LPA for finance- are there any banks that aren't useless?

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DSis and I have financial LPA for mum. Her account is with barclays. We had to spend 1 1/2 hours in branch registering the LPA's. We were told that it was all sorted, but we can't use the app to manage her money (why??).

Basic stuff was ok but when we wanted to put some of her money in a bond, the website wouldn't let me do it. After hours on the phone, we had to go into branch again (another hour). They said the reason it hadn't worked was that they hadn't listed her town of birth.

i wanted to put some of her money in an ISA and, surprise, I can't do that online. Mum wanted to send some money to a DGC who is buying a house, and that won't go through either. They are looking at things and will probably call me, but nothing. I'm done with them.

Does anyone have any better experiences?

My Mum had lots of the same issues with my grandmothers finances. She used one of the building societies I believe - I want to say the Coventry?! Definitely need one with a branch nearby.

Leeds BS and Coventry BS were excellent.

All the others have been problematic.

The specialist PoA department of one initially refused to register me as attorney. They told me that as I had reverted to my maiden name and the PoA was in my married name, I needed to get the PoA altered to reflect this! This would be the PoA that has been registered with the Court of Protection and is a legal document. Altering it would of course be illegal.

To be honest, no. They’re all wank. I’ve worked in this area of law and they are just shit. They really, really take issue with LPAs. In a way I understand their caution, they’re handing over control of a person’s finances to someone else. I can understand why they’re reticent when it comes to big transactions.

Nationwide have been okay, when I’m working. NatWest are ones to avoid for sure - I’ve placed four financial ombudsman complaints against them. Yorkshire and Leeds building societies are okay, but again it’s not always easy to get them to accept them.

The way we always dealt with getting things done was sending a letter to the bank/building society, with the instructions written as clear as day. Countersign as attorney with “I, XYZ, as attorney for ABC, authorise this transaction” or words to that effect.

Send it to the attorney department at the bank (they should have the address on their website), with a certified copy of the LPA and your ID (obviously this is easier to obtain at a solicitor’s office than in day to day life.). Send it recorded delivery and keep a copy of everything you send. If they don’t come back to you within 14 days of receipt, send a chaser (again recorded delivery). If they then don’t come back within 14 days, official complaint with copies of all correspondence. You then have 8 weeks to wait before you go to the ombudsman. It’s really, really shit, and needs reform.

The kicker on that is that to be able to act as Attorney on my parent's account, I have to open an account with them myself.

I didnt have any problem with Nat West for a parent, but struggled with Barclays for PIL!

Didn’t have any problems with co-op (until they died then probate was a nightmare, so maybe avoid ! ). West Bromwich and Halifax were good on both accounts.

Hmm. Maybe NatWest,then, but I suspect that they are indeed all shit. Appreciate replies so far. Thanks.

Also, forgot to say - keep proof of postage, and keep checking the tracking to print off the proof of delivery when it arrives. The ombudsman takes a very dim view of this!

I can't be doing with all that, tbh, CyanSheep.

Nope
Absolute shitshow

Lloyd's don't let me use the app for my Mum's accounts, which is annoying but manageable. I just have to do everything on my PC.

I'm also Court of Protection appointed Deputy for one of my children and that account is with Nat West, which I find pretty good. I personally bank with NW and all my accounts, including my son's, sit side by side on the app, which is so helpful.

Yes, probably all useless. Nationwide were spectacularly crap.

If you want to get some movement you’ll need to. It’s a right pain in the arse but it’s the only way they’ll listen.

If your mum has capacity then open a joint account, that's what I have done with mine, solves all the issues!

Do you mean to do that for each transaction that won't go through? They already have the LPAs.

I had to sort all this out with Barclays during lockdown. It nearly finished me off!
It’s still utter shite. He’s newly out of money (private funded care) so it won’t be an issue for much longer.

Sorry, but that's not good advice as you risk the account being frozen if the patent loses capacity.

Well yes, there's that to "look forward to" I suppose.

I’ve found that in most cases once you do it once, they will generally take note. But for large transactions (like gifting a large amount of money or opening new products) they will be wary

Halifax was very good. Everything was done online to register the LPA and I was given a card for the account.

Barclays were just useless when my mother was dying and had died. I tried to open a third-party access on her accounts and she was long dead before it went through. The power of attorney (old style) was taking too long to be registered and I thought this might be quicker.

Then they were unhelpful when she had actually died, too, and I was trying to sort out her affairs. I don't think they understand what elderly and frail people and their families need from them.

When I was in a branch trying to sort out something after my mother died, I watched the man who'd 'advised' me rudely ask an elderly couple with obvious arthritis/limb stiffness and sight issues why they weren't using the ap instead of coming into the branch. Probably because they can't use their fingers very agilely and can barely see?

Newcastle Building Society were great
7 in person visits to HSBC to sort it

but just wait until 1 of them dies
makes trying to activate an LPA a doddle

Everyone I have notified- ’we require a certified copy of the LPA’ - me do you really as it costs £300. Them -does it really. Can you just send us an email then?

Except NS&I They wont let me invest my mothers money without a certified LPA. She has an old account. Has anyone found a way round this?

I had to physically go into branch to sort it all out which was a huge pain. Also I cannot understand why they won’t accept the online access code like everything else. Totally archaic

We’ve got POA with several different banks. I’m with Barclays too so found that easy but my brother isn’t and has to go in to register which is a pain. I have to logon on a computer rather than my app but that’s ok. Yorkshire have been great. Always able to speak with someone once set up but there was quite a bit of paperwork to send rather than registering on line. Santander have been ok and was easy to log power of attorney.

Not much help as Barclays have been sort of ok for me. I keep a Chromebook I otherwise hardly use especially for them. But I’ve kept Mums affairs incredibly simple because we had a terrible crunch point where she needed 3 years’ fees in cash to show to the new nursing home to be able to leave the hellhole she was in, and we didn’t have it. It got sorted out, but it’s left me extremely cautious - I run a basic current account that her pension goes into, a (rapidly shrinking) savings account with a bit of interest accruing, and that’s it. ive got a debit card which makes life pretty easy for ordering clothes and toiletries etc.