Bereavement support

The process of sorting out savings depends on the types of account held, the amount of money held in the accounts and if there's a Will.

Once we've been told about a death, payments from savings accounts held in the sole name of the deceased are frozen. If it's a joint account, once we've registered the death, control automatically passes to the other account holder(s).

Disclosure of information

We may need to conduct some checks on your identity before we can disclose any account information. To do this we might be able to perform an electronic search to prove your identity as an alternative to providing original documentation. We'd need your permission first though so call us on 0345 266 1209 to find out more. These checks will not be necessary if you are already a Skipton mortgage or savings customer.

If you are named as an executor in the Will we can tell you the account balance(s) and interest due up to the date of death. If there is no Will, this is called being 'intestate'. In this case, we can only give information to certain people. First we speak to the spouse or civil partner, or the solicitor appointed to act on behalf of the estate. If there's no surviving spouse or civil partner, we might be able to deal with adult children or parents.

In order to release the information, we require one of the following:

• Original death certificate.
• Original coroner’s interim certificate.
• Death certificate verification form.
• A Grant of Representation if already available – this can include a Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or Certificate of Confirmation in Scotland.

These can be sent by post, along with contact details about yourself and confirmation of your relationship in writing.

Transfer of ISA allowance

As the spouse or civil partner of the person who has died, you can benefit from the tax-free entitlement they have built up in ISAs, this is called an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) scheme.

If there's a mortgage, monthly payments should continue so the loan doesn't fall into arrears and cause complications (the mortgage is a debt of the estate). If this is difficult, our Credit Management team can talk you through your options. You can call them on 0345 850 1766.

You also need to make sure any buildings insurance is kept in place. Once you've registered the death with us, we can help you with the next steps.

If the person who has died held investments which were arranged through our financial advice service, we are here to help. We have a dedicated team who can register the death with the various investment providers and process claims. They are also on hand to answer any questions or concerns you have.

Call our Financial Advice Probate team on 0800 085 0459 or email sfsprobateandlegalservicingmailbox@skipton.co.uk.

If the person who has died held a Will created through our Will service (provided by Skipton Trustees Limited and administered by Redstone Wills Limited) please call them directly on 0808 168 2560. Please note that only the executor is entitled to receive the Will.

If the Will was created under the old service (provided by Irwin Mitchell), please contact us directly on 0345 266 1209.

If the person who has died had a Skipton Funeral Plan provided by Dignity, you can call them on 0345 607 9711 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.