Not upheld: account administration - refusal to process name change without enrolled deed poll complaint against Bank of Scotland plc trading as Halifax

Decision detail

Summary

Mr G complained that Halifax refused to change his account name based on an unenrolled deed poll, despite other financial institutions accepting the same documentation. Halifax maintained a policy requiring enrolled deed polls. The ombudsman found that while deed poll enrollment is not a legal requirement, Halifax is entitled to set its own business requirements for account administration. The Government website acknowledges that some organisations may require enrolled deed polls, supporting Halifax's position. The ombudsman concluded that Halifax's policy is reasonable, consistently applied, and does not constitute unfair treatment, and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while it is not a legal requirement for deed polls to be enrolled, Halifax is entitled to set its own business requirements for account administration. The Government website itself acknowledges that some organisations may require enrolled deed polls. The ombudsman concluded that Halifax's policy is not unreasonable, is applied consistently to all customers, and does not constitute unfair treatment. The online process directing customers to branch for certain actions, while potentially frustrating, follows sound logic and does not discriminate against Mr G.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website