Halifax Savings Made Dormant

HappyHarry

Before bringing in the ombudsman, you need to make a formal complaint to Halifax, and await their reply. If you have not heard from Halifax within 8 weeks, (or even if you have), you can then contact the ombudsman.

As Halifax take ID other than photo ID, and banks don't make active accounts dormant, and you don't need photo ID to apply for a provisional driving licence, I'm having doubts about your story.

Toku-Floyd

Hi HappyHarry, thank you for your comment and your doubts.

All of what I say is documented and provable, except the phone call from Customer services at Halifax, where it will be my word against theirs.

You are welcome to check it at any time, I have nothing to hide, especially if you are a financial adviser.

Quote from Provisional driving Licence application page:-

Other types of identification
You must send the following identity documents if you don't have a biometric passport:

a current and valid passport
a biometric residence permit (BRP) - formerly known as the identity card for foreign nationals
an European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) national identity card
a travel document
You must send the original document with your driving licence application.

If you don't have an EU or EEA passport, you'll need to send in a visa that proves you have permission to live in the UK.

You can't use:

photocopies or laminated certificates
certified copies - including those certified by the Post Office document certification service. Un-quote.

I'm sure that means a photographic ID.

fiisch

I am struggling to see how/why somebody would not have photographic ID in 2018.

Halifax are perfectly reasonable in asking for photographic ID, and indeed are required to conduct necessary anti-fraud/KYC ("Know Your Customer") checks where there is activity that may be deemed suspicious. I am not suggesting there has been any untoward activity on the account, but there may have been a pattern of deposits/withdrawals that have triggered their fraud algorithms.

By all means you can raise a formal complaint and escalate to the Ombudsman, but no independent adjudicator is going to find against a bank for performing the necessary due diligence checks that they are required to do by the regulator.

If you don't drive and have no passport or ProveIt card, I suggest if you visited your local branch with a birth/marriage certificate and other identity documentation (work ID with picture may help), they may accept this.

molerat

Toku-Floyd wrote: »

Quote from Provisional driving Licence application page:-

Other types of identification
You must send the following identity documents if you don't have a biometric passport:

a current and valid passport
a biometric residence permit (BRP) - formerly known as the identity card for foreign nationals
an European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) national identity card
a travel document
You must send the original document with your driving licence application.

If you don't have an EU or EEA passport, you'll need to send in a visa that proves you have permission to live in the UK.

You can't use:

photocopies or laminated certificates
certified copies - including those certified by the Post Office document certification service. Un-quote.

I'm sure that means a photographic ID.

You obviously didn't go far enough down the (badly written !) page

UK birth, adoption and naturalisation certificates

You can use a UK birth, adoption or naturalisation certificate, but you must send it with one of the following:

• National Insurance card or a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showing your National Insurance number
• photocopy of the front page of a benefits book or an original benefits claim letter
• P45, P60 or pay slip
• marriage certificate or divorce papers (decree nisi or absolute)
• a gender recognition certificate
• college or university union card, education certificate or PASS proof of age card (issued after June 2014)

Westie983

Halifax accounts and others do not go dormant till there has been no activity on the account for 15+ years.

You say that you have been making payments into the account. something isn't right here.

In relation to the ID issue, if you do not have photo ID (passport or DL) then you can provide government issued letters and statements. It does sound like there has been an issue with identity checks being failed either on the phone or in branch and thats why the account has been locked till its proven, rather then dormancy.

Westie983

Toku-Floyd

I agree with you all, including the doubters, something is not right here.
Although the payments are going in, the account has been made dormant.
A letter of complaint was sent, the post office managed to lose a signed for letter.
A new one is in the post. (signed and tracked)

Originally, I tried to send the letter, through the branch, they did not know if they did that service, or how to do it!

I have been into two branches of Halifax, one was more helpful than the other.
(Although, they are not consistent with document acceptance)

The phone consultation with Customer services was down to, no photo ID, no access and complaints to the Ombudsman will go against me.

Yet, everything that has happened is against what they have in their rules as to dormancy and ID.
Two of the documents I took in are acceptable in place of a photo ID, but the branches would not accept them.

So, in my view, it's time for the Ombudsman, of which there is a very helpful section on this site.

Thanks for your help and suggestion folks.
I'll let you know what happens.

Uxb

I had an account with a building society made dormant after only some 2 years of non activity.

I then had to send in full ID info by post to get it released.
In my case I have this sort of stuff fully available (certified passport copy plus original of a recent bank/credit card statement) as I regularly have to provide them.

tocsin

fiisch wrote: »

I am struggling to see how/why somebody would not have photographic ID in 2018.

Halifax are perfectly reasonable in asking for photographic ID, and indeed are required to conduct necessary anti-fraud/KYC ("Know Your Customer") checks where there is activity that may be deemed suspicious. I am not suggesting there has been any untoward activity on the account, but there may have been a pattern of deposits/withdrawals that have triggered their fraud algorithms.

By all means you can raise a formal complaint and escalate to the Ombudsman, but no independent adjudicator is going to find against a bank for performing the necessary due diligence checks that they are required to do by the regulator.

If you don't drive and have no passport or ProveIt card, I suggest if you visited your local branch with a birth/marriage certificate and other identity documentation (work ID with picture may help), they may accept this.

I have a current full driving licence, but it has no photo ID - it is the old paper one

(Luckily, I have a current passport and work photo ID...)

droopsnoot

Toku-Floyd wrote: »

A letter of complaint was sent, the post office managed to lose a signed for letter.

Which, of course, won't encourage you to send your original proof of ID in the same way, if they won't accept copies.

fiisch wrote: »

I am struggling to see how/why somebody would not have photographic ID in 2018.

I don't have anything current. I don't go out of the country, so I don't have a current passport. I am self-employed so have no work ID, I'm on a green driving license as I haven't needed to send it off for anything. I guess if it came down to it, I'd have to apply for a passport with all that entails, but it's annoying having to splash out £100+ on something like that just to gain access to my money, especially when it wasn't required when I was putting it in the bank.

CavendishWobble

Any update on this?

To help, you could also go via telephone banking even if you are not set up on it they will ask you questions about your account to get you access. Once in you can ask them clearly if the quarterly payments have gone in and then ask why you have been made dormant. Once this is seen they will escalate the issue as they will know it is bad.

I do think something must have gone wrong with the quarterly payments, because...if your case is correct...the bank in question will have ALOT of problems on their hands!