Our technology

Nationwide is committed to providing a safe and secure way for you to access your bank accounts.

Our approach to security:

Safe banking and encryption
Signing onto the bank
What is your customer number?
What is a temporary customer number?
Remembering your customer number
Selecting and using your memorable data
Using your passnumber

Safe banking and encryption

When you sign on we establish a secure link between your PC and the bank. This link is encrypted and all of the information you send and receive is scrambled and can only be deciphered by Nationwide and by your PC. The scrambling or encryption process involves changing a string of letters and numbers into a code that is unrecognisable to anybody else. By scrambling / encrypting the information we ensure that personal information such as card and account numbers are safe and secure when passed between Nationwide and your PC.

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Signing on to the bank

Secure banking is more than establishing a secure link between you and the Nationwide it is also preventing unauthorised access to your accounts. We do this by asking you to sign on using three different types of personal security data. As only you will know what these are we can be confident that the person signing on is you and so grant you access to your accounts.

The first part is your Customer Number. This is the number we assign to you when you when you register (you cannot choose or change this number).

The second is your Memorable Data. When you register for Internet Banking with the Nationwide we will ask you to provide us with a memorable date, a memorable place and a memorable name. You will need to input only one of these when you sign in.

The final thing we ask for is three random digits from your passnumber. Your passnumber will be sent to you after you have registered. It will be a random six digit number generated by Nationwide. Once you have signed in using (three digits of) this number you will be able to change it if you so wish.

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What is your customer number?

You will find your customer number, a 10-digit number, in the letter we send you which will confirm your registration to the Internet Banking service. Whenever you use Internet Banking with Nationwide, this is the customer number you will be asked to use. It is permanent and allocated to you alone.

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What is a temporary customer number?

If you are not registered for Internet Banking and want to open an account online we will assign you a temporary customer number. Temporary customer numbers begin with a 'T'. At the same time we will ask you to provide your own memorable data and passnumber. Using this information allows you to return to incomplete applications and to make use of our secure messaging service.

After submitting your application we will register you for Internet Banking and send you your permanent customer number and a new passnumber. You will use these along with your memorable data to gain full access to the bank services and to your accounts.

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Remembering your customer number

A ten digit number is not always the easiest thing to remember, especially when you cannot change it to something more recognisable. To help you overcome this problem we provide customers with an optional customer number cookie. A cookie is a small piece of data sent by our computer to yours so that information can be recalled; in this case your customer number.

When you are signing on to Internet Banking with us, you will see an option asking whether or not you want to install a cookie to remember your customer number. If you request 'Please remember my customer number', a cookie will be stored on the computer you are using and your customer number will be inserted automatically each time you sign on to the Internet Bank.

The cookie will store your customer number only and nothing else. It has no other purpose. If you do not want to accept the cookie your customer number will not be stored and each time you sign in you will be asked to type in your customer number.

We recommend that the cookie is used on your personal computer only.

If you save your temporary customer number as a cookie, please replace it with your new customer number when we send it to you.

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Selecting and using your memorable data

For security reasons, we ask for three items of memorable data when you register. These should be easy to remember pieces of information that you will recall straight away when you are signing on.

Again for security reasons, we advise you not to use anything too obvious such as your date of birth, or your partner's date of birth. Don't use the name of the place you are living in and don't use your first name or your partner's first names.

If you need to change your memorable data, you can do so:

• sign on to the Internet Bank
• click on 'Preferences' on the menu bar
• click on 'Change Sign On Details' option on the left side of the page
• follow the instructions on the screen to change your memorable data

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Using your passnumber

We provide you with your passnumber, a randomly generated 6-digit number, when we complete your registration request.

If you want to change your passnumber you can but we strongly advise that you avoid something obvious that others may guess.

When you sign on we will ask you to enter three random digits of your passnumber. These must be entered in the drop down lists provided using your mouse rather than the numbered keypad.

By asking for different digits on each visit and using the drop down lists to pick the correct digit, you will be better protected against fraudulent use.

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