Cheques made payable to 'the estate of...'

CalicoB

I have a few cheques for refunds from utility & insurance companies made payable to 'The Estate of...' and 'Executors for the estate of...). 

The deceased banked with HSBC. I asked them about setting up an executor account but they more-or-less said that it wasn't worth the bother and to use a dormant account of my own. However I've taken the cheques into my bank today (Santander) along with the Grant of Probate and copious ID, and they won't accept the cheques as they say that even though they've seen my ID, the system will reject them anyway as my name isn't on them. I've heard from others that the companies issuing the cheques are likely to refuse to change the name on the cheque.

Does anyone know any way round this (eg, to pay them into the deceased's old, frozen account if I can get to them before they're closed) or will I have to just set up an executor account? 

JGB1955

I managed to pay cheques (under £1,000) into my Nationwide account by using the 'hole in the wall'.  Worth a try?

CalicoB

I might try that, but I have one cheque for £2000. I'm wondering if I can pay them in at a post office counter if I can find a paying in slip for her account.

pjs493

I got a couple of refund cheques for my late husband’s estate and was able to pay them in to what was our joint account. Even though I’d informed our bank of his death and the account had reverted to a sole account in only my name. The cheques weren’t for a huge amount of money, one was only for about £15. So that might have meant that the bank wasn’t too bothered because it was such a small sum. If they were for more significant sums it may have been more of an issue. 

Most accounts I closed, that released funds without Probate, just asked for bank details and did a digital transfer. Many things, such as car insurance, just removed him and named me as the main driver. 

With a couple of things, like Netflix and broadband, I’ve been a bit lazy and haven’t contacted them because the money just comes out of what was our joint account so nothing has changed payment-wise. Energy suppliers I called and again, they changed from joint to sole names. 

The DVLA sent his car tax refund to me in my name because I’d filled out the Tell Us Once service and also wrote to their bereavements team to change our cars into my name so I could tax them and make them road legal. They were really good, acknowledged my correspondance, and confirmed both vehicles were correctly taxed and in my name in the letter they sent with the refund. I think they may have acknowledged the changes I’d made to the car insurance too. Essentially they confirmed I’d done what I needed to do to make them road legal. 

NatWest do offer an executor account. You need to open an account in your name and then go into a branch with all the documentation showing you’re the executor and they’ll mark it as such. If more than one executor you need to open a joint account and go in together. 

I managed to administer my husband’s estate without the need for an executor account, but I think my situation was simplified by our finances being so intertwined as a married couple. I suspect it would be different if I was the executor when my grandfather died, for example. 

One possible work around could be if the deceased had a credit card. My husband had a sole account, sole savings, and a credit card with the bank we did our joint banking with (I also had my own sole accounts too). Anything in our joint current account and joint savings automatically became mine and his name was removed. With his sole accounts I was offered the option of off-setting the balances against what he owed on his credit card and I took that option. 

There was later another credit to his credit card account when the insurance refund for his bike was processed. I hadn’t realised that he’d paid for the annual policy on his credit card to get rewards and they just did a refund onto the card for what was due. I didn’t even realise until I contacted the bank again after Probate to pay the CC balance and they explained the discrepancy between the figure I had in my records and the remaining balance due. It was only a couple of weeks away from the policy renewal when I called to inform them of his death so assumed any refund would have been absorbed by a cancellation fee. No refund was discussed during the call so I was pleasantly surprised to find they’d refunded the pro rata amount remaining. Even though his card had been cancelled the refund processed. I do wonder if sending a cheque to the CC bereavements team for ‘the estate of the late Joe Bloggs’ would have been accepted. 

Cazzaloulou68

All of the refund cheques/payments for my late brothers accounts (and my mums) were all made payable to me as the executor, they actually asked what name to make them payable to. Ive only had one in the name of the deceased, and as it was only for £3….im not even going to try and get it reissued.

CalicoB

I got this resolved in the end. Nationwide and Santander both said no, but I spoke to Starling on the app, and they accepted an uploaded grant of probate and the cheques submitted online (except for the one for £2000 which I can post). They've been fantastic.