Online Banking service conditions

1. Definitions

In these conditions the following words have the following meanings:

Account means any account which you hold and access via our Online Banking service.

Additional security details means the additional information you give us to help us identify you including the memorable information you provide yourself

Identity details mean any of the following:

  • your Personal Security Number (PSN) for use with our Telephone Banking service
  • the access code we may provide you with

Password and username mean the password and name you use to identify yourself when you use our Online Banking service.

We, us and our means Halifax, a division of Bank of Scotland plc.

You, your and yourself refer to the person who has entered into this agreement with us.

2. Using the Online Banking service
2.1. These conditions apply to your use of our Online Banking service in relation to any accounts. They explain the relationship between you and us in relation to our Online Banking service. You should read these conditions carefully to understand how these services work and your and our rights and duties under them. If there is a conflict between these conditions and your account conditions, these conditions will apply. This means that, when you use our Online Banking service, both sets of conditions will apply unless they contradict each other. In this case, the relevant condition in the Online Banking service conditions will apply. The exception to this is in relation to condition 4 of these conditions where the relevant conditions in your account conditions will apply.
2.2. If any of your accounts is a joint account, these conditions apply to all of you together and any of you separately. If more than one of you uses our Online Banking service, you must each use your own username, password and additional security details.
2.3. By registering to use our Online Banking service, you accept these conditions and agree that we may communicate with you by e-mail or through our web site.
2.4. When you use our Online Banking service you must follow the instructions we give you from time to time. You are responsible for ensuring that your computer, software and other equipment are capable of being used with our Online Banking service.
2.5. Our Online Banking service is secure. Disconnecting from the Internet or leaving these sites will not automatically sign you off. You must always use the sign off facility when you are finished and never leave your machine unattended while you are signed in. As a security measure, if you have not used the sites for more than a specified period of time we will ask you to sign in again.

3. What rules apply to security?
3.1. Once you have registered with our Online Banking service you must provide us with identity details before we will allow you to use the services for the first time. You must enter your identity details immediately after signing in, so we can identify you.
3.2 Every time you use our Online Banking service you must give us your username, your password; and some additional security details.
3.3. You can change your password online by following the instructions on the screen.
3.4. For administration or security reasons, we can require you to use a new username or change your password before you use (or carry on using) our Online Banking service.
3.5. You must not write down, store (whether encrypted or otherwise) on your computer or mobile phone handset or let anyone else know your password, identity details or additional security details, and the fact that they are for use with your accounts.

3.6. If you think that someone else knows your password or any of your additional security details or has used any of them to use our Online Banking service, you must do the following:

(a) You must tell us as soon as you can by phoning the Online Banking helpdesk on 0845 602 0000.

(b) For your password, change it online as soon as possible. If you have difficulty changing your password, you must phone the Helpdesk immediately. You can give the Helpdesk your username if you phone them to change your password.

(c) For your additional security details, you will need to phone the Online Banking helpdesk on 0845 602 0000 immediately to change your additional security details.
3.7. We may give the police or any prosecuting authority any information they need if we think it will help them find out if someone else is using your username, password or any of your additional security details.
3.8. We may keep any emails sent to or from us. We do this to check what was written and also to help train our staff.

3.9. We may stop your use of the Online Banking service if we believe that:

  • your identity details are being used by someone else or we are otherwise concerned about the security of your account;
  • we suspect your account is being used in breach of these conditions in an unauthorised or fraudulent manner;
  • where your account has a credit facility, there is a change in your financial circumstances which gives us reasonable grounds to believe there is a significant risk that you may have difficulty repaying us.

Where we stop the use of the Online Banking service under this condition 3.9 we will, if practical, notify you immediately before, or where we can not notify you immediately before, after stopping the use of the Online Banking service and inform you of our reasons for doing so unless it is unlawful for us to do so or it would compromise our reasonable security measures.
3.10. We may require you to provide one or more of the additional security details and/or enter your password again before we accept instructions about your account.
3.11. You must not tell anyone your password or additional security details. You can give the Helpdesk your username if you need help to change your password or additional security details.

4. What is the extent of your liability?

4.1 You will not be responsible for your identity details being used:

  • after you have reported that it might be used by someone else (unless it is used by you or on your behalf)
  • where we have failed to provide a notification process to you for that it might be used by someone else (we provide this process through the telephone number specified in condition 3.6(a), unless this failure was due to our failure to provide the service because of strikes, power cuts, equipment not working or other causes beyond our reasonable control).
4.2. You will not have to pay us any money for any loss we suffer because of the use of your identity details where your identity details have been used without your authority in connection with a distance contract as defined by the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 or the Financial Services (Distance Marketing) Regulations 2004, for example, if your card has been stolen and then used to purchase goods over the Internet.
4.3. Subject to condition 4.1, if you think that someone else knows your identity details, the most you will have to pay us for any loss we suffer because of the use your identity details will be £50. The £50 limit applies for the period until you or someone acting for you has given us notice under condition 3.6. This condition does not apply if condition 4.4 applies.
4.4. You may have to pay more than £50 if you have been fraudulent or grossly negligent in allowing someone else to have your identity details. For example, if you have not followed the instructions in conditions 2.5, 3.5 and 3.11 (these conditions set out what steps you should follow to protect your identity details from misuse).
4.5. If there is a disagreement between us and you about the use of your identity details we will only be able to get back any loss of more than £50 if we prove the necessary facts.
4.6. If you are a victim of fraud through our Online Banking service we guarantee that you won't lose any money on your accounts and will always be reimbursed in full.
4.7. Unless you are a victim of fraud, you are responsible for all instructions and other information sent using your username, password or additional security details.
4.8. You will not be held responsible for any instructions or information sent after you have told us that someone knows your password or additional security details or has used any of them to access our Online Banking service.
4.9. We do not accept responsibility for any loss you or anybody else may suffer because any instructions or information you send us are sent in error, fail to reach us or are distorted unless you have been the victim of fraud.

5. How we can change these conditions
5.1 We can change these conditions if we give you at least 2 months' prior notice of the change. The notice will be given in accordance with condition 5.2. Where we give you notice of a change under this condition 5.1, the change will automatically take effect and you will be taken to have accepted the change unless you notify us in writing that you do not agree to the change as soon as possible and in any event before the end of the 2 month period. If you do not agree to the change you can close your account. If you notify us that you do not accept a change, we will take this notification as notification that you wish to close your account immediately.
5.2. We may notify you of a change to these conditions by giving you written notice or by publishing the change on our web site. We will send all written notices to you at the last email address you gave us. You must let us know if you change your email address (you can do so online), to make sure that we have your current email address at all times.

6. General

Our Online Banking service is available to UK residents only. If you are outside the UK you can only use our Online Banking service to view information or perform transactions on your accounts but not to open new accounts. If you want to use the service outside the UK you must check local regulations to make sure it is legal to do so.

We strongly recommend that you print a copy of these conditions for your reference.