Power of Attorney - Current Account - Online Banking

[Forumite007]

Well, that's yet another bank/BS on my blacklist

Nationwide BS say they will not allow Attorneys to use internet banking. This despite the many phone calls, and the lengthy sessions in branch, to transfer my Mother's accounts in Dec/Jan, during which I made it clear repeatedly that internet banking was essential. Their reasons are incoherent, and confused regarding the nature of PoA. (Also their general competence has been poor, not just on the PoA side.)

Any suggestions for a bank/BS who will allow Attorneys to operate current accounts online, ideally as well as other account types eg savings and ISA?

HBOS are out - their PoA systems have been all over the place for years.

The institution needs to have a branch in Glasgow - for initial setting up, and in extremis thereafter.

I checked out the savvywomon link given on this forum, but it doesn't cover online banking and is out of date (also, it just lists banks who *say* they provide PoA accounts/access; that's very different from evidence from users saying "this bank *is* providing competent service to me under PoA").

Thanks in anticipation!

Regards
W

 

[ITBookworm]

I know you have said HBOS are out but I thought it worth mentioning our experience just in case...

We are in Glasgow (technically East Dunbartonshire) and FIL was in Airdrie. Both of us had accounts in HBOS. When hubby needed to register the POA against FIL's account he went in to our branch and organised everything there without going near FIL's branch in Airdrie.

He initially got internet access while FIL still had branch access to the account himself (so the password got sent to FIL but we were able to retrieve it). When FIL went into a home and we took total control of the account again we sorted it through our branch and retained the internet access.

I don't know if we were just lucky with the staff at our local branch but it 'just worked'.

Good luck getting something sorted with somewhere competent - you really don't need this hassle

 

[min88cat]

Hi there

Don't bother with San***der! Their understanding of POA is pretty woeful!
Hubbie and I have joint and several POA for MIL and when we went to register it with them, they looked at us as though we were from another planet! They eventually completed their checks, but we now get 3 bank statements each month, and when I tried to set up Internet banking, despite having log in details etc, it denied us access!

We just muddle through as best we can.
Hope someone comes along with some positive ideas for you!

 

[zelana]

I have POA for Mum and have been able to set up internet banking since registering the POA with LloydsTSB. I made an appointment with a branch local to me and the POA registration was done easily. I was able to set up internet banking a week or so later.

 

[Forumite007]

I know you have said HBOS are out but I thought it worth mentioning our experience

Thanks for your response and kind words. One of the factors in dealing with HBOS is whether what you're trying to do involves just H or just BOS. For example, trying to sort an issue with a BOS account on the phone to someone sitting at an H computer usually doesn't work. Similarly, trying to transfer a maturing H ISA into an ISA offer from BOS can go very awry. Unfortunately none of this is usually obvious to the user (even less so to the HBOS staffer). I have a systems background so am better placed than most to sniff out such problems.

They lost my mother's entire life savings for a week. I could go on ...

I have received several hundred pounds in compensation from HBOS in recent years for such admin foul-ups, although that doesn't really make up for it.

YMMV and I hope it does

 

[Forumite007]

I have POA for Mum and have been able to set up internet banking since registering the POA with LloydsTSB. I made an appointment with a branch local to me and the POA registration was done easily. I was able to set up internet banking a week or so later.

Interesting.

Given Lloyds and TSB are apparently going to split, and given my comment about HBOS <> H+BOS, which are you with - Lloyds or TSB?

And are you going online as yourself, or as your Mum?

Aside: as I tried to pin down Nationwide about PoA access, this response came back, apparently from their legal/PoA team: "You could avoid all of these problems if you just set up a joint account". Aaaaaargh!

W

 

[ITBookworm]

Owww ouch - having a computing background as well ..... yes all sorts of opportunities for chaos!

Thankfully, although FIL had a Halifax ISA, we didn't move it so it didn't trip over any of that. His cheque accounts etc were with BOS. Having said that I seem to remember hubby saying he used a Halifax login page for his dad's accounts but a BOS one for ours although as soon as he was logged in it all appeared the same

Oh and just to make matters worse.... Lloyds (with or without TSB not sure) seem to use the same internet front end as H +/- BOS (now part of the same group) I can't help with whether they are any good with POA but I do have internet accessible accounts with both and baring the colour scheme and logo's the front ends are the same.

 

[Noorza]

I have had some difficult issues with Lloyds TSB, I am the registered Power of Attorney for Mum for 20 years, against the rules of the OOTPG and the COP they refuse to recognise it on mum's instructions. They have to recognise it it's why it was put in.

 

[Noorza]

I have a new trick though. If you google "email addresses of chief executives" you can find the CEO's personal email. If you're going to complain and those at the bottom won't listen, then go to the top.

 

[Noorza]

Interesting.

Given Lloyds and TSB are apparently going to split, and given my comment about HBOS <> H+BOS, which are you with - Lloyds or TSB?

And are you going online as yourself, or as your Mum?

Aside: as I tried to pin down Nationwide about PoA access, this response came back, apparently from their legal/PoA team: "You could avoid all of these problems if you just set up a joint account". Aaaaaargh!

W

If you go on as your parent and not yourself when you don't have PoA the bank consider that domestic fraud as that's what my sister did. Even with PoA I'd be wary about accessing a bank account by the net as someone else. It's worth finding out about.

