Power of Attorney

CashMoney

Does anyone know if some banks deal with POA's alot better than others? Barclays at the moment are dreadful, make you jump through hoops even though they have accepted me and given me a POA debit card. They seem annoyed that I have access to my mother's accounts and making it a struggle every time I need to withdraw money for her. I have been in 3 times now after receiving documentation and a POA debit card and both times no luck. First time...."can you show us your passport?" (I have showed them already during appointment to register me as POA and they have photocopies of it). I didn't have it as the person who opened it for me said I only ever need to bring in the POA debit card and enter PIN. Second time......I take my passport this time and get the reply "computer not allowing me, we need to do some checks to verify a few things and this will take an hour". I don't have this time and walk out. Third time.....Again same excuse.

Fed up now.

BooJewels

I've no experience of Barclays, but have used an LPA to manage my father's financial affairs and bank accounts with other banks and once registered (which granted, was a bit tortuous as I didn't have ID they liked much), the bank deal with me as though I were him.  In fact, my first in-branch experience was when he received a cheque for a decent sum and I needed to pay it in.  My card on his account is in my name and looks visibly as though it's my own.  I flashed the cheque, made to him, then the card and said I wasn't sure how it would work, but when I put the card and my PIN in the console she just said "that's fine Mrs X, I can see you're an attorney on your father's account, I can sort that for you".  

So once set up properly, it should work that smoothly - they shouldn't need to check ID each time, if you have a card on the account with a PIN etc.  Unless Barclays do things differently.  I have found some tiny distinctions - like if I set up a new payee on his account (which I have done to save me writing and sending cheques for bills), I can't make a payment the same day, only on future dates.  Where with my own account at the same bank, I can make payments immediately, should I choose - I tend to do them for the following day anyway in case I made a mistake.

SevenOfNine

I have a PoA debit card for my mother's a/c (NatWest), & draw from an ATM or in branch without any questions or ID checks.  I have a PoA cheque book as well.

My BiL registered his PoA for my FiL with Lloyds & clearly had no problem using the PoA debit card for relentless ATM withdrawals & card purchases, given that over 14 months he burnt through £14k, the final cash withdrawal of £100 from an ATM when the old guy was lying in the morgue.

CashMoney

Hi BooJewels, Which bank was this with? I bank with Nationwide and was thinking of switching my mother's account to them aswell. Seeing as I bank with Nationwide maybe they will treat me alot better as my mother's POA?

BooJewels

CashMoney said:

Hi BooJewels, Which bank was this with? I bank with Nationwide and was thinking of switching my mother's account to them aswell. Seeing as I bank with Nationwide maybe they will treat me alot better as my mother's POA?

Santander. I don't think me having a basic account made any difference.  When I registered the LPA with them and requested on-line banking as one of the features I would like, I thought they'd send me details to log in to his accounts separately, but I was surprised one day when logging in to my own account to see his listed alongside mine.  Which makes it nice and easy to see everything in one go.  

BooJewels

SevenOfNine said:

My BiL registered his PoA for my FiL with Lloyds & clearly had no problem using the PoA debit card for relentless ATM withdrawals & card purchases, given that over 14 months he burnt through £14k, the final cash withdrawal of £100 from an ATM when the old guy was lying in the morgue.

Good grief.  I made a comment in another LPA thread in this forum earlier today that it's perhaps right, where money is concerned, that they do make you jump through hoops to register LPAs.  But clearly that doesn't legislate for people with inappropriate intentions.  I was in a meeting at my father's care home a few weeks ago and a cop popped his head round the door for a quick word with the manager and it became evident that a resident who was well heeled but a bit bonkers had assigned LPAs to his offspring who had jointly gone on a spending spree, leaving his home fees unpaid and there wasn't enough left to buy him the new pair of slippers he desperately needed.  It's an abuse of trust of the very worst sort.  It makes me want to weep.

xylophone

It's an abuse of trust of the very worst sort.  It makes me want to weep.

https://www.gov.uk/report-concern-about-attorney-deputy-guardian
Let's hope it was reported.
https://www.wrigleys.co.uk/court-of-protection-blog/prosecution-of-attorneys-for-financial-abuse/

xylophone

Barclays at the moment are dreadful, 

Odd - relative had PoA for his late relative and ran accounts with Barclays as PoA with no trouble at all.

CashMoney

@BooJewels - Arggghh I just moved from Santander to Nationwide lol

born_again

If you are just wanting cash. Why go to counter just use a ATM.

CashMoney

@born_again - As a POA, Barclays won't let you withdraw from the larger cashpoints in branch that give you upto £2000. No idea why. You have to go to a counter.