Employment Letter / no company letterhead

During the last 6 months I have worked for a small company in the UK (I was the 5th employee hired).

The company doesn't have 'official letterhead' paper.  They have a letterhead template that includes the letterhead graphic.  When a document on letterhead is needed, they use the template with graphic, and print out the letter and the graphic prints on the standard white paper at the same time as the text.  This is also a standard b/w laser printer not a color laser printer.

From the recent thread on maintenance funds / bank statements:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=49815.0

tannersarms cautions against having a bank do the above process when verifying minimum balances:

If you printed off your statements from your PC, they're only acceptable if accompanied by a supporting letter from his/her bank, on company headed paper, confirming the authenticity of the statements provided. Alternatively an electronic bank statement bearing the official stamp of the bank in question will be accepted. This stamp should appear on every page of the statement.

If you went to the bank, and asked them to print off statements, and they did but it came out on plain paper, refer to the paragraph above.

If you went to the bank, and asked them to print out statements and they did with their fancy smancy colour laser printer, but the logo etc clearly was printed at the same time as the rest of the stuff, better to play it safe than sorry and refer back two paragraphs above

If you went to the bank, and they printed out the statements on their own stationery (i.e. paper already having their logo on it prior to going in the printer tray) you should be OK.

My question.  What should I do if the company doesn't have official letterhead stationery?  What if the Employment Letter / Income verification is printed with a graphic letter head logo at the same time as the letter, and even at that point, not even on a 'fancy smancy colour laser printer', but a B/W one?

Thanks,
Duane

That is for a bank and bank statements.  Don't get the two confused.

An letter confirming your employment should contain sufficient contact information so someone might be able to verify if it is authentic.  Doesn't matter what it is printed on.

The company doesn't have 'official letterhead' paper.  They have a letterhead template that includes the letterhead graphic.  When a document on letterhead is needed, they use the template with graphic, and print out the letter and the graphic prints on the standard white paper at the same time as the text.

In order to save costs this method is fast becoming the norm in the UK. Effectively a letterheading and the letter are printed together, thereby saving the huge cost of pre-printing letterheads. It has many advantages including the fact that on a change of any detail ... address. telephone number etc etc .... there is no pre-printed stationery to be thrown away or recycled.

In order to save costs this method is fast becoming the norm in the UK. Effectively a letterheading and the letter are printed together, thereby saving the huge cost of pre-printing letterheads. It has many advantages including the fact that on a change of any detail ... address. telephone number etc etc .... there is no pre-printed stationery to be thrown away or recycled.

In the US, as well. In fact, it's been advancing for a few years now. It also eliminates the huge cost of order new letterhead whenever the company changes telephone numbers, changes/adds/closes locations, etc. It's curious that this otherwise desirable "green" practice wasn't taken into account when the PBS was being designed.

In the US, as well. In fact, it's been advancing for a few years now. It also eliminates the huge cost of order new letterhead whenever the company changes telephone numbers, changes/adds/closes locations, etc. It's curious that this otherwise desirable "green" practice wasn't taken into account when the PBS was being designed.

Again, don't get confused between bank statements and other types of information.

Also, do you have a better suggestion of how to submit information in a way that is verifiable from a financial institution?  In some countries, there is a large black market in documents and identity fraud is ripe.  That is part of why UKBA the document verification departments.  What is to prevent someone from totally making up some account information and printing it out on their printer?  Especially when it comes to on-line statements, it would take me 5 seconds to manipulate a web page and print it out that showed my account balance being super high.

The rules continue to flucuate.  For example, the amount of evidence required for a FLR(M) has been reduced dramatically the past year, due into part to people getting less official post.

If you have another way to help ensure that people have the money they say they have, that works globally, I think we are all ears.

I fully understand the whys and wherefores. I'm a pretty good hand at graphic arts and website design myself. But in that vain, it's really not that much further a leap to simply design and have "fancy schmansy" letterhead pre-printed by a legitimate commercial printer, then print the substance of the document yourself, either. Especially, in the countries where this is rampant. So why have the "official letterhead" be the end all of evidence? That was my observation.