Letting a bank know about a bereavement ...

[BigSandyBalls2015]

.... when is this usually done? Mum died last weekend, I have power of attorney over her affairs and have dealt with her finances for the past few years.

I feel I should let the bank know as soon as possible (Barclays), but I’ve heard they’ll freeze the account and I will need money for funeral arrangements etc.

You will have to make an appointment with your mother's bank to inform them of her death. Take along a copy of the death certificate and the proof of poa. Inform them that you wish funds to be released for the funeral. You should not be continuing to take money from her account but if you need funds to pay for things like outstanding bills in her name the bank will accommodate this.

Thank you. Haven’t got a death cert yet.

I did straight away. Taxes and money for funeral arrangements can be paid from a deceased’s account. You mustn’t access the account to pay for the funeral yourself. Sorry your mum died

Tell them but you can send them the funeral bill and they will send a cheque using funds from your mum's account to pay the funeral bill so it shouldn't prevent it being paid.

Sorry about loss of your mum x

So sorry about your mum

I did it straight away, as soon as I had the certificate (my dad passed away on the Thursday and I went round all his banks on the Monday). The balance in all his accounts was below the probate threshold so they released the money straight away to cover the funeral. I didn't make appointments, just turned up and was seen pretty much immediately, and the staff handling it were very sympathetic in all cases.

Barclays have a very specific bereavement process and department. I’d call them for advice. They won’t freeze the accounts on your first call.

If you are worried about that you can just say you don’t have the account details and want to just confirm next steps.

sorry for your loss.

I went to the bank as soon as I had the death certificate. Initially Dad's utility bills carried on being paid by DD, and at some point I opened an executor's account into which I paid the various bits of money from his other accounts as I closed them, and used this to pay for the funeral. I just turned up and said "my Dad died," and they talked me through it all.

We didn't need an appointment to notify the bank of a bereavement. They dealt with it all over the phone. They asked for the death certificate number.

I believe they have to allow funeral costs to be paid, and the funeral directors will ask you about it, and can make allowances for this. It happens all the time, and no one wants to make it difficult for you.

for your loss.

It's hard to deal with a grieving and finances at the same time so sorry for your loss.
I would get in touch with your bank soon as possible even before you have the death certificate just so they are aware of what is going on if you can visit them in branch so much the better but a phone call should do the trick as well.
Slightly different circumstances for myself when my DH died we had a joint account and I have to say it RBS could not have done anything better they're fantastic and very supportive they got all of the people it we pay bills to by direct debit or standing order and explain there may be a delay in the pavements they also advise me on bereavement payment which is something you really need to look into.
This is a lump sum that you get and then approximately £100 a month for a year after this was a huge help this is done through the government. If you gone to any government website and search for Bereavement and it will take you through the process it's fairly straightforward the lump sum I received was almost enough to pay for all the funeral cost.

Most banks have a department for it. Google bankname bereavement, or call the normal helpline and ask for bereavement services. They'll explain the process and send the executor the relevant paperwork.

IIRC from losing mum last summer you will need the death cert (or equivalent), the will if there is one, to know whether probate would be needed or not, some ID, and that was about it.

None of it is onerous, though it can be a bit slow, and the staff (HSBC, Barclays for mine) were incredibly kind and helpful - they're well used to helping distraught or distracted people through the process, lean on them if it becomes a bit much.

BigSandyBalls2015
So sorry to hear about your Mum, I hope you're looking after yourself

I've attached this link below to Citizens Advice to save you some time, scroll down to "tell the government about a death" and there is a link there to the "tell us once" and DWP, as well as banks. Easy to forget who needs to be informed, hope this helps.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/what-to-do-after-a-death/

Just to echo the above posters, nationwide were very kind in my case too.

In my case, death certificates took a long time to come through, but a notification of death was sufficient to stop "hold" the account. It meant regular direct debits were paid, but debit cards were stopped (handy for more unscrupulous relatives). It might vary depending on the bank, but they were incredbly helpful.

Either call or pop into your local branch as soon as you have the death certificate, they will release funds for the funeral and most continue to honour direct debits.

I would suggest making a list of every official company that needs to be told and then collate the information you need - all major companies are set procedures and are very used to this. As you have poa much of this you will know thankfully.

So sorry for your loss

I dealt with this on the phone and then sent a copy of the death certificate.
Are you the executor op? A power of attorney ceases to exist, once the person you are holding it for, dies, so you also have to inform the office of the public guardian, return the poa to them so they can cancel it.
Just work through things one at a time. There is a very good book published I think by the CAB called 'What to do when someone dies'. Sorry. I know it's a shit time, and the last thing you feel like doing is dealing with paperwork.

Check with the undertaker. Ours were happy to submit the bill to my mums solicitor and it was paid by them from her funds.

Dh had this last year with mil, the bank froze the money, but when it came time to pay for the funeral and there was no rush to pay, the bank wrote a check from dh/mil account made payable to the undertakers.

Thanks all. I do have a power of attorney but I’m not the executor as there is no will.

It’s quite a straight forward case though I think - mums house was sold years ago to pay for her care home and she only has the minimum amount left over that you are allowed to keep (£20K or so) and my brother and I are next of kin, no other family. So hopefully it should be reasonably straight forward to finalise things.

DH had POA and dealt with this after his father died in 2017. He had to deal with several different banks. Some made it very simple, others made him jump through hoops!

Can you get multiple copies of the death cert? Lots of people want to see an original, and that meant posting it and waiting for it to come back, if their branch or HQ is not nearby.

Keep your POA handy too, for the same reason.

Sorry for your loss

Power of attorney ceases to exist once the person has died, you won’t be able to use it anymore. But the banks are used to these situations and, as previous posters have said, will make arrangements to pay funeral and other costs if you ask them.
Depending on bank procedure. As there’s no will they may just let you have the funds or they may ask for ‘letters of administration ‘ (like a grant of probate, but used when there’s no will. Obtained from the court ina similar way to probate).
I’m sorry for your loss. Don’t rush to sort out finances just yet, take the time you need to grieve.

Just remembered that when we registered her death, the registry office gave us a booklet that was about a lot of the admin stuff you deal with when someone dies. It was really useful.

Each bank will have different ways of doing things. Some will release money under x. Others under blah.

It's pretty standard to release money for the funeral though there is usually a minimum they will release.
Is the estate under inheritance tax and probate threshold?

Keep your ID with you to as you are likely to be asked that. If there is no will ie no named executor both you and your brother will need to give instructions to the bank /complete closure forms as you each have an equal right.

Also need to cancel the POA by sending the original with the death certificate to the office of the public guardian. Its power ends on your mums death.

Sorry for your loss 💐

I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my mum in September, and the banks were quite accommodating. Well, the UK banks were. We're still trying to claw money back from overseas!