enough.

ElizabethJane

I sent a letter to her bank asking them if they'll accept her Baptism certificate and her LPA as sufficient evidence of identity. If they accept then I'll need to do the same with the DWP and HMRC. Thanks

ElizabethJane

But seems her mother disliked the last name so substituted with a further name a few eels later when she was baptised. The trouble is that name appears on no government identities....only bank, savings accounts and club registrations etc. With the added complication that her first two 'legal' given names disappear entirely in her bank account meaning they now won't cash Cheques ithat arepwritten to anything but her 'non legal' name.......

ElizabethJane

Yes I have written to the solicitors who drew up her LPA - I hope they advise that her Baptism certificate is enough.....or we are no doubt into the greater expense of oaths affidavits and chancery registration.