 

[Margaret79]

I have online banking as POA for MIL at both Nationwide and Barclays and have never had problems with either. Are you the only attorney or able to act individually?

 

[Forumite007]

I have online banking as POA for MIL at both Nationwide and Barclays and have never had problems with either. Are you the only attorney or able to act individually?

I have the simplest possible sole enduring PoA, registered for 9 years. This isn't specific to me / my mother / our PoA document; it's across the board.

If you contact Nationwide today on 08457 302010 and say you have been told that Attorneys are being told by the Nationwide PoA team that they can no longer use internet banking, this will be confirmed. You might have to press a bit, because the 302010 staff haven't been told this.

Equally if you log on to Internet Banking as yourself and ask a question, they will reply that they will not deal with you. This is unless you are logging on as your MIL (her customer number, her card in the reader etc) - but if you tell them you're doing that, they will say you should not.

You might prefer to do none of the above and keep using online banking regardless but be prepared to have to stop using it, without notice. There's always phone banking (another can of worms, with some institutions, of course).

 

[elizabet]

Halifax have been brilliant , very helpful and efficient with all my Mum's financial affairs and no problems with getting internet banking I have POA.

 

[sue38]

RBS are the opposite - they give you internet banking as attorney when you don't want it!

I hold POA in a professional capacity for a lady and was amazed to see it appear alongside my private accounts on my digital banking. With a slip of the mouse I could transfer her lifesavings to my current account . I have spoken with numerous people at RBS who all say 'Oh I see what you mean - no we can't take them off'.

It even happens in person at the bank. I went in a few weeks to buy some euros and they asked which account I wanted them to debit - well not Mrs. A's account BECAUSE THAT'S NOT MY MONEY!

I don't know if you can set up regular payments etc. by internet banking as I've never tried.

 

[Saffie]

Nationwide BS say they will not allow Attorneys to use internet banking

I am Deputy for my husband and I have internet banking with Nationwide. I transferred a cash ISA my husband had to an Online ISA and just had it automatically with no problem.

My local branch of Lloyds have been great too. I didn't ask them for internet banking as I don't need it but had no problem with my Deputyship at all.

 

[Forumite007]

Thanks everyone ...

... for all your responses.

Interestingly, when I log on to Nationwide at the moment, there's a link saying "Read our updated internet banking terms and conditions". But those new terms make absolutely no mention of Attorneys.

I've now had confirmation from Nationwide on multiple phone calls by multiple routes to multiple endpoints that Attorneys are not allowed to use internet banking. So, I've transferred away from them the majority of my mother's savings, and am looking for an alternative current account. Looks like RBS and Lloyds/TSB are frontrunners.

Again, thanks all.
William

 

[Saffie]

I've now had confirmation from Nationwide on multiple phone calls by multiple routes to multiple endpoints that Attorneys are not allowed to use internet banking.

How weird, when i was offered it! Perhaps the ISA being an internet account makes the difference - but I can transfer to and from it and the Flex account just the same!

 

[stardust]

Well, that's yet another bank/BS on my blacklist

Nationwide BS say they will not allow Attorneys to use internet banking. This despite the many phone calls, and the lengthy sessions in branch, to transfer my Mother's accounts in Dec/Jan, during which I made it clear repeatedly that internet banking was essential. Their reasons are incoherent, and confused regarding the nature of PoA. (Also their general competence has been poor, not just on the PoA side.)

Any suggestions for a bank/BS who will allow Attorneys to operate current accounts online, ideally as well as other account types eg savings and ISA?

HBOS are out - their PoA systems have been all over the place for years.

The institution needs to have a branch in Glasgow - for initial setting up, and in extremis thereafter.

I checked out the savvywomon link given on this forum, but it doesn't cover online banking and is out of date (also, it just lists banks who *say* they provide PoA accounts/access; that's very different from evidence from users saying "this bank *is* providing competent service to me under PoA").

Thanks in anticipation!

Regards
W

have you looked at this? the British Bankers Association WWW.bba.org.uk its guidance for people wanting to manage a bank account for someone else, maybe of use

 

[stanleypj]

Don't many of these difficulties suggest the need for a campaign to highlight the woeful ignorance and incompetence of banks. Probably in some cases it's not he bank as a whole but a particular branch. However the consequence for the person trying to use the LPA is equally frustrating.

Has the Society put any pressure on financial institutions, do we know? There are of course many people other than those caring for someone with dementia who will be having these problems so maybe the charities should get together?

It also occurs to me that the Office of the Public Guardian could have a role to play, since the needs of those to whom it purports to be a guardian are not being met.

 

[Forumite007]

Yup. The BBA document starts well: "If you are given the authority to handle another person’s account you normally have the same power to manage the account as the account holder ..." but continues "depending on the account’s terms and conditions [and] security procedures" which in effect means a bank can do as little as it wants - no accounts at all under PoA, only some accounts under PoA, no online access for Attorneys, no phone access for Attorneys ... terms and therefore access changeable with no notice ... bleah. So that gets us nowhere. I understand that the Equal Opportunities Commission took up the cudgels on this - but feedback on the outcome is so far contradictory. Investigating this route, and the Ombudsman, are my next steps.

[Note: this BBA document is for banks, so doesn't cover building societies eg Nationwide; and it's for England & Wales - there is a Scottish version nearby. ]