In early January, I went to the Dorchester branch of Barclays to find out why I could not access an account my wife and I held with a balance of £40,000.
I was told that as it had not been used for some time, the cash had been removed by the bank. This was done without any consultation.
I was assured the money would be transferred to an account of my choice if I completed an account reclaim form.
This was weeks ago but I’ve still not got my money despite making numerous calls and visiting the branch twice.
I received another form today to fill in. I am getting nowhere. Please help.
S.P., Bridport, Dorset.
Sally Hamilton replies: To use banking lingo, your account had become dormant.
This happens when there have been no transactions for at least 12 months on a current account and up to 15 years on a savings account.
Banks close these accounts to limit the risk of statements being sent out to previous addresses, which could then be used to commit identity fraud.
After 15 years, banks usually pass forgotten balances to the Dormant Assets Scheme, which uses the money to support good causes.
Millions of pounds have ended up there. Dormant account holders will always be repaid – with any interest due – if they later remember the accounts.
Banks are supposed to write to customers to warn about such closures. You said you didn’t receive any communication but were told later a message had been sent via the bank’s app, which you hadn’t seen.
Nevertheless, it should have been straightforward getting access to your balance once you asked.
Accounts can’t simply be re-opened but once a dormant account reclaim form has been completed the money can be transferred into a different one.
I asked Barclays to reunite you with your funds. Following an investigation, it said it had closed your account in June and transferred the money to a safe account.
Even though you had completed the correct form, explaining the money was to be transferred to an account in both your names, the bank mistakenly logged the new destination account as sole and not joint.
This triggered the sending of another form for your wife to complete. This she did, but Barclays says it never received it.
Following my intervention, the mistake was finally corrected and your money released on March 2. The bank added £100 as an apology, which you are passing to your local hospice.
A Barclays spokesman said: ‘We are sorry for the difficulties our customer experienced when wanting to transfer funds from their dormant account.
Our error meant the request was not processed correctly. This has now been resolved and the funds released to our customer, with an additional payment offered in recognition of the inconvenience caused.’
While it’s reassuring that owners of forgotten accounts have access to their money indefinitely, it’s a mistake to leave funds in accounts earning pitiful or no interest.
I recommend readers who think they might have a dormant account to wake it up and get their savings working harder. Get free help locating missing accounts at mylostaccount.org.uk.
Can’t afford my child maintenance payments
I got divorced more than ten years ago and have been giving financial support to my ex-wife for our four children, paying £1,085 a month.
In November last year, I found myself out of work. I have one son left under the age of 18 to provide for.
My ex contacted the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), and I sent off the requested forms, my P45 and proof that, since February, I have been drawing £1,000 a month from my private pension to cover my bills.
The CMS’s response was that I had to pay £1,070 a month.
That’s £70 more than my gross income. When I complained, they said I would have to continue to pay while they undertake a ‘mandatory reconsideration’, with a decision made some time in April.
I can’t afford it. Please help.
P.W., Hampshire.
Sally Hamilton replies: Following a break-up, both parents remain responsible for supporting their children financially.
Child maintenance is the amount paid monthly by the parent with less or no caring responsibilities, to the one who looks after them the most.
Parents can make private arrangements or, if they can’t agree between them, ask the Government’s Child Maintenance Service to do the sums and manage the payments.
Either way, there must be a plan in place for any child under 16, or under 20 if they are in full-time education or training.
You and your ex went down the official route, which worked out fine – until you lost your job last year.
When the parent making payments has a change of circumstances, the sums can be recalculated – but typically only when their income drops by at least 25 per cent.
The CMS must be alerted within seven days, otherwise court action and a fine of up to £1,000 could follow.
You told the CMS about your income change within the time frame and provided all the necessary information.
On checking your likely position on the gov.uk maintenance calculator, you believed your payments would reduce to £103.
It came as a massive shock to be told it would be ten times this sum, with threats of bailiffs if you didn’t pay.
In a panic, your current wife took on extra shifts as a dementia carer to help raise cash for the threatened bill.
When you queried the calculation with the CMS, its advisors agreed something must be wrong. Still, you received messages via its online portal saying your recalculation request was rejected.
On March 2, you spoke to a case worker who said that there was an IT issue and it would be sorted out. On the CMS’s request you submitted another form confirming you are not working.
Yet you were still being asked to cough up £1,070 on March 28. While happy to support your child, you could not meet this sum.
In desperation, you asked me to intervene. Once I did, the CMS got its calculator out.
It took some prodding but two days before the £1,070 was due to be taken from your account, the CMS called you to apologise and confirm your payment would be £103 a month after all.
The CMS offered me no explanation for what had gone wrong. It simply told me your plan had been ‘updated’.
When you asked the caller, they blamed the fact that the ‘software algorithm’ was based on your earnings for 2024-2025.
- Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk ¿ include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.
