---
title: "How do I verify a vendor bank account change?"
description: "A step-by-step way to verify a vendor bank account change before you pay: freeze the change, confirm out-of-band with a known contact, check the account, get a second approval and keep a record."
url: https://realpayee.com/answers/how-to-verify-a-vendor-bank-account-change
canonical: https://realpayee.com/answers/how-to-verify-a-vendor-bank-account-change
date_published: 2026-10-05
date_modified: 2026-10-05
author: RealPayee
---

# How do I verify a vendor bank account change?

> Treat every vendor bank account change as unverified until confirmed. Freeze the change, then contact the vendor through a channel you already trust, such as a phone number from your vendor file or contract, never one from the request. Confirm the new details with a known contact, get a second person to approve the edit, and record who confirmed and how.

Account validation tools can add a check that the account belongs to the vendor, but the core control is confirming the request with the real person. [RealPayee](https://realpayee.com/demo) automates the hold, the out-of-band confirmation and the audit record.

_Published 2026-10-05 · Updated 2026-10-05 · By RealPayee_

## Six steps to verify a bank change

1. **Freeze it.** Do not save the new details or pay against them until verification is complete.
2. **Find a trusted contact.** Use the contact on file in your vendor master file, the signed contract or a previous paid invoice. Ignore any phone number, link or contact in the change request.
3. **Confirm out-of-band.** Call or message that known contact on a different channel from the request and ask them to confirm the old and new account details.
4. **Check the account.** Where available, use your bank's or AP platform's account ownership or payee name check.
5. **Second approval.** A different person approves the edit in the ERP (segregation of duties).
6. **Record it.** Note who confirmed, on which channel, when, and who approved. Auditors and insurers will ask.

## Red flags that should slow you down

- Urgency, or a request to pay the next invoice to the new account right away.
- A new bank in a different country or a different name on the account.
- A sender address that differs slightly from the vendor's usual domain, or a reply-to that differs from the sender.
- Requests to keep the change quiet or to avoid calling.

Our free [vendor bank-change policy template](https://realpayee.com/templates/vendor-bank-change-policy) turns these steps into a written policy, and the [vendor verification guide](https://realpayee.com/vendor-verification) covers the full process.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is an email confirmation from the vendor enough?

No. If the vendor's mailbox is compromised, the attacker can reply to your confirmation email. Confirm on a separate channel with a contact you already had.

### What if the vendor contact on file has left?

Verify the new contact through a second known person at the vendor, such as their finance lead or account manager, using details you already hold, before accepting them as the new contact.

### Do I need to verify every change, even small vendors?

Yes. Small vendors are often easier to impersonate and their payments still add up. Apply the same rule to every bank-detail change.

## Related

- [Vendor verification: how to verify vendor bank details before you pay](https://realpayee.com/vendor-verification) - A practical guide to vendor verification for finance teams: how to confirm vendor bank-detail changes, run callbacks, and prevent vendor impersonation fraud. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/vendor-verification.md)
- [Free vendor bank-change verification policy template](https://realpayee.com/templates/vendor-bank-change-policy) - A free, copy-ready vendor bank-detail change and callback verification policy template plus checklist for AP teams. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/templates/vendor-bank-change-policy.md)
- [What is out-of-band verification?](https://realpayee.com/answers/what-is-out-of-band-verification) - What out-of-band verification means for payments and vendor changes, examples, why it beats replying to an email, and its limits. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/answers/what-is-out-of-band-verification.md)
- [Vendor onboarding checklist: a fraud-safe process for AP](https://realpayee.com/blog/vendor-onboarding-checklist) - A step-by-step vendor onboarding process and checklist for AP teams: what to collect, how to verify bank details, who approves, and what to log for audit. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/blog/vendor-onboarding-checklist.md)

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