Access to Father's bank account

Downthedrain

My Father is in hospital and likely to be in there for quite a few weeks. He's asked me to prepare his house for when he eventually comes home and suggested I draw the money out to pay for this using his debit card and PIN. I don't wish to do this. He does not use online banking nor does he have a cheque book.

Power of Attorney would take too long and I'm thinking a third party mandate may be sufficient. He's with the Coop bank. Has anyone got experience of this or any advice?

la531983

Downthedrain said:

My Father is in hospital and likely to be in there for quite a few weeks. He's asked me to prepare his house for when he eventually comes home and suggested I draw the money out to pay for this using his debit card and PIN. I don't wish to do this. He does not use online banking nor does he have a cheque book.

Power of Attorney would take too long and I'm thinking a third party mandate may be sufficient. He's with the Coop bank. Has anyone got experience of this or any advice?

Is he not able to use telephone banking to send money to you?

Zanderman

Downthedrain said:

My Father is in hospital and likely to be in there for quite a few weeks. He's asked me to prepare his house for when he eventually comes home and suggested I draw the money out to pay for this using his debit card and PIN. I don't wish to do this. He does not use online banking nor does he have a cheque book.

Power of Attorney would take too long and I'm thinking a third party mandate may be sufficient. He's with the Coop bank. Has anyone got experience of this or any advice?

Getting a third party mandate would, I assume, require your father to authorise it, so may be difficult if he's in hospital. Probably more than just a phone call.

The most obvious thing to do is what he suggests with his debit card - it does break banking terms but is the most practical way forward for now.  

Another option is for him to get a chequebook - assuming his bank can issue one. That would require a phone call and/or letter from him to the bank. And might be sorted within a week or so.

And getting him set up for online banking would be a good step too - even if he has trouble doing that himself you could help him with it on a tablet to laptop (plus a phone, your own if he doesn't have one, for third party authorisations) taken to the hospital.  

Power of attorney would, as you say, take a little time, but if you think that's a solution - even if longer-term - is worth setting in motion asap. 

la531983

Zanderman said:

Downthedrain said:

My Father is in hospital and likely to be in there for quite a few weeks. He's asked me to prepare his house for when he eventually comes home and suggested I draw the money out to pay for this using his debit card and PIN. I don't wish to do this. He does not use online banking nor does he have a cheque book.

Power of Attorney would take too long and I'm thinking a third party mandate may be sufficient. He's with the Coop bank. Has anyone got experience of this or any advice?

Another option is for him to get a chequebook - assuming his bank can issue one. That would require a phone call and/or letter from him to the bank. And might be sorted within a week or so.

If he can ring the bank to order a chequebook (which would take a few days to arrive), he is able to ring the bank to do a bank transfer which will take minutes.
Unless the Co-Op dont offer telephone banking, which seems unlikely.

Zanderman

la531983 said:

Zanderman said:

Downthedrain said:

My Father is in hospital and likely to be in there for quite a few weeks. He's asked me to prepare his house for when he eventually comes home and suggested I draw the money out to pay for this using his debit card and PIN. I don't wish to do this. He does not use online banking nor does he have a cheque book.

Power of Attorney would take too long and I'm thinking a third party mandate may be sufficient. He's with the Coop bank. Has anyone got experience of this or any advice?

Another option is for him to get a chequebook - assuming his bank can issue one. That would require a phone call and/or letter from him to the bank. And might be sorted within a week or so.

If he can ring the bank to order a chequebook (which would take a few days to arrive), he is able to ring the bank to do a bank transfer which will take minutes.
Unless the Co-Op dont offer telephone banking, which seems unlikely.

All true, but a chequebook, once obtained, can be used multiple times without further phone calls, so if OP needs to draw on dad's money several times to pay for whatever's needed at dad's home, a chequebook might be the most practical way forward (other than using the debit card).  Coop say that:

Your cheque book will be posted to the address registered to your account and will arrive within 7-10 working days.

Coop bank phone number for general enquiries is 03457 212 212 (from https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/help-and-support/contact-us/index)

la531983

Zanderman said:

la531983 said:

Zanderman said:

Downthedrain said:

My Father is in hospital and likely to be in there for quite a few weeks. He's asked me to prepare his house for when he eventually comes home and suggested I draw the money out to pay for this using his debit card and PIN. I don't wish to do this. He does not use online banking nor does he have a cheque book.

