Unknown Bank Account

Jonny55555

This morning I used the MoneySavingExpert Credit Club and the TransUnion credit report says I opened a current account with Santander back in 2004.  I have no recolection of this and I'm fairly sure I've never even been inside one of their branches. 

I've tried the Santander online chat and that just keeps telling me to use their mobile banking app or to phone them.  I have an illness which makes it extremely difficult to use a phone and I can't get to a branch in person due to mobility issues.

For all I know I might have money sitting in this account that I've simply totally forgotten about.

eskbanker

You can submit a written Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act to Santander, which will oblige them to disclose everything they hold about you - contact details for their Data Protection Officer should be in their published privacy policy....

WillPS

If you opened it in 2004, it would either have been with Abbey or Alliance & Leicester, rather than Santander.

Does that jog any memories?

DullGreyGuy

Jonny55555 said:

This morning I used the MoneySavingExpert Credit Club and the TransUnion credit report says I opened a current account with Santander back in 2004.  I have no recolection of this and I'm fairly sure I've never even been inside one of their branches. 

I've tried the Santander online chat and that just keeps telling me to use their mobile banking app or to phone them.  I have an illness which makes it extremely difficult to use a phone and I can't get to a branch in person due to mobility issues.

For all I know I might have money sitting in this account that I've simply totally forgotten about.

Dont you use Relay if you have problems on the phone? Its a free service from BT and depending if your issue is hearing, speaking or both then at the "both" end of the spectrum you have an online chat conversation with the BT agent who then speaks to the Santander agent and types their response back to you. 

If your difficulties are with one or the other than they either just type what they said and you speak your answer or you hear what the agent asked and type your reply which the BT person speaks. 

Jonny55555

WillPS said:

If you opened it in 2004, it would either have been with Abbey or Alliance & Leicester, rather than Santander.

Does that jog any memories?

Never had any dealings with either of them.

Jonny55555

DullGreyGuy said:

Dont you use Relay if you have problems on the phone? Its a free service from BT and depending if your issue is hearing, speaking or both then at the "both" end of the spectrum you have an online chat conversation with the BT agent who then speaks to the Santander agent and types their response back to you. 

If your difficulties are with one or the other than they either just type what they said and you speak your answer or you hear what the agent asked and type your reply which the BT person speaks. 

I've never even heard of Relay!  Something I will have to look into.  Thanks

DullGreyGuy

Jonny55555 said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Dont you use Relay if you have problems on the phone? Its a free service from BT and depending if your issue is hearing, speaking or both then at the "both" end of the spectrum you have an online chat conversation with the BT agent who then speaks to the Santander agent and types their response back to you. 

If your difficulties are with one or the other than they either just type what they said and you speak your answer or you hear what the agent asked and type your reply which the BT person speaks. 

I've never even heard of Relay!  Something I will have to look into.  Thanks

It takes some getting used to, or at least being in the "Santander agent" role does because you want to say to the BT Agent "can you ask them to confirm their address" but the BT agent gets stroppy with you and says just say "please confirm your address" but with practice you learn to forget its a middleman. 

https://www.relayuk.bt.com/ 

retiredbanker1

I have an MBNA credit card which used to be Alliance & Leicester card many moons ago?

eskbanker

retiredbanker1 said:

I have an MBNA credit card which used to be Alliance & Leicester card many moons ago?

But OP's issue relates to what's reported as a Santander current account?

SiliconChip

What @eskbanker says about a SAR is the easiest option, but if for any reason you don't want to do that another option might be to use the My Lost Account service.

https://www.mylostaccount.org.uk/

If the account has been untouched for 20 years then it's almost certainly been made dormant, helpfully Santander have a page about this, and even though it appears to come under their Savings and Investments banner I can see no reason why it should not also apply to current accounts (it also mentions My Lost Account).

https://www.santander.co.uk/personal/support/savings-and-investments/dormant-and-lost-accounts

friolento

Could also have been a Bradford & Bingley account