Power of Attorney - Current Account - Internet Banking

ForumMember007

Well, that's yet another bank/BS on my blacklist :mad:

Nationwide BS say they will not allow Attorneys to use online banking. This despite the many phone calls, and the lengthy sessions in branch, to transfer my Mother's accounts in Dec/Jan, during which I made it clear repeatedly that internet banking was essential. Their reasons are incoherent, and confused regarding the nature of PoA. (Also their general competence has been poor, not just on the PoA side.)

Any suggestions for a bank/BS who will allow Attorneys to operate current accounts online, ideally as well as other account types eg savings and ISA?

HBOS are out - their PoA systems have been all over the place for years.

The institution needs to have a branch in Glasgow - for initial setting up, and in extremis thereafter.

Thanks in anticipation!

Regards
W

Linton

I am a PoA and have internet access to my relative's accounts with 2 banks ...

Nat West allow PoAs to have access to PoA accounts via internet with their own personal login. Lloyds have given me written approval to allow me to use my relative's internet account.

In both cases you will need to go into a branch with an authorised copy of the PoA document and fix up an appointment with an advisor who understands PoA.

Errata

I didn't have a second's trouble with Natwest.

xylophone

HBOS are out- their PoA systems have been all over the place for years.

Could matters have improved? http://www.halifax.co.uk/onlinebankinghelp/powerofattorney.asp

Biggles

ForumMember007 wrote: »

Their reasons are incoherent, and confused regarding the nature of PoA.

That's normal, even with banks, which Nationwide aren't; they do a lot of things differently.

Several banks don't allow online banking, but Lloyds are pretty good about it in my experience.

alanq

Errata wrote: »

I didn't have a second's trouble with Natwest.

That was also my experience..

emmylc

Since several people mentioned that Natwest was good with PoA situations I thought I'd give them a try today and open some new accounts for my relation who has made me their attorney since their current bank is a bit rubbish and we're getting sick of having to deal with them.

After making an appointment, explaining what I needed to do when making said appointment, being very clear I needed to speak to someone who specialised in handling PoA matters and emailing the advisor in question to prewarn him so he could be prepared, I came away extremely annoyed and unsuccessful.

After starting the appointment 15 mins late, I was then left waiting for over 15 mins while they checked the ID and LPA documents that I had brought in. The guy finally came back and said he wouldn't be able to open any new accounts for her to be operated on a PoA basis, he could only add PoA access to accounts she already had and since she didn't have any accounts with them he couldn't do anything for us.

They wanted my elderly relative, who has mobility issues and is now living in a home, to 'pop' in to the branch to prove her identity as she doesn't have a driving licence or passport for this purpose. All I had for her photo ID was her bus pass (which she's never used but is the only photo ID she has) but I had letters from DWP about her pension as well as bank statements, bills and so on. I had ID proving who we were as well a copy of the LPA document itself.

We have an LPA which is registered with OPG with no restrictions whatsoever, yet the guy in Natwest told me there was nothing he could do without seeing her if I couldn't produce a passport or driving licence. I told him he was welcome to visit her at the care home to confirm her identity but apparently he wouldn't be able to do that.

I said to him surely the whole point of having an LPA was to be able to manage someone's financial affairs on their behalf without them having to be present but he said that I would have the same issue everywhere else.

I told him since Natwest was not interested in helping to look after what will be a tidy sum of money when the house she has is sold, I would go elsewhere.

ForumMember007

Updates:

a) after several weeks of incoherence and contradiction, irritation, and complaint, Nationwide apologised profusely. I am able to use internet banking "as if I was my mother". So that's good.

(At one point their advice was to open joint accounts in my mother's name and mine. Which is wrong wrong wrong - even more so for ISAs. Good grief!)

b) conversely, yet again, HBOS have lost my authority to access my mother's accounts. So, I am cut off from her funds - and all HBOS can do is raise a complaint, which takes weeks to process. Utterly pathetic.

c) on the plus side, Santander now have a proper PoA department - 16 or 17 of them, set up in the past few months, they said. I got through instantly to someone who knew what I was talking about and answered my questions promptly and helpfully. And yes, that magic phrase again: "you can access your mother's accounts as if you are her". So I expect to open a 123 current account soon.

So there's hope yet ...

W

Dimey

What a nightmare Emmylc.
Why couldn't Nat West have told you that on the phone and not wasted your time.

I don't think institutions give LPA's the respect and authority they deserve. I recently had to wheel my elderly relative to a solicitor to collect some papers because they wouldn't give them to me with my LPA.

The system is undermined by companies not recognising LPA or maybe by LPA's not being robust enough to be taken seriously.

nedyr

ForumMember007 wrote: »

Updates:

a) after several weeks of incoherence and contradiction, irritation, and complaint, Nationwide apologised profusely. I am able to use internet banking "as if I was my mother". So that's good.

(At one point their advice was to open joint accounts in my mother's name and mine. Which is wrong wrong wrong - even more so for ISAs. Good grief!)

b) conversely, yet again, HBOS have lost my authority to access my mother's accounts. So, I am cut off from her funds - and all HBOS can do is raise a complaint, which takes weeks to process. Utterly pathetic.

c) on the plus side, Santander now have a proper PoA department - 16 or 17 of them, set up in the past few months, they said. I got through instantly to someone who knew what I was talking about and answered my questions promptly and helpfully. And yes, that magic phrase again: "you can access your mother's accounts as if you are her". So I expect to open a 123 current account soon.

So there's hope yet ...

W

I POA for my father. Just had Nationwide branch phone their POA team to check whether I could use internet banking. Head Office POA team said official Nationwide policy is that POAs cannot use internet banking. This was on 1st November 2013. Am about to take this further.

emmylc

The latest reply to this thread has reminded me that I needed to post an update to my situation. After having no luck with Natwest, we went into Halifax to see whether they could help - what a difference in approach and customer service!

We made an appointment to see their PoA specialist as well as a normal advisor for the account opening as advised by them. They handled the account opening first and then once the accounts were opened, the PoA specialist registered the PoA for us there and then. We were in there for quite some time (2 hours or so) but we were at least offered refreshments and well looked after - the staff were absolutely lovely.

The main thing for me was that they had a specialist to deal with our situation and an understanding of what documents are required for those who don't have the standard ID documents like the very elderly.

I will admit that it hasn't been a totally flawless process but I'm happy with the service we've had and they've responded quickly to any issues we've reported.

I was able to get a debit card and cheque book as PoA as well as immediate access to internet banking and have been using it happily for a month or so now.