Co-operative Bank customers can access legal support through new partnership with Co-op Legal Services

• The Co-operative Bank’s new partnership supports customers seeking legal services
• A portion of the commission earnt from the partnership with Co-op Legal Services will support Hospice UK through a £25,000 donation to their vital end of life care services

The Co-operative Bank has launched a new partnership with Co-op Legal Services, piloting an initiative that will provide the Bank’s customers with access to specialist legal support.

The Co-operative Bank, like many financial services firms, supports its customers, their families and loved ones at critical times in their lives, including in times of bereavement. Complex legal support is often needed by those grieving the loss of a friend or family member, which is why the Bank is now offering access to specialist services such as Probate and Estate administration, in partnership with Co-op Legal Services, to help them to put the affairs of their lost loved one in order. The initiative will initially run as a pilot for 12 months to understand customer appetite for these specialist services, which also includes Estate planning and wills.

Co-op Legal Services (CLS) is the largest provider of Probate and Estate administration services in England and Wales, dealing with over £1.8 billion in estates annually. As part of the Co-op Group, CLS’s values of openness, honesty, social responsibility and caring for others are a natural fit with the co-operative values and ethics that The Co-operative Bank was founded upon 150 years ago. Access to legal services is something that many of the Bank’s customers require and giving the option to take these services in partnership with CLS is an important step in improving customer experience.

As part of the partnership, the Bank will donate a proportion of its commission to Hospice UK, one of the Bank’s core charity partners, with a minimum donation of £25,000 in 2023 from the commission received through the partnership. The Bank’s support for Hospice UK began in 2016 and since then it has donated thousands of pounds through a number of initiatives. At a time where charities are struggling to meet funding needs, this additional sum for the work Hospice UK does to ensure everyone affected by death, dying and bereavement gets the care and support they need, when they need it, is vital and the Bank is committed to help with this cause.

Commenting on the launch of the partnership with CLS, Darrell Evans, Managing Director of Retail Banking at The Co-operative Bank, said:

“We know that our colleagues have a strong affiliation with Hospice UK. In honour of The Co-operative Bank’s 150th anniversary year, all Co-operative Bank colleagues were asked to choose a charity to which the Bank would give a small donation on their behalf, and a significant proportion of our colleagues chose Hospice UK as their designated charity. This demonstrates just how important end of life care services are to our colleagues and customers, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. For me, this makes the Bank’s donation through this partnership even more meaningful. I am delighted that we can support Hospice UK in this way whilst improving our offering to customers with our like-minded partners, Co-op Legal Services”.

Caoilionn Hurley, Managing Director at Co-op Legal Services, said:

“Co-op Legal Services is delighted to be partnering with The Co-operative Bank to provide probate and estate planning services to their customers. Both organisations share very similar values of openness, honesty, and social responsibility, this synergy provides a strong foundation for making legal services more accessible to The Co-operative Bank customers.”

Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said:

“We are hugely grateful to The Co-operative Bank for choosing to support Hospice UK via their new initiative that will provide their customers with access to legal support. As the national charity for hospice and end of life care, we know the importance of planning for the end of your life. In particular, we understand how difficult it can be dealing with legal issues at a very difficult time after someone we love has died. This generous donation from The Co-operative Bank will support our work to ensure everyone affected by death, dying and bereavement gets the care and support they need, when they need it.”