Halifax and death

kaz69

I'm new to all this but could really do with some help.

My grandad died last week at the ripe old age of 94 and i'm trying to help my mum sort his estate out. He didn't have a lot but because he held some premium bonds we have to apply for probate to release those. He also had an ISA with the Halifax. My Mum made an appointment to see them and went along this morning. Despite numerous telephone conversations with them, they had no record of her appointment and kept her waiting for an hour. Then, despite having told them thst she wasn't very mobile, they asked her to walk up two flights of stairs. Finally, to add insult to injury, they told her that they couldn't transfer the funds in my grandad's ISA to an account in the name of the executor of his estate until probate had been granted. They did say they could pay the funeral expenses.

Mum told me this when I got in from work and I was soooo angry because of the way they treated her and because she was so upset. So I rang them, only to be told the people in the branch had got it wrong and they would not release funds to pay the funeral expenses until probate had been sorted. I'm now LIVID!!!!

Mum hasn't got the money to settle the funeral expenses and will have to take a loan out to do so. Can someone tell me whether they are obliged to release sufficient funds to pay the fumeral expenses - for some reason, I thought they had to as this was a first call on the estate.

I really hope someone knows as I'm so stressed about it all. I've been on the phone to the Halifax for 2 hours today and they are totally unsympathetic. I really need some help on this one.

Thanks

VeryTrying_2

Kaz, here's an extract from the Halifax booklet on bereavement:

If you need money urgently, you may be able to get
a cheque drawn from most Halifax and Bank of
Scotland banking and savings accounts held by the
deceased.
If the accounts are held with Halifax or Bank of
Scotland and you require funds for funeral costs or
other urgent expenses before legal documents are
obtained, simply give us a letter saying you have
applied or are going to apply for Grant of
Representation/Confirmation and enclose the
original invoices that require payment.

You can find a copy here:

http://www.halifax.co.uk/HelpCentre/pdf/HelpandUnderstanding.pdf

Also have a look at the main Halifax bereavement site which can be found here

http://www.halifax.co.uk/HelpCentre/bereavement.asp

The above site give you the number for the dedicated department who should be more helpful than your local branch!

Hope you and your Mum are coping with things,

kaz69

Thank you so much! Perhaps if I quote their own blurb back at them it may help. I do appreciate it.

Strangely, although we'd known it would happen sooner rather than later, Grandpa's death has come as quite a shock and I never realised how difficult dealing with his affairs would be.

It would be great if we can sort this out - I think Mum has enough to cope with without the powers that be making it more traumatic.

Thank you again!!

angchris

hiya kaz, sorry about your grandad he did live to a great age. i`d just like to add that you shouldn`t worry about pressure from the funeral home for money, they are used to waiting to be paid...don`t panic and run out and get a loan, they realise its an emotional time and in my experience they don`t push the issue of money as its not very good for their pr/image. these things sometimes take time, at the moment its more important to be there for those around you.
take care angchris xx

fistfullofdollars

I used to work for abbey for my sins. When dealing with probate cases we could always release the funds i.e. a counter cheque to pay the invoice for the funeral.

I'd print out a copy of

fistfullofdollars

I used to work for abbey for my sins. When dealing with probate cases we could always release the funds i.e. a counter cheque to pay the invoice for the funeral.

I'd print out a copy of the T's and C's from the web site. Dont sit down with an advisor ask to see the manager even if it takes half an hour. I'd also bung in a complaint.

thriftmonster

When my FIL died 2 years ago, the Nationwide paid the funeral bill from the estate before probate was granted - they just needed a copy of the bill and to know that dh was in the process of applying for probate.

Good luck.

Tinka21

I work for a building society and we always release funds for funeral expenses, inhertitance tax bills before probabt is received all we require is the invoice so we can provide a cheque.

The Halifax treated your mother terribly and i would make an official complaint about it.