The process of sorting out savings depends on the types of account held, the amount of money held in the accounts and if there's a Will.
Once we've been told about a death, payments from savings accounts held in the sole name of the deceased are frozen. If it's a joint account, once we've registered the death, control automatically passes to the other account holder(s).
Disclosure of information
We may need to conduct some checks on your identity before we can disclose any account information. To do this we might be able to perform an electronic search to prove your identity as an alternative to providing original documentation. We'd need your permission first though so call us on 0345 266 1209 to find out more. These checks will not be necessary if you are already a Skipton mortgage or savings customer.
If you are named as an executor in the Will we can tell you the account balance(s) and interest due up to the date of death. If there is no Will, this is called being 'intestate'. In this case, we can only give information to certain people. First we speak to the spouse or civil partner, or the solicitor appointed to act on behalf of the estate. If there's no surviving spouse or civil partner, we might be able to deal with adult children or parents.
In order to release the information, we require one of the following:
- Original death certificate.
- Original coroner’s interim certificate.
- Death certificate verification form.
- A Grant of Representation if already available – this can include a Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland.
These can be sent by post, along with contact details about yourself and confirmation of your relationship in writing.
Transfer of ISA allowance
As the spouse or civil partner of the person who has died, you can benefit from the tax-free entitlement they have built up in ISAs, this is called an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) scheme.
