Joint Bank Account

LeahBarr · 18 July 2019 at 8:53AM

Hi all,

I rang Lloyds bank a couple month ago to freeze the joint account I have with the ex as I had no ways or means of getting in touch. Finally I managed to get the ball rolling by contacting his friend to pass a message onto him to get this sorted. I have an appointment booked this saturday for my name to be taken off, however, he owes me about £700.00 towards a loan I took out for him when we were together and also for everything I bought for the house - the house which he has completely abandoned leaving everything behind and is going through repossession! If I had a way of getting in the house I would take what is mine. He has got more than enough money in the account to pay me what he owes! I don't want him to try and pull a fast one and not give me the money. Would the bank still take my name off even though I want my money because I even said to him if I don't get my money then I will carry on this dispute and you'll not be able to access your account as it's froze..

eskbanker · 18 July 2019 at 9:39AM

In your previous threads about this, you'd said that Lloyds wouldn't remove you from the account without the consent of both parties, which was why you'd had to put it into dispute - has their advice changed?

As I understand it, once a joint account is in dispute, it essentially stays that way until both parties agree to either reactivate or close it, has your ex consented to either of these and is he also attending the branch at the same time as you to convey this to them?

Lloyds won't be interested in the overall financial situation between you, in terms of who owes who how much, their interest will solely be in whether the account is to be reactivated or closed by mutual consent.

To be honest, if your freezing of an account with plenty in it (contrary to what you'd intimated previously) inconveniences him more than you, then it would seem to me to make more sense for you to insist on him settling his debts to you before you agree to unfreeze it....

[Deleted User] · 18 July 2019 at 9:41AM

Both parties are responsible for monies in a joint account,
If he scarpers with all the cash there's not much you can do about it

Flobberchops · 18 July 2019 at 10:19AM

I'm afraid very little of your post will be relevant to the bank. Loans between friends or family, cash gifts, shared earnings within a couple etc aren't for the bank to adjudicate. Either sort things out amicably with the ex or take him to a small claims court - although things like taking out a loan for other people would usually be considered a gift unless the two of you explicitly put a repayment agreement in writing.

LeahBarr · 18 July 2019 at 10:40AM

I rang them, I said that I didn't want to see him and that I was aware that we both had to go in - but we can go at different times. I said what can I do if he owes me money because at the end of the day I have a family, my son is 4 month old, I'm on the bones of my backside and if he gets away with doing a runner after everything I did for him etc I'll be extremely upset. They just told me to explain that at the bank, I am hoping they take this into consideration and do not just remove my name without the means of transferring what I'm owed.

eskbanker · 18 July 2019 at 10:56AM

Sorry, they can't and won't be able to help resolve your dispute with your ex in the way you seem to be hoping they will - they can't take sides in a dispute like this.

If he owes you money then you'll need to find a way of sorting this out without trying to get Lloyds involved.

MEM62 · 18 July 2019 at 2:44PM

LeahBarr wrote: »

I rang them, I said that I didn't want to see him and that I was aware that we both had to go in - but we can go at different times. I said what can I do if he owes me money because at the end of the day I have a family, my son is 4 month old, I'm on the bones of my backside and if he gets away with doing a runner after everything I did for him etc I'll be extremely upset. They just told me to explain that at the bank, I am hoping they take this into consideration and do not just remove my name without the means of transferring what I'm owed.

It is not within the bank's remit to get involved in a financial argument between you and your ex and it is not reasonable to expect the to do so.

LeahBarr · 18 July 2019 at 4:32PM

Well.. if you actually read it.. I am not expecting them to listen to my problems at all! But there is a dispute over the account because I am not letting him do a runner with my money! So if he doesn't agree to give MY money then I won't go to the bank and sort it out.

[Deleted User] · 18 July 2019 at 4:46PM

LeahBarr wrote: »

Well.. if you actually read it.. I am not expecting them to listen to my problems at all! But there is a dispute over the account because I am not letting him do a runner with my money! So if he doesn't agree to give MY money then I won't go to the bank and sort it out.

If it's YOUR money then YOU should have a SOLE account for YOUR money to go into.

A joint account means both parties are responsible for the money, regardless of whose it is and who pays it in and who apparently owes who.

If you go into the bank they will basically tell you to go and sort it yourself - this isn't the banks issue to be dealing with.

eskbanker · 18 July 2019 at 5:36PM

LeahBarr wrote: »

So if he doesn't agree to give MY money then I won't go to the bank and sort it out.

Yes, this is what I was suggesting in post #2, i.e. insist that he repays you first (to your sole account) and only after you're all square then you can arrange to go to the bank and sort out what happens to the joint account.

MEM62 · 19 July 2019 at 12:17PM

LeahBarr wrote: »

Well.. if you actually read it.. I am not expecting them to listen to my problems at all! But there is a dispute over the account because I am not letting him do a runner with my money! So if he doesn't agree to give MY money then I won't go to the bank and sort it out.

Then all you are likely to encounter is a continuation of the current impasse with the money sitting in the account and neither of you being able to access it. Perhaps, once it has sat there long enough, both of you will see sense and come to a compromise so that you both can access your cash.

Joint Bank Account

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