Power of Attorney would take too long and I'm thinking a third party mandate may be sufficient. He's with the Coop bank. Has anyone got experience of this or any advice?

Another option is for him to get a chequebook - assuming his bank can issue one. That would require a phone call and/or letter from him to the bank. And might be sorted within a week or so.

If he can ring the bank to order a chequebook (which would take a few days to arrive), he is able to ring the bank to do a bank transfer which will take minutes.
Unless the Co-Op dont offer telephone banking, which seems unlikely.

All true, but a chequebook, once obtained, can be used multiple times without further phone calls, so if OP needs to draw on dad's money several times to pay for whatever's needed at dad's home, a chequebook might be the most practical way forward (other than using the debit card).  Coop say that:

Your cheque book will be posted to the address registered to your account and will arrive within 7-10 working days.

Coop bank phone number for general enquiries is 03457 212 212 (from https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/help-and-support/contact-us/index)

I agree but if he wants a quick resolution here, just to do the telephone bank transfer today, and he can order a chequebook for future if he wishes on the same phone call.. Kill two birds.

We are assuming the OPs dad is able to speak and use a phone at the moment here though.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

if you dad trusts you enough to give you his card and pin, then just do that, keep all receipts with note of what was bought.

Zanderman

la531983 said:

Zanderman said:

la531983 said:

Zanderman said:

Downthedrain said:

My Father is in hospital and likely to be in there for quite a few weeks. He's asked me to prepare his house for when he eventually comes home and suggested I draw the money out to pay for this using his debit card and PIN. I don't wish to do this. He does not use online banking nor does he have a cheque book.

Power of Attorney would take too long and I'm thinking a third party mandate may be sufficient. He's with the Coop bank. Has anyone got experience of this or any advice?

Another option is for him to get a chequebook - assuming his bank can issue one. That would require a phone call and/or letter from him to the bank. And might be sorted within a week or so.

If he can ring the bank to order a chequebook (which would take a few days to arrive), he is able to ring the bank to do a bank transfer which will take minutes.
Unless the Co-Op dont offer telephone banking, which seems unlikely.

All true, but a chequebook, once obtained, can be used multiple times without further phone calls, so if OP needs to draw on dad's money several times to pay for whatever's needed at dad's home, a chequebook might be the most practical way forward (other than using the debit card).  Coop say that:

Your cheque book will be posted to the address registered to your account and will arrive within 7-10 working days.

Coop bank phone number for general enquiries is 03457 212 212 (from https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/help-and-support/contact-us/index)

I agree but if he wants a quick resolution here, just to do the telephone bank transfer today, and he can order a chequebook for future if he wishes on the same phone call.. Kill two birds.

We are assuming the OPs dad is able to speak and use a phone at the moment here though.

Yes, we are assuming that.  Also, if he wants to use telephone banking he needs to have been registered for it beforehand. A chequebook request may, possibly, not need that registration. 

Section62

la531983 said:

If he can ring the bank to order a chequebook (which would take a few days to arrive), he is able to ring the bank to do a bank transfer which will take minutes.
Unless the Co-Op dont offer telephone banking, which seems unlikely.

Co-op telephone banking has to be set up, and can be a PITB to use.  I've been locked out of mine for the last 5 years or so and will only be able to use it again if I visit a branch with photo ID.

A chequebook can be requested via the general enquiries number and going through the basic security checks.  Because they will only post it to the registered postal address there's less hassle involved than trying to make an electronic payment by phone.

la531983

May be prudent to set up that anyway if he can, cheques are hardly access to instant funds lest we forget.

Section62

la531983 said:

May be prudent to set up that anyway if he can, cheques are hardly access to instant funds lest we forget.

Depending on the bank it is deposited with, cheques can be cleared in less than 24 hours these days.

My 'record' so far has been depositing a cheque in a Santander branch and having the money available as cleared funds by the time I got home.

Unfortunately some outdated views on cheques as a method of payment seem to persist.