Recommendations for joint accounts that you don't have to open together in person

[WolfFoxHare]

My cousin and I are joint executors of a relative's estate. We need to open an joint account for the deceased's funds to be transferred to when we close their accounts, so we can administer the estate and disburse legacies to the people named in the will. Trouble is, we live at opposite ends of the UK, so meeting up to open an account is difficult (not impossible, but would take time to organize).

Can anyone recommend a joint account we can open together without having an appointment in the bank in person together? We're happy to go into our own local branch with ID etc but the deceased's bank says that's not enough, we have to be there in person together. Thanks!

Pretty sure you can do that with Monzo. You both need to create individual accounts and then create a third which is joint.

I would recommend Monzo too.

First Direct dd it over the phone with me and my sister in similar circumstances but we were both existing customers.

Starling - my partner and I opened a joint account about 4 years ago. Certainly at that time everything was done via the app

Chase. All via the app and uploading ID.

Thank you! That's very helpful. We'll try one of the online banks like Starling or Monzo - was it relatively straightforward once you had set up your individual personal accounts?

Why is death admin so awful?!

Just as a point of note, some businesses will not release funds into accounts not designated as executor accounts. I had to open one specifically for my mums estate as one of the insurers would only pay out to either a solicitor account dealing with the estate (which I don’t have as I’m dealing with it), the named beneficiaries in the will (which I didn’t want to happen as there were debts on the estate that would need to be paid out of the insurance money) or an executor account.
I opened one with Barclays, whom I’ve banked with for years, but still had to go into branch in person!

@WolfFoxHare it's grim isn't it, good luck with it all.

Thank you @Grenoside . So many people die every day, you'd like the processes would be easier and more straightforward, especially when bereaved people are often struggling with executive function. I am anyway!

Starling and Monzo both require each person to already have individual accounts with them before you can open a joint one. I’ve just checked online.

@Soontobe60 thanks, we’ll just sent up personal accounts then get a joint account, I think.