I deliberately used the wrong spelling of my name on my bank account

eddddy

I think the challenge would be in identifying everywhere your name is recorded, and persuading the relevant organisations to change it.

Many years ago, ID checking was less rigorous than it is today. I knew somebody called 'Helen' who decided to start calling herself 'Ellen'. She managed to open bank accounts, utilities accounts, insurance policies, etc using the name 'Ellen'.  So she ended up with a mix of IDs, bank accounts, utility bills, insurance policies using both names.

But as ID checking became more rigorous, it started to cause lots of problems. For example, when she sold her house - which was registered in the name of 'Helen', the solicitor wouldn't write a cheque for the proceeds to 'Ellen'.

And I'm not sure how things would have worked out if, for example, if she made a car insurance claim on a policy in the name of 'Ellen', if the car was registered to 'Helen' etc.

Ergates

Netherspark said:

My name is officially spelled with a 'C' but I've been spelling it with a 'K' since I was 10 years old.  It's on all official documents, bank accounts and voter registration.  As far as the world is concerned it's spelled with a K.  I want to go back to using the original spelling but I'm worried about how the legal and financial entities will react when I tell them I've essentially lied about my name and possibly my identity....

Have I unwittingly committed some kind of identity fraud?

You've not been committing fraud*, and you've not been lying.  Your name can be anything you want it to be.  

There is no problem with having a different name in different places either - EXCEPT where those systems interact using your name, it *might* cause you problems, so probably better to have them the same in such places.  e.g.  If you changed it to C with the DVLA, you probably also want to update your car insurance, but you'd probably be fine having a K with your bank.

JezR

I have one bank where there is a C in my middle name rather than a K which I think arose originally as a typo at the bank transcribing a handwritten application decades ago. This keeps getting resurrected even though I have had it corrected more than once on specific accounts. 

However

If only I could get every organisation to spell/pronounce my name correctly (it's only six letters - and British for at least a thousand years). It never fails to amaze me how many new combinations they manage to dream up, both on hardcopy and over the phone. It's all right for them to get it wrong and just ha-ha shrug it off with amusement and no apology; but it's not all right when it's the other way round.

redux

My mother has three first names, so three initials

One bank gets one or two initials wrong, and even after she's corrected them yet again the next debit card might be wrong again.

phillw

Ergates said:
There is no problem with having a different name in different places either - EXCEPT where those systems interact using your name, it *might* cause you problems, so probably better to have them the same in such places.  e.g.  If you changed it to C with the DVLA, you probably also want to update your car insurance, but you'd probably be fine having a K with your bank.

There is an expectation that innocent people will want to use the same name everywhere.

So if you change your name on your bank accounts but not on your drivers license or passport, then they'll be curious why.

You don't want them to be curious.

Nick_C

Just don't do it.  Please.  

My partner's full name is two first names and four surnames.  He occasionally uses just his first and last names.  It causes all sorts of problems where things are mismatched and he tries to correct them.  

Socially and orally, people can call you whatever you want, but don't go messing around with your official identity.

robatwork

Being nosy...how did he end up with 4 surnames?  Is it a "marriage of double-barrelled to double-barrelled"? Or a posh kind of Gervase Brooke St. John Hamster thing going on?

eDicky

I had an airline id card describing my role as 'Cargo Steward', which I produced when asking for airline staff discount at hotel reception. One time when I checked my invoice at a Bangkok hotel I saw that they had registered me as Mr Stewart Cargo.

robatwork

eDicky said:

I had an airline id card describing my role as 'Cargo Steward', which I produced when asking for airline staff discount at hotel reception. One time when I checked my invoice at a Bangkok hotel I saw that they had registered me as Mr Stewart Cargo.

My cards tend to say 'Bar Steward'