MSE News: New service lets you tell several banks about a death with one form

Former_MSE_Megan_F

A new service which lets friends and family report the death of an individual to several banks with just one online form has been launched today...

Read the full story:
'New service lets you tell several banks about a death with one form'

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greyfox

Shouldn't this be in the "Deaths, Funerals & Probate" sub board (possibly as a sticky)?

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi greyfox

It's a good question. The aim is to make as many people as possible aware and having it on this board, which is much busier, will help with that.

We can look at moving it over to the sub-board after a while though.

Andrea

PaulSh

So, a simple website where anyone can go and report that someone has died, apparently without even needing a Death Certificate reference number. What could possibly go wrong?


Of course, for those who still bank with TSB, an easier way of letting everyone know you died is simply to switch your account to another bank

gettingtheresometime

PaulSh wrote: »

So, a simple website where anyone can go and report that someone has died, apparently without even needing a Death Certificate reference number. What could possibly go wrong?

Exactly!


I remember many moons ago having a discussion with the passport office about the wording required when we were applying for our son's first passport which if I remember reqd the counter signature to say that they knew me rather than the child.


As I said if I wanted to abduct a child I really won't care about getting the counter signatory into trouble.


I foresee malicious notifications being made quite soon

miller

What the article doesn't mention is without the death certificate, the banks will only flag the notification.

I'm not sure how long executors have legally to notify these institutions. In a way it would be easier to get probate and all the documents required for the executors to operate the account and do it in one go. Presumably all the banks do at the first stage is freeze all the accounts.

gettingtheresometime

miller wrote: »

What the article doesn't mention is without the death certificate, the banks will only flag the notification.

I'm not sure how long executors have legally to notify these institutions. In a way it would be easier to get probate and all the documents required for the executors to operate the account and do it in one go. Presumably all the banks do at the first stage is freeze all the accounts.

But can you imagine the havoc even just freezing an account would cause?

mro

What is to stop malicious fake false reports ?

The article says anyone can report.

System

What if TSB tells all my banks I'm dead before they tell me?

P.s. got a cold call from an no win no fee accident lawyer company, told them that I did suffer terrible injuries, so bad that it killed me, and they were talking to my ghost

It could make sense spending a year dead for tax purposes...

CRANKY40

Even when you tell the bank yourself it can turn to ...ummmm....c**p, so this has endless possibilities. Nine years on I still haven't forgotten the letter that Barclays sent to "Mr Deceased" (my late husband) to tell him that after I'd paid the mortgage settlement figure provided by the bank, he still owed one penny. I kid you not! The letter cost more to send that the amount supposedly owed.

Naturally I wrote and complained. After a few weeks I'd not had an answer so I called them. An indignant lady on the other end of the line assured me I had received an apology letter and some flowers. Further investigation on her part revealed that the letter hadn't been sent and neither had the flowers. I have no idea what the letter of apology said as it never was sent and neither were the flowers. As a recent widow, it was a horrible thing to go through and Barclays total lack of interest in putting it right just made it worse.

miller

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

But can you imagine the havoc even just freezing an account would cause?

There was a recent case with NatWest where someone walked in as the executor of someone else in the same village with the same name and managed to affect another (non-deceased's) account, including all their DDs. £3k compensation offered as there was doorstep visits from heavies etc.

I'm not sure this system saves much hassle if the death certificate still has to be presented.

What would be nice is if the account could operate Direct Debits after death up to a certain value if the deceased person has permitted it and it is compatible with their will. That would save hassle.