Standard Bank Deceased Estate - poor, unkind, shocking!

What is it with Standard Bank? Is Standard Bank happy that they waste peoples’ time like this? Are they happy that they cause others stress and distress over not being able to finalise a deceased estate? Are they happy that they cause others unnecessary expense because they will not do what is their duty and responsibility to do? Is Standard Bank that ***********, or are the staff members handling this issue just trying to be otherwise? Yesterday I spoke to my neighbour, a former employee of Standard Bank, to ask his advice. He voiced my concern that something looks fishy in my case, and when you see the log below, apart from the total incompetence and disregard displayed, what other deductions can one make? He also suggested writing to Hello Peter.

Standard Bank were contacted at the time of my father’s decease in May 2021. Various non-banking papers needed to be obtained and, at the request of the accounting and tax company involved, certain concerns finalised before the banking side of things be finalised and closed. Once this was achieved, Standard Bank were once again contacted. Here is a log of what has transpired with Standard Bank at this stage:

20-12-24 – contacted Standard Bank Deceased Estate (referred further also as just Standard Bank). 23-12-24 – provided them with all the requested documents. 24-12-24 – Standard Bank acknowledged receipt of the documents and confirmed that an Estate profile had been created (this had previously been done). It was indicated that confirmation of monies transferred would be accompanied by bank statements, etc. 27-01-25 – I followed up with Standard Bank as there had been no further correspondence from them. 31-01-25 – received an email from Standard Bank just stating that all had been finalised and the bank accounts closed. There were no confirming documents, no personal name signing off, no explanation of anything at all – just the statement that the matter had been finalised and monies transferred to the designated account. I phoned Standard Bank Deceased Estate and told them that this was unacceptable; that I did not believe all had been sorted out; and that they had not answered my questions raised. 05-02-25 – received an email from Kevin Ndala mentioning that he was investigating the matter. 18-02-25 – received an email from Kevin Ndala with the required information, but it was in respect to personal banking only, no business account information. 19-02-25 – I informed Kevin that the business accounts had not been attended to. He rep**** and told me that he only deals with personal banking, I would need to contact Bradwin Koeries.

Note: Kevin’s assistance was acceptable and appreciated. However, why did Standard Bank not delegate to the appropriate person handling business banking? Why did I need to contact them? I had contacted the Deceased Estate department. Surely it is their responsibility to inform the people responsible for handling the various accounts? After the initial unacceptable response from Standard Bank Deceased Estate, here is where further issues arose once again.

20-02-25 – I contacted Bradwin Koeries (although, as mentioned, I don’t believe I should have had to). Bradwin emailed me and told me that Anieta De Jongh was the business banker handling the one account and that the other account was an estate late account being managed by attorneys. I wrote back to Bradwin and complained, stating that I had received vague correspondence that all had been sorted out when it had not. Now I was having to contact multiple people and being told that the one business account was being managed by an attorney company and I would have to contact them – even though I had provided proof that the account had been opened by my father. My email of concern and complaint was forwarded to Cindy Camp (Transactional Team leader Deceased Estates) and to Nazlee Durrell (Senior Manager: Deceased Estates, Regulatory Customer Solutions) for their information. 21-02-25 – received an email of apology from Cindy Camp, in which she requested Anieta De Jongh and Bradwin Koeries to attend to it and advise me further. 19-03-25 – I emailed Cindy Camp, Anieta De Jongh and Bradwin Koeries (Nazlee Durrell in CC) because I had not received any further response from them for a whole month. Received a response from Cindy, which just requested the team (Anieta and Bradwin) to urgently attend to the issue. Francois Fillis was now included in the email. 24-03-25 – received an email from Cindy Camp regarding the account in question – which was a forwarded email response to her from Bradwin Koeries indicating that the account was opened on the TPFA system by the attorneys managing the estate late and that I would need to contact them. I rep**** to her, including all the relevant parties (Bradwin, Anieta, Francois, Nazlee) stating that Bradwin’s explanation was unacceptable and provided three points of reason: 1) proof had been provided that my father opened the account, which was being conveniently overlooked. 2) if my father had opened the account, why was it now in the hands of the attorneys, who had apparently “opened the account”? 3) These attorneys are not the executor of the estate, I am, so how could it be put into their hands when they have no authority in the first place? And who will be responsible for their fees? It was mentioned that these issues needed to be addressed before I was conveniently shoved off onto the attorneys. Cindy responded by asking her team (Bradwin Koeries, Anieta De Jongh, Francois Fillis) to assist further. 24-04-25 – One month later I followed up with Cindy Camp as I had not received any further response from them. She requested Francois Fillis to assist. Francois apologised for the delay and asked Anieta De Jongh to provide an update. 15-05-25 – Five weeks after that there had still been no further response from anyone, so the email chain was forwarded to Dheshini Naidoo (who is supposed to handle Standard Bank complaints), with Cindy Camp and Nazlee Durrell in CC. It was mentioned that Standard Bank were continuing to fail to provide a response in respect to the issues raised, having initially conveniently brushed them aside. The main issues were also included. It was further mentioned that it would be appreciated if the matter would be attended to without further delay, but that should it not, I would have no alternative but to write to the ombudsman. 23-06-25 – A further five weeks later I phoned Standard Bank Deceased Estate and spoke to Katlego Moeng, voicing my dissatisfaction with the handling of the matter and that I had not received any further response. She informed me that the attorneys who had charge of the account were not even on the list of Standard Bank attorneys. I forwarded to her the email that had been sent to Dheshini Naidoo and the account details in question. 30-06-25 – I phoned Standard Bank Deceased Estate again in follow up, having not had a response. I spoke to Katlego again, who seemed surprised that I had not heard from someone. She said she would try to get the branch manager to phone me, as Anieta De Jongh, who did not once communicate with me, although she was addressed by the Standard Bank team right from the start, was on holiday. But as usual, no response. 10-07-25 – I requested the services of a fiduciary company to assist as agent to help with the matter. I provided them with all the required documents to submit to Standard Bank. 11-09-25 – I received an email from Standard Bank Deceased Estate stating that I had not provided them with all the required documents. 17-10-25 – I received a further email (Friday afternoon at 4pm) from Standard Bank Deceased Estate as a final reminder stating that they had not received the outstanding or amended documents as stipulated in the rejection email sent on 31 May 2021! It was stated that these documents needed to be received before tomorrow (the next day – Saturday 18-10-25). If not received the matter would be moved to closure until such time that the outstanding documents are received.

Standard Bank continues to cause not only a headache but also unnecessary costs. What about my time in having to continually address this issue? What about the bank charges that continue to be taken from the bank account? What about the cost of having to get someone else to try and assist when it should not be necessary? I have provided the proof; it is not for me to have to try and deal with an attorney company, who, from my point of view, have no right to the account. It’s Standard Bank’s responsibility to sort it out – properly! What are you hiding? Why all the vagueness, lack of communication and unpreparedness to deal with the issue? Really poor and really unkind, Standard Bank! Shocking!