Confirmation of
Payee Explained

What is Confirmation of Payee?

Confirmation of Payee (CoP) is an account name checking service designed to help reduce misdirected payments, and provides greater assurance that payments are being sent and collected from the intended account holder. It was introduced to prevent fraud, particularly Authorised Push Payment (‘APP’) scams, where fraudsters trick people into transferring money to an incorrect account. It ensures that the payments you are sending are directed to the correct personal or business account.

How do I make a payment to my BBS account? 

When setting up or updating payment details, the payee’s account name, number, and sort code are verified. Therefore, when transferring funds electronically to your savings or mortgage account with The Beverley, it’s crucial to include the following details:

*Your Roll/Reference Number is your unique account number with The Beverley. It consists of 10 digits and must be provided to carry out the CoP check. You can locate this number in your passbook, online savings portal, or on your mortgage statement or offer letter.

What will I see?

Once you input all the necessary account information as detailed above, you will receive one of five possible results:

Account name is a match  

The name you entered matches the account details. If you’re satisfied, you can proceed with the payment. Even where the name matches, make sure you are happy that you know who you are paying and that they are trustworthy.

Account name might be a match 

The name is similar but not an exact match. This could be due to an abbreviation or a typing error/transposition. If the name looks familiar, you may choose to proceed or double-check the details before continuing, but if you continue without checking, you are accepting the risk that if the payment goes to the wrong account, we might not be able to get it back for you. 

Account name is no match

The name you entered does not match the account holder’s details. Please review the information to ensure you’re sending money to the correct person. 

If you continue with your payment, you are accepting the risk that if the payment goes to the wrong account, we may not be able to get the money back for you.

Unable to verify 

We couldn’t verify the name for reasons such as a timeout or the account not existing. You should double check the payment details with the person you are trying to pay if this happens.

Account does not exist 

The details you have entered do not exist, please review the information again to ensure that no errors in typing have been made. 

Why is the NatWest name and/or logo displayed?

When you receive a response, you might notice NatWest Bank Plc (or their logo) instead of Beverley Building Society (or our logo). There is no need to be concerned. This happens because all payments are processed through our account with NatWest Bank. As The Beverley isn’t a clearing bank with its own sort code, we use NatWest for this purpose.

Can I opt out of Confirmation of Payee?

You can request for your details not to be checked when you or someone else transfers money to your Beverley Building Society account. If you opt out, funds can still be sent, but the system will display an “unable to check account” message before the transfer is made, which may mean a third party could be reluctant to send the payment to you.

To opt out, please fill in the below form and post the form to the branch. 

CoP Change Request Form

Can I opt back in once I’ve opted out?

Yes, you can opt back into Confirmation of Payee. To do so, please fill in the below form and post the form to the branch

CoP Change Request From

A list of Frequently asked Questions is available on the pay.uk website here.

Pay.UK provide the payments network used by banks and building societies and are regulated by the Payments Services Regulator (‘PSR’).

More fraud prevention information can be found here.