can't get a bank account

[Two_Sheds]

This is doing my head in now ~ I can't open a bank account

It's because I can't provide the ID that the banks now require "because of money laundering laws"

They need a driver's license (I don't drive) or a marriage cert (I ain't married) plus a bill in my name (Mr Sheds has all the bills in his name).

I have plenty of official letters and things with my name & address on: none of which are on their official list of proper documents.
I have bank statements, but they won't accept them because they are an online bank.
I have letters from Inland Revenue and the utility companies: but they aren't actual bills, so they won't accept them. I got so cross with the teenager on the phone, and the manager who couldn't be bothered to come to the phone.

I can't prove to them who I am, it's just flaming daft

[BrideXIII]

This is doing my head in now ~ I can't open a bank account

It's because I can't provide the ID that the banks now require "because of money laundering laws"

They need a driver's license (I don't drive) or a marriage cert (I ain't married) plus a bill in my name (Mr Sheds has all the bills in his name).

I have plenty of official letters and things with my name & address on: none of which are on their official list of proper documents.
I have bank statements, but they won't accept them because they are an online bank.
I have letters from Inland Revenue and the utility companies: but they aren't actual bills, so they won't accept them. I got so cross with the teenager on the phone, and the manager who couldn't be bothered to come to the phone.

I can't prove to them who I am, it's just flaming daft

it is very difficult these days, the only reason my boys managed to get an account without passports was because they were on mine and it was only just out of date, plus I already had an account with them.

now as a compromise, have you considered applying for a drivers license? will a provisional license do? you dont have to be able to drive to hold one, at least you didn't have to.
Do you have your birth certificate ( if its a copy as mine is that can be unacceptable)

also have you tried the post office bank? aren't they supposed to have done a deal with the government to help people having trouble getting accounts?

If Mr TW has an account, can he help by 'vouching' for you? or get one of the bills they require put in joint names maybe?

This is one reason why I am not against ID cards, they would save so many problems for people like you and me without the required forms of ID

I had all sorts of problems ten years ago, no high street bank would touch me thanx to my ex.

happily I applied for a first direct account which is an online bank, and they are part of HSBC which is where the boys now have accounts.
for people with young children, get them their own account as soon as you can ( 10 years old most banks) it gets them on the ID ladder which will be a great help later on.

[lynda66]

can you not take your passport in to MR sheds bank, with mr sheds ... and get him to refer you?? that's what i did with rob, and he only had student id, when he was at college.

are you on the electoral roll?? that can make a difference sometimes too if you aren't

[Nicos]

You can exchange money at the Post Office with a passport.

( my previous reply has gone AWALK !!)

[Two_Sheds]

now as a compromise, have you considered applying for a drivers license? will a provisional license do? you dont have to be able to drive to hold one, at least you didn't have to.
Do you have your birth certificate

This is the second part of my problem.
I have a birth certificate, but it's a different surname to the one I have used since I was 4 years old.
I wasn't officially adopted, so I have nothing official to prove the name I use is my real name. It's just always been my name.

I have considered changing all my documents into the name that is on my birth certificate: but that is a huge job, and anyway, that isn't my name

[BrideXIII]

This is the second part of my problem.
I have a birth certificate, but it's a different surname to the one I have used since I was 4 years old.
I wasn't officially adopted, so I have nothing official to prove the name I use is my real name. It's just always been my name.

I have considered changing all my documents into the name that is on my birth certificate: but that is a huge job, and anyway, that isn't my name

LOL you do like to make things difficult dontcha!

however, the name on the birth certificate shouldn't matter, mine is obviously not the same as my married name which is what my bank account is in, and i am divorced, they never asked for marriage cert or divorce papers.

could you use the BC to get a provisional drivers license ( wich you are not going to use) ? then you would have two forms with the same name. once you have the account, you should be able to get the name changed to the name you use? especially if you get a couple of utility bills in your 'new' name.

I also think you should actually go into a branch and see someone, rather than try to do anything on the phone, this is something that needs explaining face to face to someone older than 5 and not living in india.

[lynda66]

what's wrong with your passport???

[Glutton4...]

Get married?? - It's not that bad you know!

[zazen999]

Have you tried the co-op - I opened a current and savings account with them online. I also opened a kaupthing edge account, online, with no issues.

Both with no id needed and no problems...all in the last 3 months.

[Snadger]

Have you tried the co-op - I opened a current and savings account with them online. I also opened a kaupthing edge account, online, with no issues.

Both with no id needed and no problems...all in the last 3 months.

That's interesting......another bank account never comes in wrong. Switzerland is a long way to go to cash a cheque!

[RedThorn]

The utility bill is an easier one, Get OH to put a couple of the utilities in BOTH of your names and do the same with the council tax. The council tax should make it easier. Are you on the voter's role? Also try going to a buildings society and explain the situation. Try for a savings account only. I had the same problem 8 years ago and is frustrating in the extreme. I had a job who would only pay into my account, but could not get an account, so could not get paid.... took nearly 2 months to sort. Found the Buildings Societies to be far more helpful in this kind of situation.

Good luck

[Two_Sheds]

The utility bill is an easier one, ...do the same with the council tax. Are you on the voter's role? Also try going to a buildings society and explain the situation. Try for a savings account only. .... Found the Buildings Societies to be far more helpful in this kind of situation.

It is a savings account; it is a Building Society - no local branches unfortunately, so I can't go in to beg.

We have just moved house, so not many bills have come in yet: and in any case we have "paperless" billing ~ as we are always being told to save the environment ~ yet you can't use printed statements as ID, because they aren't "proper" (grrrrr)

I have an online bank account ~ can't use those statements either.

It's ruddy ridiculous. If I was a fraudster, I'd have all the right docs, because I'd forge them

[Two_Sheds]

what's wrong with your passport?

It's in the wrong name. The one on my birth certificate. Nothing else is, and I can hardly give them documents in two different names - it looks well dodgy

My old passport had both my names on it. When it got stolen, I got a replacement but the muppets only put my birth name on it, not the one I go by, and they wouldn't change it unless I paid again.

It's a nightmare.

Perhaps I should change everything into my birth name?

I'll have another think.

[Two_Sheds]

Have you tried the co-op - I opened a current and savings account with them online.

I've got one. Thing is, their interest rate is less than 2% now, so I am trying to change to a 4% savings account.

[zazen999]

I've got one. Thing is, their interest rate is less than 2% now, so I am trying to change to a 4% savings account.

That's why I put some cash into Kaupthing...I withdrew it the day before they went belly up and it took weeks to actually get it back again. It was a quite worrying few weeks.