The perils of electronic statements

[bens_dad]

We want to buy a house and we want to borrow some, but not all, of the money.
The bank offering to give us a mortgage want proof that we have the remainder.
Some of it is in an internet bank account but (for security ?) the online statements don't include either of our names, nor the full bank account number :-(

Fortunately I've been able to go into the branch and get them to print out a statement that does have my name, account number and balance which they then stamped and initialled :-)

I did have a plan B - use PhotoShop (or even an html editor) to add my name and the starred part of the account number, but that would be silly.

We have also had to prove identity and address to solicitors, mortgage brokers and the like recently. A utility bill is a good way of proving address, but as they seem to be pushing towards online accounts they get harder to find too, so we ended up posting valuable documents (passport and driving licence IIRC) - which the postperson returned by dropping through our letterbox even though it was returned recorded delivery :-(

Comments

[miss-t-ide.livejournal.com]

To say nothing of the fact that they returned our documents to our home address, despite explicit instructions to send them to my work address where there would be someone there to sign for them!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

All this is part of why I resist online statements and won't change to them voluntarily. I need archival records that are, or look, official, and if I have online statements I have to print them off (or save them somehow) myself, which merely transfers the effort from someone else to me. That makes the small bribes, like GBP1 discount/month or GBP20 gift voucher or whatever, pale in comparison to the cost of my time.
One cannot rely on the online statements being there, either. For example, my Smile credit card was cloned, so Smile cancelled it and issued me a new card. This made all their records and statements with the old card number invisible and irretrievable for me. Their answer to my complaint was "We recommend you print off your statements monthly." Online statements for my other banks (which are available as well as the paper ones they send me) only go back a few months, which is Not OK either. And so on...