Best banks if you have Power of Attorney

HobgoblinBT

My experience with HSBC and Santander was good.  I completed and submitted a digital form together with a POA access code so I didn’t have to submit the original POA.  I have telephone access to the account with HSBC but the internet banking is more difficult. 

Of the two, the easiest is Santander as the POA account appears as another account on my personal Santander bank account online banking and I have been able to update the account name as it appears to me to “dad”.  I have been able to increase the daily payment limit sufficiently to enable me to set up and make payments for my father’s care home fees. I have possession of my father’s Santander debit card and unlike the poster above don’t think the card has been cancelled.

Both banks have enabled me to change address to my address upon my father entering a care home and have noted their records as to where he resides.  

Panzer21

So more and more banks are now going on line and closing high street branches Thus restricting access to their services. To verify a new account a normal person only has to complete an online application and possibly provide 1 digital copy (usually via e-mail) of a photo id such as a picture of a driving licence (not verified by anyone and not checked against any official database eg DVLA. However if you have an LPA in place and registered with the government website and therefore a verified copy is accessible via a Secure link Verified by the UK Government. However so far I have contacted 3 banks & building societies 2 are online only (no branches) and they issist I have to get a fully certified copy of my lpa quite often together with a further document downloadable from their website with further real signatures and POST this (cost of recorded delivery not included) Before accepting my application. Obviously we seem to be living a world where the Equality act does not apply to our banking system?!

eskbanker

Panzer21 said:

So more and more banks are now going on line and closing high street branches Thus restricting access to their services. To verify a new account a normal person only has to complete an online application and possibly provide 1 digital copy (usually via e-mail) of a photo id such as a picture of a driving licence (not verified by anyone and not checked against any official database eg DVLA. However if you have an LPA in place and registered with the government website and therefore a verified copy is accessible via a Secure link Verified by the UK Government. However so far I have contacted 3 banks & building societies 2 are online only (no branches) and they issist I have to get a fully certified copy of my lpa quite often together with a further document downloadable from their website with further real signatures and POST this (cost of recorded delivery not included) Before accepting my application. Obviously we seem to be living a world where the Equality act does not apply to our banking system?!

Obviously it's inconvenient that some (not all) institutions require certified documents rather than accepting the online access codes, but how is that a breach of the Equality Act?

HillStreetBlues

I manage an account with a POA with Nationwide, looks like they are a bit overdrawn.

Baled

Today I attended my dad's NatWest branch to register as PoA on his account. He still has full capacity. My daughter and I are named as PoA (joint and several) but it seemed to cause great confusion for the staff that I was registering alone and she wasn't with me. 

The staff member used the form which I had completed by hand to complete and submit the online version of the same form on their system which is fairly ridiculous to me.

They also advised that the department the paperwork has gone to may insist my daughter provides her ID and details as well but as it's a joint and several LPA then surely she wouldn't have to if she didn't want to?

The whole experience did not inspire much confidence to be honest.

Sherbertfizz

My son recently registered an LPA for his father with Nationwide. Rather shocked to learn that he is unable to access his father's account online unless he opens his own Nationwide account. The LPA is jointly and severally held with one other family member, who also doesn't bank with Nationwide currently and therefore would also have to open another unnecessary account.

This seems unreasonable to me. Why should PoAs be required to open a current account which they don't need, and which will have an impact on their credit rating, in order to be able to use online banking? I spoke with the PoA team at Nationwide, who couldn't really provide an explanation beyond 'it must be a technical thing'! Their position is that they would be able to access/operate the account by branch and phone, so it's not an issue, but who in this day and age doesn't use online banking? Exclusionary, surely?

Anyone else find this odd/unacceptable?

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81973252#Comment_81973252

You don't need a current account with them, a savings one will do, so the most pragmatic thing to do would be to open one and deposit a token amount, set up online access to it, and you're good to go (once you jump through the rest of the hoops!):

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/help/third-party-access/manage-the-donors-money-using-the-internet-bank/

Barkin

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81973252#Comment_81973252

My wife was told the same with Barclays when she registered her father's LPA with them. She already had a Barclays current account, so not a problem.

I assume it's a technical/system thing, as she now has to log in to her own app or online banking, then 'switch' to the PoA account from there. Sounds like it might a common way to implement it?

iwasyoungonce

Registered a LPA for a family member with Nationwide and its been a nightmare, unable to pay bills online or even complete basic internal transfers like moving spare cash into his Nationwide ISA.

After several phone calls I've been told its a known IT issue which 3 months later is still unresolved.

NewYorkNo1fan

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81997705#Comment_81997705

I had POA on Mums Nationwide account during covid. Total and absolute nightmare so walked and went to Halifax. What a breath of fresh air. Dedicated telephone number for POA department, always understand what you want/need. Always good advice. I can’t fault them.