Joint bank accounts that don't address letters only to the man...

[Thecazelets]

Can't think where else to post this for advice, but can anyone recommend a bank that will address letters to both joint account holders? DH and I have both held individual First Direct bank accounts for over 20 years, and we also have a shared joint account in both our names for household expenses. They insist on sending all correspondence on the joint account ( and new bank cards) only to DH. His name is after mine in the alphabet and on the cheque books, so it's not a 'computer says no' situation. He never even uses the account as I'm the one who organises all our bill payments etc. Recently they even sent a cheque back to him which was made out to my name and paid in by me to the account.

It's really getting me down, and I have complained to no avail. I've only asked them to put both our names on letters etc so that I can at least legally open post about our shared money, but they've refused. The letter I got back was distinctly sneery and implied I was making a fuss about nothing, but surely this leaves the non-addressed partner open to financial abuse?

So - can anyone recommend a bank that doesn't do this? All I want is a bank that'll put both of our names on correspondence. I don't need a separate statement, or my bank card arriving in a separate envelope, just an acknowledgement that it's my money too...

I do have the app, and can see/make payments etc that way to manage the account. So no problems with the online part of it. Just things that come through the physical mail.

I checked with DH and he has the same 'paperless' settings as me, so it's not that one of us has opted not to receive post.

I'm with Nationwide and I was set up as the primary account holder (because I filled in the form that way). I think all letters have been addressed to "Mrs Firstname surname and Mr Firstname surname". Cards come to each of us individually in separate letters

We have a first direct joint account. We don’t get paper statements but I’ve just looked at the online statement and it’s addressed to me alone. I assume DH’s is addressed to him. Cards come to me directly and his go to him. Are you sure this is a joint account and not just an additional card on his account?

Very sure Chemenger. In fact I set up the account, so if anyone was going to be the main account holder it would be me. It is called a 'Joint 1st Account' in First Direct terminology.

We have a credit card with another bank where I am the account holder and he's the additional cardholder, so I get the concept. Have no problem with cards and statements coming only to one of us ( in that case me) on that account.

I see the online banking is definitely showing it as joint, so i would think this is some sort of glitch in the record rather than a policy. I spent 50 minutes on hold with FD yesterday so I’m not the fan I used to be. Once I got through they were their usual helpful, friendly selves though.
Letters about out joint mortgage CMR addressed to both of us and back when we had check books they came addressed to me, I’m sure.

CMR? Come addressed

And thanks again to everyone who's taken an interest in this - I realise it's a very small problem to have - but just feels so retro. I had a mortgage on my own when I was 24, so it feels astonishing that 30 years later my bank cards are being sent only to my husband and no-one at the bank sees anything wrong with that.

Has the issue only happened post GDPR? I wonder if your marketing preferences have been messed up.

Am currently on the Martin Lewis site checking out best alternative bank accounts to switch to...

Another one here saying first direct address to both of us named on the joint account 🙋

I’d be annoyed too. We are both PhDs and I use Dr on my bank cards because I can, originally with the thought that it might make them less likely to be accepted if someone stole them. I have a second card on DH’s American Express account and they won’t let me have Dr, only Mrs. Presumably so I know my place. Our solicitor also always writes to Dr and Mrs lastname. At least it isn’t Mr and Mrs hisfirstname lastname, I do get to have my own first name.

Sexnotgender - that's a good point, it has only happened in the last couple of years. We don't get much post on the account anyway as we had both ticked paperless, so I was only aware of it still happening because they've just switched over to Mastercard debit and sent everyone new bank cards. Could be.

We both get our own copy of letters from First Direct on our joint mortgage.

Chemenger, that must be infuriating. Things like that make me feel like the angry feminist 1980s teenager I was all over again. Just so bloody basic.

Halifax send two separate copies of the same letter.

@Thecazelets

Sexnotgender - that's a good point, it has only happened in the last couple of years. We don't get much post on the account anyway as we had both ticked paperless, so I was only aware of it still happening because they've just switched over to Mastercard debit and sent everyone new bank cards. Could be.

Might be worth a DSAR to FD to see what they hold on you. I don’t know their system particularly but I’ve worked on back end systems for several major financial institutions and they should hold data on what your preferences are.

We have held a joint account with First Direct for more than 25 years. As I was the one who set the account up I made sure it's was the names of Mrs Cortex & Mr Cortex (in that order) and they have always addressed joint correspondence to us in that way. More recently they've started sending is separate copies of the same letters and emails addressed to each of us, presumably after a change of policy or regulations to make sure we each receive a copy. I've always taken the view that if I'm taking the lead on household admin I'm going to make sure I'm named first when it comes to things like this.

Good idea. I might just do that. In the meantime I have been into the account online and unticked all paperless preferences for the joint account. DH is still paperless, so if anything else comes addressed only to him I'll know it's not fixable that way.

How many times have you complained? I've read the full thread and unless I'm missing something you have only contacted them once and then they replied but not answering your question. It maybe the person replying had got it wrong or misunderstood. Might be worth having another go, a different person may get you a different answer, especially since quite a few posters have said that it doesn't happen with their account at the same bank. Worth another shot anyway, especially given the hassle it is to change!

When I saw the title of your post I came on to say First Direct! We get separate statements and both our names are on them. Can't understand why you've got a glitch.

Cortex - same. I set the acct up with my name first, and I manage it; when we still had cheque books my name was first. They came in windowed envelopes, so were addressed to both of us by default. DH never actually uses the account except to put money into it, and for years didn't even have a debit card for it.

I realise it's just an admin problem to do with recent changes to GDPR & FD's internal systems, rather than a Handmaid's Tale style attempt to erase my financial rights. But the sniffy reply I got to my complaint and lack of action to rectify it has made me realise that after a quarter of a century they're no longer the bank for me.

Thanks shiny. I've complained once verbally, and when they did it again once in writing. The written reply I got took over a month, and said that if I wasn't satisfied I should go to the Financial Ombudsman. I still think it must be a mistake and a silly admin error that could be easily sorted, and that someone sensible could sort it out in a moment, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Sorry shiny, that was for Coffeeandkittens!

HSBC are excellent

Sadly I think First Direct are part of HSBC so I'm not very tempted