Faxing a bank
For a lost card, call; for paperwork, a clearly referenced fax may still be welcome.
Canada’s banks — RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, National Bank — and the credit unions rarely act on payment instructions received by fax, because of the fraud risk. Fax still has a place for sending documents a mortgage specialist or branch has asked for (pay stubs, a purchase agreement, a T4), for returning signed forms, or for submitting a power of attorney for review by the bank’s estates or legal team. For a lost or stolen card, call the number on the bank’s website or lock the card in its app first. Quote your account or application number on the cover page, never your PIN or passwords.
Why a bank still takes faxes
Mortgage and lending teams work with lawyers, brokers, appraisers and employers, and fax remains among the channels they use to collect signed pages quickly before a closing date.
For customers, the value is a dated record that a requested document was sent. The bank decides which channels it accepts for each request: if it requires a branch visit or an e-signature, a fax will not replace it.
Where to find the right number
- The email or letter from your branch, mortgage specialist or estates team, which says how to return documents.
- The secure message centre in online banking, where you can ask which channel to use.
- Your branch, by phone, to confirm that the document will be accepted by fax and by which department.
What the cover page should say
- The bank, branch or department (mortgages, estates, powers of attorney, customer service).
- Your name and the account, application or file number — never a PIN or password.
- The subject: mortgage documents, power of attorney review, signed form, written confirmation.
- Your contact’s name if known and the total page count.
The record to keep
Keep the transmission report and the exact PDF, and ask your contact to confirm receipt. For a lost card, also note the date, time and reference given when you reported it: that is what counts if fraudulent transactions are disputed.
Other channels, sometimes better
Secure messaging in online banking
Encrypted, tied to your identity and stored in your account: the safest way to send banking documents.
Card controls in the app
Most banks let you lock a card instantly in their app while you report the loss.
A branch appointment
Often required for powers of attorney and estate matters, where the bank needs to see originals and identification.
Other recipients
- An application, proof of age, a direct-deposit change: one wrong SIN and the file stalls.
- Health data on paper again: the number must come from the plan, not from a search engine.
- Admissions offices sort thousands of files: your application number decides where the page lands.
- A repair request in writing protects you; a notice to end a tenancy has rules of its own.
Faxing a public body
In this section
- Faxing an organisation
- Admissions offices sort thousands of files: your application number decides where the page lands.
- A repair request in writing protects you; a notice to end a tenancy has rules of its own.
- Court paperwork leaves no room for guesswork: the office’s own number, the case reference, a dated record.
Where to go next
Hand-picked pages to help you prepare, send or prove your fax.