... to want my bank to recognise my married AND maiden names?

[jaype]

Surely it is not beyond the great computing capabilities of a national bank to be able to do this? I have just married at the grand old age of 38, and while I'll be using my married name 'socially', my professional name will remain as my maiden name as I have spent 15 years building up a profile and don't intend to have to start again. Therefore, I'll still be getting payments made in my maiden name.

I can't be the only person who does this, so why can't the bank cope with it? Grr.

There should definitely be some way that a person can accept payments made to the maiden name. We lost 400gbp in wedding gifts because they were made out to my maiden name and we had changed bank account names before we received the cheques. I'm sure everybody is thinking 'why didn't you just ask for a new cheque in your married name?' But these were gifts from people we barely knee, distant relatives and friends of in laws (I barely knew half the guests at my wedding :-( ) so we didn't even have addresses for them.

Can't see why the bank couldn't accept north certificate as proof that the other name is also me.

There is a way, it's just some banks make rules against it. I have four bank accounts (yes, ridiculous, I know), and while three of them insist this wasn't legal or possible, the last one admitted it is quite normal.

Have you still got the cheques in date? Might be worth trying again?

My local Natwest wouldn't let me pay in a chq in my married name (which I don't use) even with my marriage certificate, passport and payslip - unless I changed the account name at the sane time. They also wouldn't let me have 2 accounts. I just go back to the issuer of the chq now, and ask for another. Including HMRC, who decided to change my name without any request from me. FFS. Funnily enough they didn't change MrCab's.

I have never changed my name That all works OK except for MIL who sends me cheques for my birthday using my married name (if I used that name we would be called the same, she seems to think it is lovely!).

I have bank accounts with 3 different banks (all in my own name) so ech time I get a cheque I trawl around to find out which one will accept the cheque made out to my married name. Interestingly there is NO consitency. A bank which accepts it one year may refuse the next year, and visa versa.

it's not impossible, they just don't like it, and enjoy being difficult about it.

i even had different signatures..maiden name is FirstName My Name, signature is that scribbled in full

and joint account is Firstname and HisandMine, signature is scrawled initials

Generally I have found Nationwide to be the most agreeable and that is now why they have the full enjoyment of my CB and PT wages :D ...and dh's :D

My bank account is in my married name - it was in my maiden name but changed it over when I got married. However, I am known professionally by my maiden name, I get paid in that name into the bank account. It's never been a problem.

I also file tax returns in my maiden name but hmrc know that i get interest/dividends etc in my married name - I just put a note on my tax return. I got a tax refund a few months ago in my maiden name and just paid it into my bank account as normal.

I should add that I made sure that my passport is in both names - so it is in one name on one side (where the picture is) but on the other side (which is blank for everyone else) it says something like "The holder is also known as other name".