Confirmation of Payee

What is Confirmation of Payee?

Confirmation of Payee is a name checking service which helps reduce instances of fraud. It gives you greater confidence that your payments are being sent safely to the intended person or business. When you make a payment online, by phone or in branch, Confirmation of Payee will check if the account details you’ve given for a payee match those they’ve registered with their bank.

How does it impact payments?

Sending a payment to your Named account

If you’re sending money to your Named account, we’ll use the details you’ve most recently provided. If you wish to change these, please contact our Customer Service Centre on 0800 121 8899.

Receiving a payment

When someone tries to send money to your Coventry Building Society account a confirmation check takes place. If their bank is also part of the Confirmation of Payee scheme, they’ll check to make sure the details the person has entered for you match those on your account.

For payments to get to your account safely, the person sending you money will need:

Your full first and last name as it appears on your account
Your sort code and account number
To confirm that your account type is Personal

Match types

After a Confirmation of Payee check, you’ll see one of the following match types confirmed. Here’s what they mean:

Match

The details you entered for the recipient match those on their bank account accurately.

Close Match

The details you entered closely match those confirmed by the receiving bank. This happens if either the name you’ve given is slightly different from the name on the account, or if the account type is incorrect. We’ll show you the correct name and/or account type to help you decide if it’s the right person you’re paying. Although you can choose to continue, we recommend you check these details with the recipient if you’re unsure rather than risk losing your money.

No Match

The details you entered don’t match those held by the receiving bank which means your payment may not reach the intended account. This happens if the details you’ve entered are incorrect or if the payee has since switched bank accounts. In most circumstances, you won’t be able to complete the payment until you either:

re-enter the payee details if you’re adding a new payee
or delete and re-add them if they’re an existing payee.

Unable to check

Sometimes we’re unable to confirm the payee’s details. This could be because:

the payee’s bank may not be a part of the Confirmation of Payee Scheme yet
the account type may be unsupported
or there may be a technical issue.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the details you’ve entered are incorrect. However, you should check with the recipient if you are unsure.

Protecting against fraud

If something doesn’t seem right, take a moment to stop and think before you make a payment. If you’re concerned about fraud visit Take Five.

How to update a Payee’s details

My Named Account

To change your Named account details, you’ll need to call us on 0800 121 8899 (with your Telephone Security Details to hand) or pop into a branch.

FAQ

What name should I use for joint accounts?

When you pay money to, or receive money into a joint account, please use the full name of both account holders as they appear on the account.

I’ve recently changed my name, how do I make a payment?

Paying my named account

To make a payment to your named account we must be able to confirm it’s in your name. You’ll need to ensure the name we have registered for you matches the name registered with your Named account’s bank.

The easiest way to update your name on your account is at a branch. Bring your documents and we can verify the change and update your details then and there. Alternatively, you can fill in a change of name form and send it to us at:

FREEPOST CBS CUSTOMER SERVICE

It's important that you write the address exactly like this,:

in capital letters
all on one line.

You don't need a stamp. Royal Mail delivers Freepost as Second Class mail.

Please note: if you change your name with us, we automatically re-issue any cash cards or passbooks you have for your accounts. You’ll receive them in the post and you can use the same PIN. Your cards with your old name on will become inactive as soon as the new cards are produced.

How do I opt out of Confirmation of Payee?

You can’t opt out of the checks when you make a payment to someone else. However, you may be able to stop your own details being checked when other people try to pay money to your Coventry account.

We’ve introduced Confirmation of Payee to help make payments between banks simpler and help reduce instances of fraud. If you’ve opted out, people who try sending you money won’t be able to get reassurance that they’ve entered your correct details. They may receive a message stating that their bank was unable to confirm your details.

If you’d like to opt out, you can:

call us to let us know (with your Telephone Security Details to hand)
send us a secure message within OLS
write us a letter
or pop into a branch.

If you change your mind and want to opt back in, you can let us know through the same channels.

Here’s a reminder of our contact information:

Call us:
0800 121 8899

Address:
Coventry Building Society
Oakfield House
PO Box 600
Binley
Coventry
CV3 9YR

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8am – 7pm
Saturday: 9am – 2pm
Sunday & Bank Holidays: Closed

Want help?
Our help section is bursting with useful information. If you'd rather chat, just give us a call.

Help

Call us on 0800 121 8899

Lines closed

Mon-Fri 8am-7pm
Saturday 9am-2pm
Sunday & Bank holidays Closed

Yesterday, people waited on average

17 seconds for savings enquiries
17 seconds for mortgage enquiries

Want help?
Our help section is bursting with useful information. If you'd rather chat, just give us a call.

Help

Get in touch

Call us on

0800 121 8899

Monday - Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Bank holidays

8am - 7pm
9am - 2pm
Closed
Closed

Yesterday, people waited on average

5 minutes 9 seconds seconds for savings enquiries

16 seconds for mortgage enquiries