Cooperative Bank Asking for National Insurance Number After 15 Years

Have you checked back with them that the letter is genuine?

I can still remember my Mum's old Co-op number from the 1950s. Had to use it whenever you made a purchase, or it didn't add to your 'divi'.

The good old days...

Yes, I did call them and, while they couldn't explain the nine-digit "account number" on the letter, they did say that they had been sending out such letters.

At first I thought it was an identity theft scam, but now I am more concerned that it's genuninely from Coop Bank and that they've lost or corrupted their data.

Maybe some new anti-laundering rule came into force?

Or your account has been hacked.

They're under new owners, and probably the new owners are looking in the dark corners and tidying up the things that they find.

Rules were less strict in times past, and maybe the data they have doesn't meet modern regulations.

The other thing is scope creep. For example, once upon a time you could sign up for a Homebase card. It was just for discounts off DIY bits, so simple name and address needed. Then Homebase was bought by Sainsbury's, and members were converted into Sainsbury's cardholders. Then Sainsbury's started a bank. All of a sudden the database full of junk names and addresses people put in to get store discounts a decade ago was being offered bank accounts.

Not only that, maybe you can't tell whether a database entry originally came from Homebase, Sainsbury's or Sainsbury's Bank, so you don't know how trustworthy it might be. Once you have a crufty database like that, it's very hard to clean it up because people get all upset when you want to cross check by asking for ID.

Theo

(I've only heard the Homebase/etc incident anecdotally, so can't confirm the exact details but it's a useful illustration)

In message , mechanic writes

Have you tried to pay something in, but didn't pay anything into that iSA during the previous financial year? If so, I'm pretty sure that they have to ask you to verify your National Insurance credentials (probably regardless of any other accounts you have with that bank).

Ian Jackson wrote on Tue, 14 Apr 2015 at 13:15:43:

If there was no contribution the previous year a full fresh application and declaration are required, including all details such as name, address, DOB and NINO.

I think something similar happened when I didn't pay in for a while, but I've been paying in every month for at least the last seven years, without a break.

There might be something in this. The details were to be provided by phone to Coop, or by post to Britannia. I am not sure what Britannia's involvement in Coop ISAs has been over the whole period.