ClaiRe05

Hi there,

I'm new on this so apologies if I've not done this right...

I could do with some help please regarding a bank account of my Mom's which is held at Barclays in Ayamonte. We have lost my mom and I've tried to phone them to close the account but they don't speak English. I've emailed but get no reply. I've noticed the bank statements have changed to La Caixa - has the bank been taken over?

Could do with some local knowledge here as I'm so lost as to what to do about this. Could do with knowing who to contact, and what documents they will require - assume a will and a death cert.?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Claire

Pulaski

Barclays sold its Spanish branches in 2014.

ClaiRe05

Ah that helps with some of the confusion - thank you for that link.

ClaiRe05

Don't suppose you know what documents are generally required for a deceased estate and therefore closing the account?

Thanks

Pulaski

I am not an expert on Spanish banking, but I can't imagine what else they might require other than a notarized copy of the death certificate and will. .... It is quite likely that they might expect translations of the documents.

MikeJ

We too were with Barclays in Ayamonte - this branch was closed and we had to deal with the branch in Huelva (the nice woman who worked in Ayamonte and spoke good English also moved to the Huelva branch).We visited the Huelva branch shortly after it became Caixa and to our delight found the same woman there. She helped sort out a few small details about moving our account to Caixa including transfer to Caixa's online system. She also explained that Caixa do not operate 'local' branch based accounts but as all accounts are electronic then you can go into any Caixa branch and access your account.

You will find that the IBAN number of the account will have changed to a Caixa IBAN, so tracing the account may not be straightforward (although the takeover was fairly recent so the records should still be available)

If you are in Spain maybe you could go into the Huelva branch if it is still there - it was at:- Barclays, Calle Rascón, 24, 21001 Huelva, Spain portal.lacaixa.es tel: +34 959 25 01 51
You may have some difficulties - firstly you will have to give some evidence that your Mom is dead (eg death certificate translated and maybe notarised) plus details of your relationship and whether you are an executor. etc etc. Did your mother have a Spanish will?

You would probably do better to deal with Caixa's head office which is in Barcelona. They have a number of good English speakers who should be able to help.
CaixaBank Head Office Address: Avenida Diagonal, 621, 08028 Barcelona Customer Service Phones:– From Spain: 902 115 007– From abroad: +34 932 46 86 00. Maybe you could write giving all the details you have including the old account number and copies of the legal documents.


Hope this helps

shep103

ClaireI'm sorry to hear about your mother. I think the required documentation will depend on whether she was resident in the UK or Spain and owned a property in Spain.
My wife passed away in 2014 and we had a joint account. We were both resident in the UK.
I do know that as soon as you notify the bank they will freeze and then close the existing account and transfer the funds to another account that you won't be able to access straight away.
I had to get a Apostile of my wife's English death certificate and other documents translated into both Spanish and English.
I recommend that you get advice from an expert in Spain. I can give you contact details of the lady who dealt with all the legal and banking stuff in Spain for me. It took all the pain away. PM me if you would like me to give you her details.
Steve

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

ClaiRe05

Hi and thanks Rosemary.

The group have been so helpful.

I can't thank you all enough for the help! It's a bit of nightmare but at least now I have an idea of who to contact. I remember the English speaking lady - she was great - so it's fantastic to know where she is now, don't suppose you can remember her name? I only have the managers business card from the old Ayamonte Barclays.

Ok, so if I understand correctly, there is no physical bank in Ayamonte anymore. It's operated purely through La Caixa bank in Huelva? MikeJ you are spot on with the Huelva address - the statements have it listed on it.

I'm based overseas so keeping up with local knowledge is impossible and hoping I don't have to make the long trip over to sort this. Did I hear correctly that any non resident accounts are being closed if the amount is under 100k? If it's a current account can this still be a non resident account? I've noticed they listing the euro and pesetas on the statements, are they dropping out the euro?

Thanks again.

C

MikeJ

In summary, Barclays Bank Retail no longer exists in Spain - all accounts have been transferred to Caixa. You can carry out your business in any Caixa branch. The Caixa branch in Ayamonte is in Laguna Square (opposite where the old Lloyds Bank was and which is now a pizza place).
I reckon that your best bet would be to contact the Customer Services in Barcelona, ask to speak to an English speaker and explain the situation and ask for guidance. Alternatively you could write to the Customer Services people at the address I supplied giving all the details and enclose copies of the death cert etc etc - I stress copies (official and notarised or epistole if possible) don't send originals until you have establish a good contact and are asked for them. Be warned, it may take some time to sort out, particularly if your relative had no Spanish will. The account will be frozen until all taxes and other obligations have been paid.

The issue of Barclays closing non-resident accounts is, of course no longer relevant. Their statements have always shown summary amounts in pesetas as well as euros, I don't know about other banks in Spain. You can maintain the current account as non-resident. Caixa don't routinely supply printed statements but expect you to operate your account electronically, but if you are intending to close your account then this is no relevant either.

ClaiRe05

MikeJ, thank you so much!

Your help is sincerely appreciated.
I'll follow your advice and see how we go.
Fingers crossed!

C