Bereavement

As you deal with financial matters, you will find some organisations, such as Banks or Building Societies, may request proof of death. We recommend you obtain a few official copies of the death certificate once you have registered the death at the local register office.

You can contact us in one of two ways, either by phone or by visiting one of our branches or agencies.

For Savings accounts – You can call us on 01455 894 060 and speak to a member of our team. Our lines are open Monday – Friday between 9am – 5pm, Saturday 9am – 12pm. We are closed Sundays and bank holidays.

For Mortgages – You can call us on 01455 894 099 and speak to a member of our team. Our lines are open Monday – Friday between 9am – 5pm. We are closed Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

You’ll need to confirm:

• A few details about you
• Some details about the person who has died including: their date of birth, date of death and address
• Some basic account details, if you have them to hand

We offer private appointments in our branches from 2pm onwards on weekdays to discuss confidential matters. Please visit our branch and agencies page for contact details and opening times.

Please bring along some identification for yourself, the death certificate and any account passbooks if you have them.

To notify us of the death, the Society will require one of the following:

• The death certificate
• Coroner’s certificate of the Fact of Death (or a certified copy)
• Death certificate verification form completed by a Solicitor

We will then register the death and release information about the person’s accounts to the representatives of the estate.

What happens to the person’s accounts

Once we have registered the death, we will begin to make changes to the person’s account, below is what will happen depending on the amount, and type of account that the person held. For joint accounts control of the account will be transferred to the surviving account holder on the same terms and conditions.

If the combined balances of all the accounts held by the person (not including the balance of any joint accounts) is less than £250, we can release the monies to anyone who claims to be entitled to these monies on receipt of the original death certificate (or certified copy), plus a completed Declaration and Indemnity form signed by the representatives.

If the combined balances of all the accounts held by the persons (not including the balance of any joint accounts) is between £250 and £15,000, we can release the monies to anyone who claims to be entitled to these monies on receipt of the original death certificate (or certified copy), plus a completed Statutory Declaration and Indemnity form – witnessed by a Solicitor or Commissioner of Oaths and signed by the representatives.

If the combined balances of all the accounts held by the person (not including the balance of any joint accounts) exceeds £15,000, we willrelease the monies once we are in receipt of Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. However, upon receipt of the appropriate signed and completed withdrawal form, we can allow withdrawals as follows:

1. Cheque payable to a funeral director for funeral expenses – sight of the funeral director’s invoice is required.

2. Cheque payable to HM Revenue & Customs or the Probate Registry – sight of the demand or confirmation of the outstanding tax liabilities of the deceased is required.

You will need to arrange for payments due to be paid into the accounts, by standing order or faster payment, to be cancelled as soon as possible. Any payments received once our records have been updated may be returned to the originating source. To cancel these, you will need to contact the organisation sending the payments (i.e. the originating source).

If the person held a business/deposit account, there may be additional things you need to do. Our team will discuss these with you once you have notified us.

Once a death of a sole mortgage account holder has been registered, we will send further paperwork for the representatives of the estate to share their details, ID and future plans for the property.

When the death of a joint mortgage account holder has been registered, the mortgage will be transferred into the name of the surviving holder.