Clubs must keep banks informed

Mrs L.G. writes: I am chairlady of a women’s organisation. Since I took the position last year we have been trying to update our Santander bank account, but over the years the committee membership has changed and we have lost track of the original officers. THIS is not an unusual problem with bank accounts held by clubs and societies. People move on, resign from office, or pass away and as long as things keep on ticking over, nothing is done to keep banking arrangements up to date.

In the case of your own organisation, the crisis came when your previous treasurer was undergoing chemotherapy. You tried to get her name removed from the bank account and the new treasurer’s name added. You found that Santander needed the signatures of previous officers, but the bank did not even have a record of you becoming chairlady so it would not tell you the names of the original officers who would have to sign over the account. You then decided to close the Santander account and open a new one elsewhere. Opening the new account was no problem, but the Santander account remained as well, so I asked staff at the bank’s head office to intervene. They have succeeded in contacting enough of the previous account signatories to authorise the closure, so you have finally got what was needed, though it has taken many months. The lesson is always to keep your bank informed of changes, or face complications later.