Adding Fiance to Bank Account

My fiance and I had an appointment this last Saturday to add my name to his account.  1) To establish that I live with him and 2) to transfer my monies over from the States. 

Santander denied it.  Their reasoning was that I haven't been here long enough to get my name added to his account. (I've only been here 6 weeks now.)  BUT.  They are saying I can open my own account.  WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD. 

They asked too many personal questions that frankly were none of their business. They asked questions about our relationship that made him very uneasy. AND. Every question I asked about transferring money over, nobody knew the answers.  Just kept saying, "I don't know."  I'm not used to this at all. 

Really?  Is this normal?  Does anyone understand why they might say I cannot be on his account but can have my own?

Steph

My husband has a "premier" account with Barclays and they wouldnt add me to it either, but, like you said, they allowed me to open my own account no problem.  The only thing I could think  of was because he has an overdraft available on his account and they wouldnt give me an overdraft until I was employed.  Since then, I have upgraded my account to one with an overdraft and they did ask me at that time if we wanted a joint account. 

Is there a reason you dont want your own account?

Yup, my DH has some sort of uber special business account/linked personal account with HSBC, and we were told that I would need a credit history in the UK if I wanted to be added to it. Opened my own account no problem, and it actually worked out for us as we could open two savings accounts with higher fixed interest rates that way.

Ahhh. That must be it. I know he does have overdraft protection on his account.

I really didn't want to have so many different accounts. I still have my account back in the States and will have to keep it open as long as I'm still receiving my financial aid there. 

Thanks!

Steph

The same thing happened to us with DH's nationwide account.  We were incensed at first, but I've calmed down a ton as I got to know the system here better.  I hadn't realized that even getting cheques often requires some credit history.  I had no problem setting up a personal account that was basic and I was able to get some overdraft and cheques very quickly after that.  We actually chose to keep the accounts separate after I got to the point that I could have had a joint account, and have been fine with that.

I wouldn't close your US account if I were you.  Even if you don't have income coming in, I use my account all the time.  I'll often have things come up that need payment in the US (like my student loans) and it's just easier for me to transfer money over there and take it from a US account since the account numbers and direct debits work differently here.  I have also had quite a few times where someone in my family wanted to leave us a little something to help out--like on my daughter's birthday.  They got a bit overwhelmed at the thought of figuring out how to get something changed to pounds, but had no qualms about making a deposit into my US account and then I used the money from there.

The same thing happened to us with DH's nationwide account.  We were incensed at first, but I've calmed down a ton as I got to know the system here better.  I hadn't realized that even getting cheques often requires some credit history. 

Its also quite common that accounts have a cheque guarantee feature, which means the bank will pay up to £100 to the payee even if the check bounces. You can see why banks don't want people without a credit history having access to this.
 
However, here's a recent article that suggests this feature may be going away though:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1262418/Cheque-guarantee-cards-axed-banks-following-Santander-lead.html

RBS wouldn't let my hubby add me to his checking account (probably for the same reasons already mentioned previously) but they allowed me to be added to his savings account.  Because I'm not working and don't really need my own account at this point in time, I wasn't too bothered.  Because my name is on a bank account (even though it is savings), I can use it if I need it for certain things (like getting my HIP grant deposited).  I also have an ATM card so I can withdrawl money from that account if I need to (but we never take money out of that account anyway).  I just use my hubby's debit card (linked to his regular checking account) if I need to buy anything online and withdraw cash if I'm going out shopping in town (no ATM charge if I use a RBS ATM which are everywhere!).  It is slightly annoying but it works out ok for our current situation. 

I must have been lucky althought I was a spouse not fiance when added.

Lloys we went to the local branch here and my DH has had an account for as they put it donkey's ages so it wasnt a problem....

He wanted me added to his platnium account so my cell would be covered and I would have AA (Icall it AAA) when I drive the car ect...They just said ok scanned my passport and were UBER nice.  I also got my own account as we just told them I was self employed as I was but he didn't seem to ask anything else.

I think its a crap shoot with the bank and I really think going to the little local ones are better then the high street ones.  I say this because we went to the high street one in Durham and it was like jumping hoops as I need a CC statement showing I HAD charges if I wanted to use it as proof of address <eyeroll>,

Look around unless DF is dead set on staying with the same bank.  It really does have benefits to have a joint account at least with Lloyds with the type we have it does.

Good luck!

I must have been lucky althought I was a spouse not fiance when added.

Lloys we went to the local branch here and my DH has had an account for as they put it donkey's ages so it wasnt a problem....

He wanted me added to his platnium account so my cell would be covered and I would have AA (Icall it AAA) when I drive the car ect...They just said ok scanned my passport and were UBER nice.  I also got my own account as we just told them I was self employed as I was but he didn't seem to ask anything else.

I think its a crap shoot with the bank and I really think going to the little local ones are better then the high street ones.  I say this because we went to the high street one in Durham and it was like jumping hoops as I need a CC statement showing I HAD charges if I wanted to use it as proof of address <eyeroll>,

Look around unless DF is dead set on staying with the same bank.  It really does have benefits to have a joint account at least with Lloyds with the type we have it does.

Good luck!

Have to agree, you were so lucky.  My DH had his account for about 25 years when he tried to add me, and they still wouldn't.  Yes, really 25 years.

I have an account at RBS and I had no problem whatsoever adding my husband to it! We just had to take down our marriage certificate (as I was changing my name on it too), his passport with visa and 2 proofs of his address here which wasnt a problem as I had changed the water and gas bill to add his name.

He has his own debit card and everything and the statements come addressed to both of us! I never thought that it would be a problem!

I must have been lucky althought I was a spouse not fiance when added.

Lloys we went to the local branch here and my DH has had an account for as they put it donkey's ages so it wasnt a problem....

He wanted me added to his platnium account so my cell would be covered and I would have AA (Icall it AAA) when I drive the car ect...They just said ok scanned my passport and were UBER nice.  I also got my own account as we just told them I was self employed as I was but he didn't seem to ask anything else.

I think its a crap shoot with the bank and I really think going to the little local ones are better then the high street ones.  I say this because we went to the high street one in Durham and it was like jumping hoops as I need a CC statement showing I HAD charges if I wanted to use it as proof of address <eyeroll>,

Look around unless DF is dead set on staying with the same bank.  It really does have benefits to have a joint account at least with Lloyds with the type we have it does.

Good luck!

We didnt add me to DF's Lloyds platinum account because I have my own and we are not married, but he was able to add me to all the insurance stuff without it (car, phone, travel, etc.) Something to look into if anyone else's SO has a Lloyd's platinum account. They also told him it wouldnt be a problem to add me once we were married.

What a relief, I wasn't alone in this hassle.  My husband and I were married right before we moved, and though his company who was helping set up our bank account asked to verify my name, somehow when the debit card and statement arrived, I wasn't on it.  We went into a branch and soon discovered how circular everything was--I needed to fill out an application to be added and provide a utility bill at our current address that was in my name.  Well, we were simultaneously getting our flat sorted, so when we did finally have an address, my name wasn't any of the bills because to do so required a bank account in MY name!  Chicken or the egg...seriously.  I think we were finally able to use my name on our Thames Water account, so, voila.  I had met a woman once through a friend who lived here over a year without a debit card of her own because of encountering the same hassle--it's such a deflating feeling when it takes so long to establish an identity here!  From what I've heard so far, HSBC has been the easiest account to set up even prior to moving.