Banking business cheques made out to the the wrong business

Banking business cheques made out to the the wrong business

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Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Our energy supplier has sent us cheques to the value of around £12k, made out to one of our companies that doesn't have a bank account. So, instead of making them out to Balfourco Ltd, they have made them out to Balfourco Services Ltd.

It's taken us two months to wrench the cheques from their grasping claws and I don't want to go through the process of having them reissued.

We've bank accounts with Barclays, HSBC and Nat West but I suspect that none of them will allow us to pay these cheques into one of our accounts.

I am tempted to set up a Starling account or similar, in the correct company name, pay them in and then pay the balance to where we want it. But does anyone have a better idea please?


Portia5

590 posts

30 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Contact the issuer(s) Ask them to cancel the cheque(s) and send the money by bank transfer instead.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Portia5 said:
Contact the issuer(s) Ask them to cancel the cheque(s) and send the money by bank transfer instead.
It will take weeks.

hidetheelephants

27,825 posts

200 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
So will opening a new account, if you're lucky.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
hidetheelephants said:
So will opening a new account, if you're lucky.
Starling would have it that it is 24 hours.

Ussrcossack

662 posts

49 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Just try to pay it in if it's got balfour in it should clear

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Ussrcossack said:
Just try to pay it in if it's got balfour in it should clear
Tried it before with HSBC but no dice. Haven't tried Barclays or Nat West.

Panamax

5,084 posts

41 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
I think that's your only choice. You could, of course, neatly cross through the word "services" and see what happens.

As regards opening an account in the "wrong" name I don't think you'd get anywhere. With all the money laundering checks that are made these days the first thing the bank's going to do is ask for the certificate of incorporation etc, or at least check online with Companies House for the existence of the company and identity of its directors.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Panamax said:
I think that's your only choice. You could, of course, neatly cross through the word "services" and see what happens.

As regards opening an account in the "wrong" name I don't think you'd get anywhere. With all the money laundering checks that are made these days the first thing the bank's going to do is ask for the certificate of incorporation etc, or at least check online with Companies House for the existence of the company and identity of its directors.
No need for a “wrong” name. The company whose name is on the checks is real, it just does not trade.

I’ve “paid in” several of them this afternoon to Barclays using the app and one of our companies with a similar name. I note however that there is quite a low weekly limit for cheques, so they may yet refuse them even if the name passes.

Panamax

5,084 posts

41 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
No need for a “wrong” name. The company whose name is on the checks is real, it just does not trade.
Presumably it must have traded at some point and that's why the cheque's been made payable to it. If the old bank a/c has been closed it looks like a simple case of opening a new one to clear this cheque, if the bank won't accept your explanation and just pay it in. They should be pretty familiar with dealing with groups of related companies and some of the slip-ups that can occur.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Panamax said:
Louis Balfour said:
No need for a “wrong” name. The company whose name is on the checks is real, it just does not trade.
Presumably it must have traded at some point and that's why the cheque's been made payable to it. If the old bank a/c has been closed it looks like a simple case of opening a new one to clear this cheque, if the bank won't accept your explanation and just pay it in. They should be pretty familiar with dealing with groups of related companies and some of the slip-ups that can occur.
It has never traded and was only set up six months ago.

Rufus Stone

8,237 posts

63 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
No need for a “wrong” name. The company whose name is on the checks is real, it just does not trade.
Why has it got an account with a utility supplier then?

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Rufus Stone said:
Louis Balfour said:
No need for a “wrong” name. The company whose name is on the checks is real, it just does not trade.
Why has it got an account with a utility supplier then?
Because part of a group structure.

Rufus Stone

8,237 posts

63 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
Because part of a group structure.
That makes no sense.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Rufus Stone said:
Louis Balfour said:
Because part of a group structure.
That makes no sense.
Yes it does and there is no need to go into more detail because it is not relevant to this dialogue.


Darumvej

186 posts

145 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Just a heads up. You can only pay a cheque on the app to Starling up to £1000. Any amount over this has to be posted to them.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Saturday 3rd February
quotequote all
Darumvej said:
Just a heads up. You can only pay a cheque on the app to Starling up to £1000. Any amount over this has to be posted to them.
Good to know thank you.

voicey

2,457 posts

194 months

Monday 5th February
quotequote all
Try paying them in at the post office. It worked for me last year albeit on a smaller sum

grumbas

1,051 posts

198 months

Monday 5th February
quotequote all
Going back many years we used to get sent cheques from customers made out to all sorts of variants of the legal company name, even trading names that bore no resemblance. Never had trouble banking them at Barclays.

Personally I'd head into branch and try your luck, sounds far less time consuming than getting them reissued.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,690 posts

229 months

Monday 5th February
quotequote all
voicey said:
Try paying them in at the post office. It worked for me last year albeit on a smaller sum
That's an idea, thank you. Half of them I haven't tried banking through Barclays. I will see if they clear. One of them is for £6k so I am guessing they won't like that one.