Joint account question

Discussion in 'The Cocktail Lounge' started by titohunter, Jul 11, 2014.

  1. titohunter

    titohunter Active Member

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    Can you send a person to open a joint account with you without you being there?
     
  2. pascual

    pascual Active Member

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    Forgive me if I'm wrong but I believe only one person can go open the account. A lot of online banking, at least in Canada, can add co-owners to accounts simply on the bank website. It is really easy to do. You can open a joint account that way.
     
  3. Kate

    Kate Senior Investor

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    Don't quote me, but I *think* it's possible if you have enough ID, including photo ID, of the second person. Now, my disclaimer is that it was like that a number of years ago when I did it. The Patriot Act may have completely changed it. (Unless you're not in the US in which case I have totally no idea.)

    Bottom line is that any reputable bank will need to know *exactly* who the account holders are whether or not they require both to be present. I'd google it to find the answer, or better yet, give the bank in question a call and ask if all account holders need to be present when opening a new account.
     
  4. Determined2014

    Determined2014 Guest

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    I believe you can , as long as you have their consent, you have a copy or their identity card, then it will be possible unless the bank just wants to complicate things.
     
  5. Kate

    Kate Senior Investor

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    I think banks are pretty well tied up when it comes to this, because of the Patriot Act. They don't *want* to complicate things as far as I can tell, but they have the rules they need to follow since the P.A. started in 2001. (Again, if we're talking about a US bank... I don't know how it works in other parts of the world.)
     
  6. JR Ewing

    JR Ewing Super Moderator Staff Member

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    It's been nearly 5 years since I've fooled with joint bank accounts, but back then one person could open the account, and the other person would just need to come in when they could and sign on, or else sign on from another location at another branch of the same institution. This also may vary from state to state. Not sure how this works with setting up online accounts, but I'd assume that the second party could probably sign on to the account from another computer at another location.

    I'm guessing the big institutional banks probably cover such a situation in FAQ sections of their websites. Or you could call around or visit several different institutions to find out.
     
  7. lonelyfrenchfry

    lonelyfrenchfry New Member

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    It really depends on the individual banks policy. I have successfully opened a joint account at one institution without needing my wife present but at my main institution she had to be present and had to sign everything next to my name. If you are married you can probably get away with just bringing in a copy of your marriage license and just list your spouse as an authorized party. The best advice I can give you is to call the bank you have in mind. They will be able to tell you whether or not you'll be wasting your time making a trip to open up an account solo or not.
     
  8. preyy

    preyy Well-Known Member

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    You can IF you have the consent. I'm 99% sure.
     
  9. Muthoni

    Muthoni Guest

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    I think it is possible to send someone to open a joint account even if you are absent. However they must have all your details and all the relevant forms must be filled and sighed as required. The reason why people go together to open a joint account is to be sure that everything needed is available and nothing is overlooked.
     
  10. Profit5500

    Profit5500 Senior Investor

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    My parents have a joint account with Chase and they had it for more than 5 years. I believe you can open a joint account without the other person being there. I think it would be much better if you had the other person there.
     

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