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Power of Attorney guide discussion

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  • A quick PS on banks:
    Lloyds = unspeakable
    NatWest = incompetent to the point of illegality (but they did send me a hamper in compensation!)
    First Direct = brilliant!
    Sue
  • alanq
    alanq Posts: 4,216 Forumite
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    Chelsea BS
    Excellent - except utility bills as evidence of identity must be the most recent AND NO MORE THAN 3 MONTHS OLD. I am paperless for all utility bills except for water. Unfortunately water bills are only issued every 6 months and mine was over 3 months old. They accepted a YBS account certificate instead.

    NatWest
    Branch was excellent. They sent off paperwork with copy of POA to a centre. The centre then wrote to us saying that they had paperwork but no POA - having sent the copy of the POA back to branch because there was no paperwork! That added a week to the proceedings (3 weeks instead 2 which would otherwise have been the case). Other than that hiccup I was very happy with how things proceeded.
  • Biggles
    Biggles Posts: 8,209 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    ropewalk wrote: »
    A quick PS on banks:
    Lloyds = unspeakable
    NatWest = incompetent to the point of illegality (but they did send me a hamper in compensation!)
    First Direct = brilliant!
    It all comes down to the member of staff you deal with, and whether you escalate it if the initial contact doesn't understand PoAs. You said it yourself in your previous post, "Be prepared for battles - many frontline staff will have no idea what you are talking about!"

    I found, at my branch of Lloyds, no problem at all. Fully knowledgeable about PoA, arranged online access for me etc.
  • ropewalk
    ropewalk Posts: 18 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    With both NatWest and Lloyds it was not the local staff that caused the problems. It was their 'systems'. Local staff were more than helpful, especially Lloyds. But the letter of complaint I sent to Lloyds never even received a reply. At least NatWest recognised that they had made a major error and sent me a hamper in compensation.
  • castle96
    castle96 Posts: 2,980 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Hi,
    just sitting here looking at these form (POA) myself...

    Q....

    *Name more than one attorney - I will soon have to work out how to add the next generation onto the POAs as I am worried that if something happened to me they would both be left high and dry.


    I am 60. My sister 62. Eldest (of 3) son is 32. Was thinking of appointing eldest son AND sister. If sister were to die before me, then sole POA just reverts to eldest son (I assume ?). All estate would be left to 3 sons equally.

    Best ? to appoint 2 people ???
  • dzug1
    dzug1 Posts: 13,535 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    To add the next generation you would need to draw up a new power of attorney.

    Two attorneys can have problems - do you say they must act jointly? Stalemate if they can't agree. Or severally - conflict if one does something the other doesn't want to do.

    Not sure what happens if one of two attorneys dies - it could void the PoA entirely, or the remaining one could be entitled to act. The wording of the PoA will be relevant. For example on the PoA I have I am sole attorney. It does name a second attorney who would take over if I died/wanted to give up - but the PoA would have to be reregistered with a fresh fee.
  • John_Pierpoint
    John_Pierpoint Posts: 8,401 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    edited 3 March 2012 at 7:15PM
    Gers wrote: »
    Interesting article - thanks.

    I already hold my mothers' POA (Scotland) which is registered - hold both financial and welfare/medical ones - but neither are yet 'active'.

    My only worry is what evidence to places like banks, utility companies, credit card companies etc require for me to be able to deal with them? I have read some horror stories about banks not accepting them.

    Additionally I sometimes make phone calls on her behalf and the companies want confirmation that I am acting for her. The problem is that she is fairly deaf and finds telephone calls very difficult. Can I quote the POA at them? Surely that can't be enough? BT are an especially problematic company for this!

    Thanks

    The secret is to have more than one account and if possible to make sure the octogenarian is one of the oldest silver surfers on the interweb. Then if you come up against the irresistible force and the immovable object you can go round it; At the time it feels like a life sentence but, in the case of old people, I would think the average duration of having to use a power of attorney is probably less than 5 years?
    Thank heavens the cheque book is still a possibility as most accounts can be set up in advance of losing capacity with the prospective attorney as "Authorised Signatory", a free half way house for day to day administration.
    ropewalk wrote: »
    A quick PS on banks:
    Lloyds = unspeakable
    NatWest = incompetent to the point of illegality (but they did send me a hamper in compensation!)
    First Direct = brilliant!
    Sue

    HSBC = Good
    Abbey (as was) = Lazy
    Barclays = Unspeakable (but I found a "secret" 0800 number that bypasses India, Leicester, Liverpool & those shysters who pretend to be the Bereavement Department.
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1935955 )
    Alliance and Leicester (as was) = sympathetic but poorly trained.
    Yorkshire Building Society = ditto.
    C & G (former building society based in Fareham) = Sharp but almost too good at sticking to the letter of the rules.

    (I will consult DW who is going through the same mill at the moment on behalf of her mother).
  • Blue_Max
    Blue_Max Posts: 725 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Owner of a leasehold flat, a retired doctor, is currently living abroad. I was entrusted with a General Power of Attorney.
    There is an ongoing dispute with the management company. They are in violation of the terms of the lease. For example:
    Terms of the lease state that the accounts shall be prepared and audited by a chartered accountant. But no audited accounts were prepared since y/e March 2009.
    The agents acting for the managment company is demanding payments over and above than specified under the terms of the lease.

    It is not practical for the owner to come to England to attend court. As holder of General Power of Attorney, am I allowed to represent the owner in a county court?
  • Blue_Max
    Blue_Max Posts: 725 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    up!
    in case anyone missed my request
  • rochja
    rochja Posts: 564 Forumite
    Life is like a box of chocolates - drop it and the soft centres splash everywhere
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