Staff Privacy Issue, do I need to change bank?!

braceface

hi guys
Quick question, my ex husband works for the bank I have my account with, can he look at my bank account at any time? He's branch staff. He is paying me child maintenance and have a feeling he's checking how i'm spending my money :mad:
Is there any way I can have his staff number blocked from my account?! Unlikely, I'm sure but thought it might be worth a try
thanks

seamus

Every time a staff member accesses your account, that access is logged, along with the details of the member of staff who accessed the account.

I'm not sure if the bank's system would have the ability in place to block an employee from viewing specific accounts, though I'd be surprised if they didn't. It would seem to me to be somewhat essential.

In any case, bank staff can and do get fired if the logs show that they've been checking people's accounts without good reason. This has happened with a couple of lotto winners, where local branch staff have gone in to have a nosey and found themselves fired.

I'm not sure what your first port of call is - perhaps a confidential meeting with the branch manager to discuss your concerns and what can be done to address it?

roro2

Yes, he will be able to look at your accounts unfortunately. And, generally, banks will not be able to tell what staff have accessed what accounts or block specific staff from specific accounts. Presuming he works in a different branch to where your account is, the bank should be able to restrict access to your account to your branch - I'm not sure they'd agree, but it is worth asking.

If any bank staff have got fired from looking at accounts, it has not just been a case of the bank checking a "log" to see who was looking at what accounts and then questioning staff. It would probably have come from staff discussing accounts, printing details that leave a "trail", etc.

coylemj

A lot of people who work in the banks have their current a/c in a different bank (not a different branch, a different bank) in order to protect their privacy from snooping colleagues.

braceface

Thanks, that was my fear. Will have a chat with bank, he works in a different branch to my account, a branch I would never need to use. Will then probably have to consider moving banks

Cushie Butterfield

braceface wrote: »

Will then probably have to consider moving banks

This may be your best option. Even if he was approached by his employer warning him not to access your account details, there is nothing stopping him getting a colleague or former colleague who now works in a different branch to access your account.

I would go so far as perhaps leaving that account open & use it solely for the mainteance payments which you should withdraw by cash, & open a new account in a different bank for all other transactions.

unclebill98

Every bank keeps a log of what staff are looking at. It's a stackable offence to access something your not meant to without very good reason.

Looking up family, relations and friends accounts is a big no no, even looking at your own account on front office systems in some banks is not allowed.

These logs are not looked at unless a concern is raised.

dotsman

coylemj wrote: »

A lot of people who work in the banks have their current a/c in a different bank (not a different branch, a different bank) in order to protect their privacy from snooping colleagues.

I don't think that's right. Most banks insist (or, at least used to) that the employee's account is with them (for fraud purposes etc).

Likewise, most (if not all) people who work in a bank would want their account to be with that bank, as it is the bank they are likely going to approach for a mortgage/loan etc

With regards the OP, as unclebill98 said, all activity would be logged and any complaint taken very seriously, with numerous people in the past having been sacked for simply looking at accounts that they shouldn't have.

In terms of restricting/blocking access, this is typically applied at a branch level, or via private banking (for celebrities/uber-rich etc whose activity would be of interest to the tabloids etc)

unclebill98

Agree dotsman.

Another thing op for example.

X & Y are friends, X works in a bank. Y lodged or already has large sums of money in the bank where X works. Y calls to ask the branch manager for X not to be told or see the funds.

Y is told that due to the nature of banking they can not 100% stop X from finding out. This could be down to numerous occasions where reports are ran etc etc. However the manager advised that if X tells Y(or it gets back to them) they know then X will be in a lot of trouble as part of every standard banking contract confidentiality is standard clause. An investigation will be done and staff access logs will be looked at and if need be CCTV will be review to see if X got another staff member to look for them etc.

Yes, this is a actually true story.

AltAccount

Would it be possible to put in a request under Data Protection for your records from the bank? This should contain all data they hold on you.

Does anyone know would these records include the log of how often, or when, your account has been viewed, and from what branch?


What could start off as an innocuous request for your information (for no specific reason whatsoever) could well turn into the peace of mind, or ammunition, you need to get yourself satisfied with the situation.

coylemj

dotsman wrote: »

I don't think that's right. Most banks insist (or, at least used to) that the employee's account is with them (for fraud purposes etc).

Why would a bank insist on an employee having their a/c with the same bank 'for fraud purposes etc.'? They can't stop the employee opening multiple accounts in other banks so that makes no sense.

A sister of mine worked for one of the main banks and she told me that. The employee does lose the benefit of free banking (i.e. no current a/c charges) but apparently a lot of bank employees are prepared to pay that price for their privacy.

dotsman

AltAccount wrote: »

Would it be possible to put in a request under Data Protection for your records from the bank? This should contain all data they hold on you.

Does anyone know would these records include the log of how often, or when, your account has been viewed, and from what branch?

