Confirmation of Payee FAQs
We’ve summarised our Frequently Asked Questions to help you learn more about the Confirmation of Payee service.
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Confirmation of Payee is a name checking service which checks account details before initiating a payment. This helps to make sure that your payment is going to the right account and provides an extra layer of protection from fraud.
The person paying you will be informed if the account name does not match and will be encouraged to check payment details with you before proceeding with the transaction.
For more information on how to stay safe from fraud, please visit our Protecting Your Organisation From Fraud webpage.
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You don’t need to do anything; you will be automatically enrolled onto this service if you hold an account with us.
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You can request to opt out at any time. This will mean that your details won’t be checked when other people try to pay you and they will receive a message saying that your details can’t be checked. This could discourage people from making payments to you as they won’t be able to verify that the account details are correct. You can opt back in at any time.
You can’t opt out of checks being completed when you make a payment to someone else.
Opt out requests are usually only agreed to in exceptional circumstances but if you would like to discuss opting out of, or opting in to, Confirmation of Payee, please submit a secure message through Online Banking or call us directly. Our Customer Service team will contact you within 48 hours of receiving your secure message.
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When you make a payment to someone new, or when you’re setting up a new beneficiary, we’ll let you know if the account name matches. To avoid paying the wrong account by mistake, ask the recipient for the correct name on their account beforehand and ensure you update your beneficiary details on Online Banking.
If the account name doesn’t match, we’ll let you know. You will still be able to make the payment. However, we might not be able to recover the money if it goes to the wrong account, so you should re-confirm that the payment request is genuine and check the account details with the recipient beforehand to make sure that your payment reaches the intended recipient safely.
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To receive your payments safely, make sure you give the person who is paying you your exact Unity account name as shown on your account statement. They will also need your sort code and account number along with the account type (e.g., business).
Your account name is then checked via a secure online portal and the person paying you will receive an almost instant response to let them know if the account name matches the account details.
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You will need the account name of the person you are trying to pay, their sort code and account number along with the account type (personal or business). You may also be required to provide a reference in order to identify who the account belongs to. Please provide this detail, if it is requested.
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The four main responses are:
- Match: The details entered correctly match the account you are trying to pay
- Close Match: The name entered doesn’t quite match the name on the account. You should contact the person or business you are trying to pay to confirm the correct details.
- Not a Match: The details entered do not match the account. You should contact the person or business you are trying to pay to confirm the correct details.
- Unavailable/Unable to check: This response may show if an account holder’s bank does not support the Confirmation of Payee scheme or if there is a system issue. You should contact the person or business you are trying to pay.
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We recommend that you refer to your statements to find your exact account name. This is shown next to the ‘Name of Account’ field.
To find your account information using Online Banking, select the relevant account number and your account name is listed on the top left-hand corner. This information will need to be entered by the person paying you. Please note that if you don’t have an account title, the product name will be shown instead i.e., T2 Current Account and this should not be entered by the payer.
If you are having difficulty finding your account name, please contact us – we will need to call you back and verify your details for security purposes before providing this information.
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The service applies to CHAPS, Faster Payments and Standing Order payments. BACS payments including Direct Debits are not included.
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Unity Trust Bank has joined the Confirmation of Payee scheme. The name checking service is only available to those banks and building societies that have joined the scheme.
For more information about Confirmation of Payee, please visit pay.uk FAQs.
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Payment providers will use the Open Banking directory service and secure technology to safely exchange Confirmation of Payee requests. To be accredited to use this service, companies must undergo rigorous security checks and are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
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If you have a complaint relating to Confirmation of Payee, please follow Unity’s standard complaints process.
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- For further help and guidance, call our Customer Service team on 0345 140 1000*, or email us@unity.co.uk
- If you think there has been fraudulent activity on your Unity account, contact us directly on our dedicated fraud number, freephone 0808 196 8420 (open 8:30am-5:00pm Monday-Friday, excluding Bank Holidays).
- For more information about CoP, visit the UK Finance and Pay.UK websites.
*Our call centre opening hours are 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank and public holidays in England or Scotland. Calls may be monitored and recorded for training, quality and security purposes. Calls to this number are charged at your local geographic rate, and calls from mobiles may be higher. Please contact your telephone provider for details.