# Bank refuses to take me off account. What can I do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 18, 2007, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-refuses-to-take-me-off-account-what-can-i-do/400587 "2007-04-18T06:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-refuses-to-take-me-off-account-what-can-i-do/400587/21 "2007-04-18T22:33:52Z")
I think it is pretty simple. They can close the account. They just cannot close the account and then reopen another account for that person without them being present. Do the cashiers check thing and close that account pronto! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-refuses-to-take-me-off-account-what-can-i-do/400587/22 "2007-04-18T22:35:37Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I went to the bank today, spoke to an assistant manager who told me it is the bank’s policy not to take individuals off of joint accounts, and the only way to do it is to close to the account and re-open a new one in his name only. He would have to be present/consenting for this. Can you clarify this? Obviously the other dude would have to consent/be present if he wants to open up a new account. But are you saying that the other dude would have to present/consent to close the account? ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-refuses-to-take-me-off-account-what-can-i-do/400587/23 "2007-04-18T22:43:16Z")
**Rigmarole** , If the conduct of the account is becoming a real concern, you’ve got 2 real options to deal easily with the issue. Both options rely on the account being “Either to Operate”, meaning both yourself and your indian freidn can operate the account freely. 1. As others have advised, close the account - Withdraw the funds in the form of a cashiers cheque, made out to your friend. (You should never make out a cashiers cheque to “cash” for security reasons). Then either leave a message for your friend saying you have his funds and he can contact to collect it. Or if you have a mailing address send it to him Registered Mail (I’m not sure what you call it in the States where the receipient needs to sign for acceptign the mail. 2. Stop the account - go in to the Bank and ask them to stop it the account. It means there are no transactions allowed on the account and any deposits or withdrawals that are attempted will be rejected. Once again leave a message ot say you’ve done this so he will contact you. The only issue with this option though is depending upon the Bank’s systems, policies, or just by error. He may be able to unstop the account. So it’s not 100% foolproof. On a side note **Jelymag** , business accounts are “owned” by the business, when you add and subtract people form those accounts, you’re simply changing the authorised operators on the account, not the legal “owners”. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2007, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-refuses-to-take-me-off-account-what-can-i-do/400587/24 "2007-04-18T23:32:09Z")
[QUOTE=GreedySmurf] On a side note **Jelymag** , business accounts are “owned” by the business, when you add and subtract people form those accounts, you’re simply changing the authorised operators on the account, not the legal “owners”. [/QUOTE] Good point - If Rigamarole was a signer on a \*\*business \*\* account, which is owned by a non-human entity, then they can be quite easily dropped as a signer for the account. When I used to be more hands-on with bank operations, we had some business accounts that changed signers more often than most people change their socks, and we’d stick postit flags on their cards so we could grab them faster. As for the account title, a business account would be something like Rigamarole and the Indian Fellow’s Operating Account, or Rigarmarole and Indian Fellow, LLC. What they have now is a joint account, and probably titled as Rigamarole and/or Indian Fellow Rigamarole / Indian Fellow Rigamarole or Indian Fellow Or, if they want to be fussy over signing checks: Rigamarole and Indian Fellow. Dropping a person from a joint account is a fundamental change to the account, so that’s why it needs to be closed and replaced with a new account. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-refuses-to-take-me-off-account-what-can-i-do/400587/25 "2007-04-19T11:20:43Z")
Does he make the deposits in person each day (as opposed to having someone else dropping them off or mailing them in or whatever)? If that’s the case, you may want to wait in the bank parking lot for him. We he get’s there go up to him and tell him that either the two of you are going to walk in right now and take your name off the account. If he doesn’t agree then withdraw all the money. Don’t forget, even if he opens a new account with only his name, you still have to get this one closed. So don’t threaten to take the money, just do it. If you threaten it, he’ll probably do it first and leave this account at a zero balance, but you’re name will still be linked to his at that bank. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-refuses-to-take-me-off-account-what-can-i-do/400587.md?page=1)