HELP with bank account of a terminally ill parent

JJE239

My Dad is terminally, and now seriously ill. He is home bound. He and my mother, who are still together, have separate bank accounts and, due to his impending predicament, want to turn my Dad’s account into a joint account. Lloyd’s have said that the only way they will do this is if he goes into a branch. His nearest branch is a 30 minute drive and he cannot even leave his bedroom. We asked if they would do it over Zoom and they said no. My mother is keen to get this sorted as quickly as possible because we don’t know how long he may have left. What are our options? Can we transfer his account to a joint account at another bank? I am totally bewildered that a reputable bank like Lloyds would say there is nothing they can do to help - can this be true? Surely there is some disability discrimination here? Please help quickly….

DE_612183

Can you not just transfer the funds from your dads account into your mums? Even if it means writing a cheque?

Ayr_Rage

From elsewhere.

If you want to join finances with a partner, it's possible to use the seven-day current account switch service (CASS) to switch a sole account to a joint account. Do remember that this'll link your finances, so their credit record could affect yours – so always think carefully before doing so.

Brie

Will they allow third party authority to be set up so at least mom or you can manage the account in the meantime?  

Is Dad well enough to set up a new account elsewhere joint with Mom and do a transfer of all his DDs etc?  Some can be done online so might be possible without him leaving the house.  I added my OH to my Santander account all online and by post.  Can Mom set her account up as joint instead?

Natwest was really good pre covid when we needed to add me as TPA on to her account and someone came out to the hospital to get it all sorted.  

JJE239

@DE_612183 that only solves part of the problem - my Mum will get the cash, but all the direct debits and standing orders will be stopped. My Mum is almost 90, so we really don’t want to hvae to go through resetting all the incomings and outgoings if we can avoid it.

Brie

The Current Account Swift Service should make it pretty straight forward.  

Ayr_Rage

JJE239 said:

@DE_612183 that only solves part of the problem - my Mum will get the cash, but all the direct debits and standing orders will be stopped. My Mum is almost 90, so we really don’t want to hvae to go through resetting all the incomings and outgoings if we can avoid it.

Using the CASS opens the new account, transfers all DDs and STOs and will then close your father's account.

Any incoming funds to your father's old account are redirected to the new joint account.

otb666

We help FIL manage his accounts online and he is happy for us to know his logins we find this easiest solution and only ever use online banking

poppystar

One issue you may well face is that if all the outgoings are in your father’s sole name then once companies are aware of his demise then the standing orders and direct debits will stop even in a joint account. I fell foul of this one despite assurances it wouldn’t happen. If they are all in joint names that would be easier, so do check this now. I don’t think using CASS will get round this part of the problem at all as the outgoings would still be in your fathers name - yes, you’d get a joint account but that is only part of the problem. 

Btw - Lloyds were a complete pain when we wanted to change a sole to joint account, not just going into the branch but the way it was handled even then.

msb1234

Out of interest, does your father have more money in his account than your mother? One could argue that the bank is concerned that this is a vulnerable customer who could be being exploited in order to access his money before he dies. 

Hal17

otb666 said:

We help FIL manage his accounts online and he is happy for us to know his logins we find this easiest solution and only ever use online banking

My Dad and I did his banking with Virgin Money On-line. Has worked perfectly until I recently applied to have POA attached to his accounts (just in case) and now they are all postal accounts only. Pain in the backside.