Nope, afraid it wouldn't work like that as the data pertaining to "who viewed the account?" would not be information they hold about you as a person (and would, in fact, be data pertaining to the various staff members, so would be a privacy breach if they released it - unless part of a matter and ordered by the court etc).

pjmn

unclebill98 wrote: »

Every bank keeps a log of what staff are looking at. It's a stackable offence to access something your not meant to without very good reason.

Looking up family, relations and friends accounts is a big no no, even looking at your own account on front office systems in some banks is not allowed.

These logs are not looked at unless a concern is raised.

How high would they be 'stacked' I wonder....

dotsman

coylemj wrote: »

Why would a bank insist on an employee having their a/c with the same bank 'for fraud purposes etc.'? They can't stop the employee opening multiple accounts in other banks so that makes no sense.

A sister of mine worked for one of the main banks and she told me that. The employee does lose the benefit of free banking (i.e. no current a/c charges) but apparently a lot of bank employees are prepared to pay that price for their privacy.

From a fraud perspective, some of the indicators that could be detected by looking at the employees accounts are strange, unexplained lodgements been made to the account, the employee living way beyond their salary level with no obvious explanation, extensive gambling habits etc.

It is much the same in the way that, in many banks, an employee must ask permission before purchasing/selling shares etc (in other banks, it must simply be recorded after the fact) to ensure that they are not using inside information etc.

phormium

I must have led a sheltered life in banking! In over 30 yrs I never heard of anyone being sacked for looking at accounts, never heard of a log being kept of it either. Where I worked staff mortgage accounts were not viewable in branchland initially but that changed when computer systems were changed and all staff could see all other staff accounts etc.

OP, I would definitely open an account in another bank.

unclebill98

AltAccount wrote: »

Would it be possible to put in a request under Data Protection for your records from the bank? This should contain all data they hold on you.

Nope, cause it's not in relation to your info.

pjmn wrote: »

How high would they be 'stacked' I wonder....

Pretty darn high.

phormium wrote: »

I must have led a sheltered life in banking! In over 30 yrs I never heard of anyone being sacked for looking at accounts, never heard of a log being kept of it either. Where I worked staff mortgage accounts were not viewable in branchland initially but that changed when computer systems were changed and all staff could see all other staff accounts etc.

OP, I would definitely open an account in another bank.

Sure why would they tell you? I think I know where you work :-)

I've seen reports detailing access, querying access by staff to a certain same surname, turned out it's just a really common surname.

coylemj

dotsman wrote: »

From a fraud perspective, some of the indicators that could be detected by looking at the employees accounts are strange, unexplained lodgements been made to the account, the employee living way beyond their salary level with no obvious explanation, extensive gambling habits etc.

Any bank employee planning on doing that would open an a/c in another bank and his/her employer would be none the wiser as to their activities.

If you're aware of a bank which insists that it's employees do all their current a/c banking within the same bank then please name them.

phormium

unclebill98 wrote: »

Sure why would they tell you?

Well I have often heard of staff sacked for various misdemeanors but never came across that reason.

unclebill98 wrote: »

I think I know where you work :-)

That's impressive if you do considering I'm not even sure of the answer to that myself

roro2

phormium wrote: »

Well I have often heard of staff sacked for various misdemeanors but never came across that reason.

Likewise. I have never heard of anyone being sacked for this, and such info would tend to get around. Certainly not a regular occurence, especially given the ease and frequency that staff could look up an account that was outside the scope of their role.

Equality

If your ex is paying maintenance, it is to your advantage if he remains in employment.

Therefore I would not contact his employer (your bank) with any query.

I would simply open a new bank account with a different bank (not a different branch of the same bank).

I would continue to allow child maintenance to go into the old bank, and withdraw it in cash on a regular basis.

dotsman

coylemj wrote: »

Any bank employee planning on doing that would open an a/c in another bank and his/her employer would be none the wiser as to their activities.

Absolutely nothing stopping the employee, but would be suspicious, prompting the questions "Why are they operating a separate account?" and "Where are they getting the money to fund this other account?"

coylemj wrote: »

If you're aware of a bank which insists that it's employees do all their current a/c banking within the same bank then please name them.

In Ireland? AIB did (and may still do). I'm pretty sure I also heard BOI did (again this was a good few years back). To be honest, I would have thought all banks did here this. It would have been common in banking around the world.

Again, the question is why would the staff member want to have their account elsewhere when it is very beneficial to them to have their account with the bank they work with (and working in banking, very familiar with the benefits).

dotsman

Just following up on my last post, (and bring the conversation back to the OP), there was a case in the news recently (in the past year) of an ex-AIB employee claiming unfair dismissal. Can't remember the exact details but it was along the lines that he was complaining that his colleagues got a bonus and he didn't, even though he thought he was better than them, whereas AIB were saying they dismissed him because of how he found out - by looking up all their respective accounts.

Basically, yes all the staff had their accounts with AIB; yes, AIB logged all account queries; and yes, Banks take it very seriously when an employee is looking at accounts they have no business looking at.

Edit, quick google found this Irish Times article.

phormium

I worked in a bank and had accounts in several others, no point keeping all your eggs in one basket! In fact I had hoped there would be a nice payout from my Irish Nationwide accounts but we all know how that turned out!

