Hi Graybags
If you are the attorney mentioned in the EPA or LPA you should be able to present it and do ANYTHING that the donor (the person who gave it to you) would have been able to do on their own.
If you are a “Jointly and Severally” attorney you should be able to act on your own.
You will need to take your own identification documents, and it is often handy to have the donor’s (your mum’s) identification documents as well, though technically you should not need them.
NEVER take the original EPA /LPA out of your safe. Always use a Certified Copy, and if you post it off to anyone start and finish your covering letter with the words “Please return the LPA by return of post” otherwise it may be filed by the company and you never see it again.
If you are visiting a bank always give yourself plenty of time. Do not park in a restricted time zone or need to get back to pick up the kids, and remember to go to the loo first as sometimes it can be a long visit. (If you go expecting a long delay you will find everything will go like clockwork and you will be out of the bank in minutes
).
Some Banks expect you to make an appointment so check first.
Before you walk into the Bank promise yourself that you are going to be calm, very polite, but assertive. Know exactly what you want to do.
You are likely to find that the bank clerk knows very little about how a LPA works, and can make up the rules as they go on.
First find out what the clerk is called and speak to him/her by name.
If you have any concerns ask for the manager. Do not presume the manager will be any more knowledgeable than the clerk.
If you still have problems ask to speak to the manager at head office (on the phone) who “specialises in Power of Attorney”. This usually sorts out any concerns.
Best wishes
Clive
PS
If you open an Internet account you should remember that one day you will have the sad duty of informing the bank that your mum has passed on. At that point, or shortly after, many banks put a stop on the internet account and disable the password. If you do not have paper copies of the statements it can make life difficult when you need to establish where money has come from and gone to.