What is the Death Notification Service?

The Death Notification Service (known as DNS) is a free service that allows executors and next of kin to notify multiple UK banks and financial institutions of a death simultaneously using a single online notification. It was created by a consortium of major UK banks to reduce the administrative burden on bereaved families.

How DNS works

You submit one notification containing the deceased person's details. Every DNS member bank receives the same notification through the service, so you only need to submit the details once. Each bank then contacts you directly to begin their individual bereavement process for closing or transferring accounts.

Which banks participate in DNS

The major participating banks include Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group (which includes Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows), NatWest Group (which includes Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank), Santander, and many building societies and other financial institutions. The full list of DNS participants is maintained by the DNS consortium.

What DNS does not cover

DNS only covers participating member institutions. Banks and financial institutions that are not DNS members must be notified separately by post, email or phone. SafeKept presents both DNS and non-DNS institutions in one dashboard, with each institution labelled by the correct notification method so you know exactly what to do for each.

How SafeKept uses DNS

In the SafeKept dashboard, DNS-participating institutions from the vault are grouped together so you can prepare and submit them to the DNS website in one step. Non-DNS institutions are sorted into postal and email queues for you to action separately. This means an executor using SafeKept can notify every institution in the vault in a fraction of the time it would take manually.