Only requirement my employer had was that your salary had to be paid into an account with them, no restrictions on opening accounts elsewhere.

dotsman

phormium wrote: »

Only requirement my employer had was that your salary had to be paid into an account with them, no restrictions on opening accounts elsewhere.

Exactly, you had to have an account with them. Nothing to stop you opening another, but you would still have to have your primary current account with them.

coylemj

dotsman wrote: »

Absolutely nothing stopping the employee, but would be suspicious, prompting the questions "Why are they operating a separate account?" and "Where are they getting the money to fund this other account?"

How would it be 'suspicious' when the employee's bank would have no idea of the existence of such an account?

dotsman wrote: »

Again, the question is why would the staff member want to have their account elsewhere when it is very beneficial to them to have their account with the bank they work with (and working in banking, very familiar with the benefits).

It's a 'question' I've already answered in an earlier post. The employee is prepared to forego the benefits of free banking etc. in order to avoid snooping colleagues looking at his/her a/c. It doesn't stop them from having a mortgage at staff rates but they may choose to keep their current a/c in another bank.

unclebill98

There are cases where staff a sending funds to an account in another bank belonging to them, money that is not theirs.

For instances,
1: Customer hands them a bill and pays in cash. Staff member transfers funds to their own account in another bank.
2: Staff member setups S/O from large customer to send funds to themselves.

As said its not illegal nor compulsory these days. However years ago AIB, BOI and UB insisted on it.

dotsman

coylemj wrote: »

How would it be 'suspicious' when the employee's bank would have no idea of the existence of such an account?

When the manager notices the employee buying a new car/holiday etc and the money doesn't come out of their account - where the hell did the employee get the money?

It's not that having another account does not automatically mean that the employee is definitely engaged in fraud, but it is one of many indicators of potential fraud.

coylemj wrote: »

It's a 'question' I've already answered in an earlier post. The employee is prepared to forego the benefits of free banking etc. in order to avoid snooping colleagues looking at his/her a/c.

And if they feel that strongly about it, then they can, but I think it's a silly reason to forego the benefits. Likewise, they would know that their colleagues would have to be very foolish to be "snooping" in their account, as it could very much mean the end of their career just over a few minutes of reckless "nosiness".

coylemj wrote: »

It doesn't stop them from having a mortgage at staff rates but they may choose to keep their current a/c in another bank.

Actually, it can. One of the big problems with mortgage lending during the boom was that banks, due to competitive pressure, granted mortgages to people who they did not have a full financial history of. Things are changing now (for the better), and although the media may be reporting it that banks are "more restrictive", "making customers jump through hoops" or "are not lending", the fact is that banks don't want to (nor should they) get into bed with a customer for a 30-year mortgage based on just 6 months of statements from a single account with another bank. A lot of people mistakenly believe that they can just waltz in to a bank and, as long as they don't have any hits on the ol' ICB, that they can simply get a mortgage for x times their salary. Mortgage lending is extremely complex, and having a complete picture of the customer's financial standing & history is essential before you even begin to consider the numerous other factors.

On the other hand, if they can see the customer's complete financial history for the last 5-10 years, with a record of every single incoming and outgoing transaction, they can get a far clearer picture of the financial responsibility of the customer. And it's one thing that the media never mention (or indeed here on boards) when they recommend that people constantly switch accounts (saving a few quid this year, and then not being able to get a mortgage, or only being able to get a more expensive mortgage, costing them hundreds, if not thousands, a year).

Anyway, we are getting way off topic here, so I'm not going to say any more on the topic.

The Rooster

braceface wrote: »

hi guys
Quick question, my ex husband works for the bank I have my account with, can he look at my bank account at any time? He's branch staff. He is paying me child maintenance and have a feeling he's checking how i'm spending my money :mad:
Is there any way I can have his staff number blocked from my account?! Unlikely, I'm sure but thought it might be worth a try
thanks

If I was you, I would assume he is indeed looking at your account.

Therefore, I would simply set up a new bank account with a different bank.

No need to close your existing account. You could just do a single transfer each month of all/most of the balance out of your existing account into your new bank account. Then you'll have no worries about him knowing how much you're spending or on what you're spending it.

Cushie Butterfield

The Rooster wrote: »

If I was you, I would assume he is indeed looking at your account.

Therefore, I would simply set up a new bank account with a different bank.

No need to close your existing account. You could just do a single transfer each month of all/most of the balance out of your existing account into your new bank account. Then you'll have no worries about him knowing how much you're spending or on what you're spending it.

I wouldn't even do a transfer - just withdraw it by cash. That way there would be no record of what bank it went to, so he'd be none the wiser as to where the OP now banks. The less he knows the better.

coylemj

dotsman wrote: »

Exactly, you had to have an account with them. Nothing to stop you opening another, but you would still have to have your primary current account with them.

He never mentioned anything about the employee's primary account, he said you had to have 'an' account with the bank that employed you and your salary had to be transferred into it.

There would be nothing to stop the employee from immediately transferring all of his salary to an a/c in a different bank and operating that as his primary current account.