LPA and bank accounts

Ibliss

Well, this simple process is made harder by the questions that get raised while you are filling in the various application forms.  I'm looking at the HSBC "Lasting Power of Attorney Registration-Secure Digital Code" form and there are a couple of points of concern:
1) Mental Capacity (Y/N) - "By selecting no, after you have submitted this application the donor's credit and debit cards and access to phone banking and digital banking will be cancelled"
So, the problem here is that the account in question is a joint account with the other attorney (my dad) and I want to be absolutely sure that if they are cancelling mum's online access (which is fine) that he won't also lose online access!  Equally, that he won't lose use of debit card, although I don't see that this would happen as they have separate cards.
2) "Do you require access to telephone banking?" - My instinct here is to answer 'no' - but then does that stop me having digital banking access (which is how I intend to maintain the accounts).  Digital banking is not mentioned at all on the form.
Just putting these questions out there for anyone that has been through this, as so far the HSBC online chat agents have not been able to answer the questions, I can't get through on the phones lines and, of course, the branches are all shut at the weekend!
Thanks

BooJewels

I can't help you with those as I haven't done one with HSBC and with both Santander and Barclays, I just had to tick which services I actually wanted - phone, debit card, on-line access etc.   I don't recall being asked about mental capacity either time. 

In both my cases to date, both donors had mental capacity, but one chose not to manage things for themselves any more - for practical and mobility reasons - and in the other case, we decided to set it up ahead of needing it, after an emergency made us realise we could have managed it better had it already been in place.  

ETA:  It occurred to me after I posted - they may ask about mental capacity, because some LPAs can be set up to only apply as and when mental capacity is lost.  Neither of 'mine' were - they were set to be used at any time.  But this is probably why they ask the question.

Ibliss

So, having just had a chat with HSBC on the phone:
1) - declaring that my mum has lost mental capacity won't affect my dad's access to their joint account or use of his debit card.
2) access to telephone banking - advised to opt in to this.  There is no way to register for digital banking via the form, but once everything else is in place all that is required is to go into any branch of HSBC an complete registration for digital banking there.  This can be done by each Attorney separately at their convenience.
Ta.

blue.peter

Ibliss said:

...once everything else is in place all that is required is to go into any branch of HSBC an complete registration for digital banking there.  This can be done by each Attorney separately at their convenience.

Be warned: if HSBC is anything like Lloyds and Halifax, this will take ages. I didn't find it difficult to get my mother's PofA registered with them, but it was time-consuming. If memory serves, I spent about 45 minutes in each.

crockhamtown

What does an attorney get from the Office of the Public Guardian to prove that he is an attorney for a particular LPA that a bank will accept?

BooJewels

You don't get anything from the OPG to prove you are the attorney - the document has your name and address on and I think has phone and email details.  You'd have to present either the original document, or a certified copy to the bank.

You then have to provide your own proof that you're the attorney, that the bank find acceptable (they usually publish lists of documents that they'll accept), to then prove your ID and proof of address - so something like a passport/driving licence for ID and two bills, official letters (HMRC/DWP etc) or bank statements for proof of address.

crockhamtown

Thanks BooJewels. So the very many pages of the LPA submitted to the OPG, comes back to the attorney with some sort of validation stamp and a reference number. I presume that it is the whole of this document that you have send to a bank. I wonder whether it and the other proofs of ID and address can be taken into a local branch for them to copy.

BooJewels

The document actually goes to the donor, not the attorney - or their solicitor if they used one. 

The bank will need sight of the original document or a certified copy and originals of your documents.  I have done it in branch each time, with some stuff followed up with scanned copies.

I think there's a new digital service where the LPA is registered and a reference number can be used instead - but that's more recent than the LPAs my donors set up.  Hopefully someone else can fill in the details of this service and how it works.