Confirmation of Payee (CoP) service

We have now joined the Pay.UK’s Confirmation of Payee (CoP) service.

CoP is a name-checking service that helps banks and building societies like us protect our customers against fraud and accidentally misdirected payments by checking the name of the recipient account.

Our CoP service has been introduced following mandatory requirements from the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to support customers’ accounts that rely on sort code and account information plus additional data, such as a building society account number or reference.

What is Confirmation of Payee (CoP)?
CoP is a name-checking service to make sure UK based payments aren’t sent to the wrong account and helps protect you from fraud. It helps keep your money and accounts safe by checking the name on the payee’s (person who’s being paid) account before funds are sent to us.

How do I make a payment?
When you’re setting up a new payment or amending an existing payment, the Payee details are checked. When you send money electronically to your savings or mortgage account with us, it’s important that you include your full name (or business name), as it appears on your account and also select the payment type called ‘Personal’. You’ll also need the following account details:

– Sort code: 62-28-71
– Account number: 00000000
– Your reference: This is your account number with us and is usually 10 digits.

What will I see?
CoP is an additional step in the payment process to ensure you’ve checked the Payee details. When you’re ready to send your payment to your account with us you will see one of the following responses;

– Match – the name on the account matches and you can continue with the payment if you’re happy to do so
– Close match – the name on the account is not an exact match. It could be an abbreviated name or perhaps a spelling mistake. If you recognise the closely matched name, you can choose to continue or double check the payee details before continuing with the payment.
– No match – the payee’s name details don’t match the name on the account. It’s very important that you double check the payee’s details to make sure you’re sending funds to the right place. You can still make the payment, but if you are in any doubt, don’t continue.

Help protect yourself against fraud.
Please only make payments if you are satisfied it is going to the correct account and genuine payee. Do not feel pressured into making a payment, especially if there is a “No Match” payee.

We want our customers to feel comfortable and confident making payments to their savings and mortgages accounts but please get in touch with us straight away and let us know about any concerns, our contact details can be found on our website under the ‘Contact Us’ section.

If you think you may have been targeted as part of a scam, please also contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk

You can also find further information on Confirmation of Payee on the Pay.UK website here. Pay.UK is the organisation which oversees Confirmation of Payee on behalf of the industry.

FAQ’s

Why is the NatWest Name or Logo displayed?
When receiving a name match response, you may see within the payment confirmation screen that NatWest Bank (or their logo) is displayed, along with the correct sort code 62-28-71, account number 00000000 and your name, rather than detailing The Earl Shilton Building Society (or our logo). This is because all money transfers are processed through our Head Office Clearing Account with NatWest.

What if I’m paying into a joint account?
You’ll only need to enter the full name of one of the account holders.

Paying into a new account with us?
A name match may not be possible if you’re sending funds to an account that you’ve recently opened with us, as it can take up to 48 hours for the new account details with us to appear within the CoP name checking system. So please try again later.

Can I opt out of CoP?
The purpose of the CoP service is to protect you and your money from fraudsters and scammers. It’s also there to ensure your payment goes to the correct person. That’s why there are very limited circumstances where we would consider a request from a customer to opt out of the service (checking and confirming your account name matches). If you feel you need to opt out, please contact us so that we can understand your circumstances and consider your request.

Can CoP stop a payment?
No, you can decide whether to proceed with the payment once you’ve read the CoP response. However, if the details don’t match and you proceed with the payment, we may not be able to recover the money you send if it goes to an unintended recipient.

Are existing payees verified through CoP?
Not automatically, but you can check the details of an existing payee by editing a payee from your payees list.

How do I update my name or account details?
If you’re trying to receive a payment from someone and they’re told the name doesn’t match the account, it may be that we don’t have your correct name. Please complete the ‘change of customer details’ form which can be found on our website.