Nationwide making 88 year old attend branch??

buel10

Thought I should post a story from a friend of mine below.
What you guys and girls on here might be able to help with is this - Is it policy for Nationwide to demand / insist that an 88 year old wheelchair bound person attend the branch in the event of possible fraud?

HELP PLEASE

Does anybody have any contacts at Nationwide Building Society maybe even know Debbie Crosbie

My 88 year old mum has had her bank account frozen , there was a suspected fraud on her account , it was a mistake but the fraud department won’t be able to “investigate” until the 18th of August apparently.

She’s home bound but Nationwide have insisted that the only way she can have access to her money is if she attends the branch.

So, I take an afternoon off work
We get a wheelchair
We park miles away and I push her through the town centre to go in and get cash.

She’s a vulnerable adult , I take the cash to my house and lock it away.

Then she rings me and I take the cash down to her house in dribs and drabs.

She’s upset , confused and angry.

Easyjet77

Whilst it may be a little inconvenient meantime, it is better than losing out to fraud, then there would be reason to be upset. Such is modern life!

eskbanker

buel10 said:

She’s a vulnerable adult , I take the cash to my house and lock it away.

Then she rings me and I take the cash down to her house in dribs and drabs.

It's a bit confusing where the hypothetical branch visit story ends but if your friend is actively involved in managing their mother's finances in that way then obtaining lasting power of attorney would seem sensible.

buel10 said:

My 88 year old mum has had her bank account frozen , there was a suspected fraud on her account , it was a mistake but the fraud department won’t be able to “investigate” until the 18th of August apparently.

Whose mistake was it?

xylophone

We park miles away and I push her through the town centre to go in and get cash.

How much cash is she likely to need in the next ten days or so?

dcs34

I would ask how does she normally get access to her money - both to make payments, or to get cash? If she doesn't go into branches then is she registered for online banking? 

If your friend is managing her account without being her attorney then that should be fixed asap as banks will quite rightly not accept someone other than the 88 year old acting for her without a formal LPA being in place.

Given the suspected fraud, even if accidental, it's not unsurprising the bank would want to see her to verify the situation and confirm she is who she is meant to be. As a customer I'd rather the bank was careful with my money.

boingy

Wow, there's not much empathy in this thread! I hope none of you end up in a wheelchair on the wrong end of a frozen bank account.

@OP I suggest your friend emails the CEO using these addresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]

Emphasise the disabled/wheelchair thing and mention discrimination.
Debbie will probably be relieved to get a complaint that is not connected to the Fairer Share thing!

xylophone

Wow, there's not much empathy in this thread! I hope none of you end up in a wheelchair on the wrong end of a frozen bank account.

It is worrying for your mother to have her account frozen but what were the circumstances?

The reference to cash is puzzling - if she is housebound, how does she normally get cash?

Has the problem arisen because she gave her card to a friend or neighbour to get cash for her?

Is there a reason why she would need to have a lot of cash to hand?

phillw

xylophone said:
The reference to cash is puzzling - if she is housebound, how does she normally get cash?

Has the problem arisen because she gave her card to a friend or neighbour to get cash for her?

Is there a reason why she would need to have a lot of cash to hand?

I presume that usually the offspring takes the mums card to a cash machine, or buys things with the card, etc.

But with the account frozen, they needed to withdraw cash & to avoid having to go back again if the situation doesn't improve then they withdrew it all.

A financial LPA would solve some issues, but it will take a while to set it up.

retiredbanker1

It will also cost £600+ to set up.

eskbanker

retiredbanker1 said:

It will also cost £600+ to set up.

Eh?

How to make a lasting power of attorney

1. Choose your attorney (you can have more than one).

2. Fill in the forms to appoint them as an attorney.

3. Register your LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian (this can take up to 20 weeks).

It costs £82 to register an LPA unless you get a reduction or exemption.

https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney

The other option usually mentioned on threads like this is a third party mandate:

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/help/third-party-access/third-party-mandate/

sheramber

retiredbanker1 said:

It will also cost £600+ to set up.

Not if you do it yourself. It is quite straightforward to do.