POA question

[usernother]

My husband and I have completely separate bank and saving accounts (apart from mortgage). With a financial POA for each other, do we each need to have the other's sign in details, passwords etc, to enable us to access accounts if we need to use the POA?

No, when you register it with the bank you’ll get your own cards and pin.

As above. When I registered my POa for my stepfather, the details on his account changed to include my name and I received my own log in / card etc.

Thanks for the replies. I'm finding the whole process really confusing despite people saying how straightforward it is.

Is registering it different from activating it?

The "registration" of an LPA is, if the terminology is being used correctly (a rare occurrence ime) the process by which the Office of the Public Guardian registers the LPA and then, if anyone does a search of the register, the existence of the LPA is disclosed (i.e. bare details such as Jennifer Mule has appointed Muffin Mule and Molly Mule as attorneys for property and affairs on a joint and several basis on 1 January 2024 and the LPA was registered on 1 May 2024.)
The register is "public" but to search it the enquirer must complete a form saying why they want the information (eg social worker trying to find out if their client has appointed an attorney where the client cannot tell them.)
Banks often call activating a LPA registering it, but this is not the same. Activation is when the attorneys tell a financial institution (for a LPA PA) or health or care provider (LPA HW) that the attorneys will now be involved.
For many of my clients, years elapse between registration and activation as solicitors typically advise donors to register the LPA as soon as it's made so that the attorneys don't have to do this at a point when action is required because registration takes some months and the LPA cannot be used before registration by the OPG.