With my company’s sort code and account number ...

[Silverage]

... just how much information can a third party find out? I presume it is now possible to find out the name of the account holder by setting up a dummy payment to the account, entering any old account name for the payment and then seeing what the bank comes back with when it tries to match it up, but is that it? Is there any way for someone to find out the address the account is registered to for example?

I should make it clear, this is not something I am planning to do, just trying to find out if it is possible for it to be done to me.

Edited by Silverage on Friday 5th February 16:06

[vdn]

I don't see how they'd find anything out, directly. If they could get the account name, then yes - some sleuthing might find out director name and addresses - if it's a limited co.

I'm not sure a bank gives back the correct account name if you enter the name wrong. It's never happened for me...

[Silverage]

I’ve had it recently as part of the newish anti-fraud stuff when setting up a new payment. When you put in the payee’s name, if it is not a perfect match with what they have for the account, they tell you and sometimes show you what the actual name is so you can make an informed decision as to whether to proceed.

I don’t think there are any circumstances under which the bank would reveal the address on the account though apart from to the police, are there?

[plasticpig]

Pretty much everything is possible if the person in question is willing to spend some money on it; but that's highly unlikely to happen to the vast majority of businesses.

[skilly1]

If its a Ltd company, registered address, and directors are shown. You can get info for free through duedill so not much sleuthing needed !

[Silverage]

skilly1 said:

If its a Ltd company, registered address, and directors are shown. You can get info for free through duedill so not much sleuthing needed !

I understand that, but that information would not be coming from my bank, would it?

[skilly1]

Silverage said:

I understand that, but that information would not be coming from my bank, would it?

No, Directors and Company Address comes from companies house, and you have to keep it up to date as part of being a ltd company.

[vdn]

The bank won't give address out. I've never seen it.

[Countdown]

Silverage said:

... just how much information can a third party find out? I presume it is now possible to find out the name of the account holder by setting up a dummy payment to the account, entering any old account name for the payment and then seeing what the bank comes back with when it tries to match it up, but is that it? Is there any way for someone to find out the address the account is registered to for example?

I should make it clear, this is not something I am planning to do, just trying to find out if it is possible for it to be done to me.

Edited by Silverage on Friday 5th February 16:06

Re: the bit in bold, that's not how it works.

When we enter a payment (CHAPS or faster Payments) the bank checks the name of the Payee (that we have entered) against the name of the account holder at the receiving bank. It either says something like "strong match", "partial match", or "warning - no match". for example if the real name of the Account Holder was Maximillain Jonas Scnellbottom and we entered

Maximillain Jonas Scnellbottom = Strong Match
MJ Schellbottom = partial match
MJS Corporation = No match

We (the Payer) never get to see what the name of the Account holder is. We can only see how well it matches the name that we have input.

We would definitely not know what the address is at any point.