joint acc statement requests

[smcgall]

Hi all you friendly BW's
I recently asked for 6 yrs worth of charges on my now single current acc. My bank ( ulster bank) gave me three as prior to that it was a joint acc and to give me those statements would have been a breach of the data protection act would you believe.
The acc was always mine and only opened as a joint acc so as to take advantage of a graduate offer as my ex was a graduate with her own acc at another bank.
My question is this, is this correct? I do remember having to get my ex to write to the bank in order to get her name taken off the acc.

Many thanks in advance
Stuart

[anon1]

The bank cannot withold the information providing that only one of the parties needed to sign on the account. For example, if only one of you signed for cheques and both of you had a card on the account, you have every right to the statements and info pertaining to you on the account. If it was both of you to sign, ie both to sign cheques so two signatures on them then they are correct, and another signature will be required for that info.

[smcgall]

Thanks for the quick reply. Only one signature was required for any transaction. Is there any legislation or directives i should quote?

Stuart

[anon1]

No simply point out the fact that the information you want is on yourself and that the account has always been run with only one signature and that under the data protection act you are seeking a Subject Access Request and you as the data subject cannot be refused information on the basis that it was a joint account.

	Subject Access Request A Subject Access Request is a demand which you can make to any organisation to disclose any personal information which they hold on you. The right to disclosure of data is provided by the Data Protection Act. There is no time limit. The organisation is obliged to reveal everything they have about you - which you ask for - as far back as you ask for. There are very few exceptions. It does not matter whether the data is held on microfiche, in an archive, on tape, in a cardex system, in sound recordings or in screen notes. Some companies are saying that they do not have to disclose where it would be difficult to do so - "disproportionate effort". This is untrue. Disproportionate effort refers to something else under the Act. If you are seeking bank charges information then you should ask for "all data held on you" and you should make it clear that you want everything as far back as it goes. Do not be put off by excuses. Do not accept being fobbed off. It is not in your bank's interest to make full disclosure to you. This means that it is in your interests to get it. If you have not started gathering your bank charges information yet, then you should start now. There will soon be a big rush once the OFT test case has been settled. Get all of your bank account informtion as far back as possible. At least as far back as 1995. If your bank says that they don't keep data as far back as this, don't accept it. Be persistent. They've got what you need in some form or other.