Signature discrepancy + age of customers = bad banking experience
Have you encountered an issue with your signature on the cheque not matching the bank records? I am sure this is a common concern that impacts most of us at some point. I recently encountered this when I was accompanying my friend with some bank-related work for his elderly parents.
As you age, your muscle tends to loosen up impacting your grip, leading to issues in holding a pen or a similar object. This was the case with his elderly parents too. They had to sign certain documents and the signatures were differing from the ones that the bank had in its record which were more than 30 years old.
Obviously, there is going to be some discrepancy, but the bank insisted on the accuracy of ~95%. This requirement was critical for the transaction even after establishing the KYC protocols and the person being physically present for the said transaction. Nevertheless, the transaction went through after multiple attempts.
I can think of 2 ways to tackle this challenge.
- Can the banks across the board establish a procedure to update an account holders signature once every 5 years at the minimum? I am aware of the fact that you have the option of updating the signature — more of a voluntary task. I am talking about making this as a mandatory task.
- Creating a protocol that is a combination of digital signature & 2FA. This will require making digital signatures in some form that is easily accessible and affordable for the masses.
What are your thoughts on this challenge? Are you aware of any other ways either in India or globally this challenge has been addressed? Join the discussion here.
Until next time!
~ Sajid
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Sajid is a Strategy Consultant who works at the intersection of human behaviour, business design and innovation strategy. He blogs at sknotes and tweets @sajidkhetani
