From Legal Futures’ Associate Certainty National Will Register.
Last week a new Death Notification Service launched meaning grieving families no longer have to call multiple banks to inform them of a death.
The service can be completed by filling in a single form online or by making one phone call. The service has been set up to assist families who previously would have faced multiple calls to banks at an emotionally charged time to repeatedly explain that someone they loved had died. This would be followed by multiple requests from different banks asking for the same information. The process was deemed insensitive and the new service is the culmination of a campaign by The Daily Mail’s Money Mail, to transform the way in which banks deal with bereaved customers.
The campaign has led to an online Death Notification Service similar to the Government service whereby when someone registers a death at the register office, the local authority can cancel the deceased’s passport, driving licence, National Insurance number, state benefits and disabled Blue Badge by filling in just one form.
The Death Notification Service will provide the same one-stop service convenience but will focus on notification to financial institutions, so multiple current and savings accounts can be closed in one go.
The major financial institutions are onboard: Barclays, HSBC – including First Direct, Lloyds Banking Group – including Halifax, Nationwide, Royal Bank of Scotland Group – including NatWest, and Santander, with smaller banks, building societies, and insurance companies to follow eventually.
The Death Notification Service is run by technology company Equiniti, who have a dedicated team to help families; phone lines are open Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm on 0333 207 6574 or online at www.deathnotificationservice.co.uk.
The other useful service provided as part of the service run by Equiniti is a Certainty Will Search. This will enable families who are unsure if a Will exists, if they have the last written Will, or which law firm or Will writer is holding the Will, to search for it.
The Certainty Will Search checks the 7.7million Wills in the National Will Register system and also checks nationally for Wills that have not been registered, written by solicitors and Will writers, to provide clarity surrounding the estate and prevent complications should an unknown Will come to light after distribution.
For further information on Will registration and the types of searches you can carry out please contact us on 0330 100 3660 or email enquiries@certainty.co.uk.
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