Frequently Asked Questions

CoP is a service that checks the account number, account type, name and reference details of the payment beneficiary (Payee) when adding a new payee or before making a new CHAPS, Faster Payment or standing order. This helps to make sure payments are sent to the correct account of your payee.

We also confirm your account details to the people who pay you (your payers) before making a payment to you. It is important that your information is kept up to date with us.

CoP is one of the many ways banks and regulators are addressing payment fraud and helps prevent payments from going to the wrong account. Stay safe and protect yourself against payment fraud by:

• Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or your personal information could keep you safe.

• Don’t make payments out of pressure. Challenge payment requests from people you don’t know. Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests.

• Check to make sure the details you’ve entered match the account you’re trying to pay. Contact your bank immediately if you’re worried about payment fraud and report it to Action Fraud.

CoP allows the bank to verify the details of the payment beneficiary (payee) when you set them up using your Online Banking account. CoP checks the account details of individuals and businesses you intend to pay. You’ll then be able to see whether the details entered are a match.

When you add a new payee or make a payment to a new payee, you’ll be asked to enter all the details below.

• Name on the account – the main difference here is you’ll now always need to use the correct full account name, and avoid using nicknames or a partial name. You need to include at least one full name, in the case of Joint Accounts. Some businesses tend to have either a Registered name or Trading name.  

• Sort code

• Account number

• Account type – if it’s a personal or business account.

• Reference – some accounts are identified using a reference for the account. For example, if you are making a payment to a Building Society, they provide Roll numbers. 

We check these details with their bank immediately in real-time to make sure the details entered are a match. You’ll then be able to see whether the details are a match, a partial match or no match, or if the payee has switched their bank account.

If you make a payment using the incorrect details, it may not reach the intended account and we may not be able to recover your money. We suggest you to be wary of making payments when all your payee details do not match.

Cynergy Bank is launching the service to customers in October 2023 . The Bank will confirm your account details to other banks when they request for confirmation of your details.

By March 2024, Cynergy Bank will start the service to verify the payee details when you make a payment and will extend the service in a phased manner. We will verify the payee details at the time of adding a new payee, when making a payment to a new payee or to the payees whose details haven’t been verified by us through this Confirmation of Payee service.

CoP is an extra step and requires some additional details from you and a few things you need to look out for when adding a new payee or making a payment. You’ll need to:

• Have the full name (first and last name) of the person or business you want to pay. For joint accounts, you only need the full name of any one of the account holders.

• Specify whether you’re paying a personal or business account.

• Check with the person or business you are paying if you need to enter a unique reference number to pay them. If you do, make sure you enter it correctly in the reference field.

• Be certain that you are paying the correct person or business, and make the payment without any pressure. If you do not get a complete Match response when we verify your payee, and if you continue with the payment, we may not be able to get your money back if it goes to the wrong account.

It is also important that you give your full name (first name and last name) to anyone who is going to pay you and make sure that we hold your correct and up to date information.

You can’t opt-out of Confirmation of Payee (CoP) when you’re making a payment to someone else, and the bank will automatically verify the payee details when you are adding a new payee or when you are making a payment to a new payee.

You can request us to opt-out of your details being checked when other people from different banks try to pay your account with Cynergy Bank. By opting out of the service you’ll still be able to use CoP when you send a payment to another account, where applicable. However, your account will not be checked when another person or business tries to make a payment to you.

If you choose to opt-out of this service then individuals or businesses making payments to your account will get a message that your details can’t be checked.

If you still want to opt out of the CoP service, please complete and email the  and the Bank will review your request. If your request is successful, we will mark the account and will not share your details to your payers, as part of Confirmation of Payee service.

Do note that in the event of you switching your account from Cynergy Bank to another provider, your opt-out marking on your account will not automatically switch. You will need to request to opt-out with your new account provider.

Once you successfully opt-out, and if wish to opt back into the service,  you can do so at any time by completing the Confirmation of Payee (CoP) request form and email it to customerservice@cynergybank.co.uk . Our team will review your request and contact you to confirm the decision.