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WearyJanie Asked November 2022

Does a POA give me complete ability to handle mom's banking?

I have durable POA for my mom. My mother has dementia and while she can leave the house in a wheelchair, it is difficult, as she recently had brain surgery and is still recovering. Also, she does not WANT to go, and does not communicate well at all.


After my dad died and Dad's name was taken off the bank accounts, Dad's debit card was cancelled (of course) and mom needs new checks. I went to the bank, POA in hand, and asked them to send a new debit card to my mother for the new account, and they refused, even though I showed them my POA. They said they needed her to come into the bank in person.


I had already had, BTW, an in-person meeting with another representative some time before to have the accounts put into mom's name; dad already had things well in place to make it easy.


I am confused; I thought I was able to handle these things for her now. Do I need to drag mom in? I will but am wondering if I do not understand how a POA works. As I read through posts here, it seems the bank teller was wrong?

JoAnn29 Nov 2022
I had immediate POA on Moms financial POA and her medical I needed a doctor saying she was no longer competent to make informed decisions.

Do you have Immediate for financial written up by a lawyer? If so, there should be no problem especially if u talked to an officer before and a copy is on file. I was already on Moms accts but as POA I don't think u need to be. I just always signed my name with POA following and was never questioned.

If your POA says you need a doctor or two to sign off she is incompetent than you need to do that if you haven't already. As Moms representative, you should be able to do everything she previously did.

Turn overs of clerks in Banks is big. Banks don't pay that much. These clerks don't know everything. Always get an officer or head clerk involved if something does not feel right.

Beekee Nov 2022
Durable POA should give you the right to make almost any financial transactions for her. You must go in person to a bank branch. You shouldn't need to bring mom. Bring the signed original Durable POA to the bank. Bring ID and Social Security number for yourself and for mom. While you wait, they can scan it and transmit it to their legal department for approval. I did this in Maryland several years ago and it took about an hour of waiting in the bank. I had to travel across the country because the bank was not on the west coast. But if there is a branch of mom's bank in your area, go there.

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WearyJanie Nov 2022
i Have been traveling, sick and hosting Thanksgiving for out-of-towers. Thank you all for your replies. I will renew my efforts on all of this this week. One small step at a time...

MJ1929 Nov 2022
You can get checks printed anywhere. They aren't required to be through the bank.
Lots of people get their checks from Costco.
JoAnn29 Nov 2022
Current cards do it too
akababy7 Nov 2022
Momma has a trust. She also has a long term care policy. I am her trustee. Also have financial and medical poa. Momma's long term care policy would not direct deposit her reimbursement into her trust checking account so I was advised to open up a savings account. Then the long term care people would reimburse momma into her savings and I could transfer the money into her checking. I live in Georgia - momma lives in Alabama. I take my poa and go to bank to open up said savings. Bank would not let me. Different states I guess? Don't know? Bank said something about having so many witnesses? Sent my attorney an e-mail and told him what I was up against. Pain in the butt since I am a five hour away but had to drive to Alabama get momma and go to Bank over there to open up savings. Actually it took us 7 and half hrs due to road construction and a tractor trailer that lost its load on the interstate. I have the best husband ever because he did all of the driving. I did buy him a beer once we got finished with everything. Was well needed!!

WearyJanie Nov 2022
Thank you all for your help! I am going to mom's this week and am meeting with the lawyer to talk about a trust, and will revisit the need for additional evaluations and papers at that time. Big learning curve here. I am grateful for this forum--always good guidance here.
MJ1929 Nov 2022
It's too late for Mom to set up a trust if she has dementia, but you might be able to skate with the bank to get your name put on her accounts if you get her in there on a good day, but don't count on it. They're already suspicious of you and your motives. They're doing their job protecting her accounts, but it's also a pain in the neck to try to get around them.

I would ask them what you can do to make your job as her legal POA possible. Put the ball in their court, because they have ways to deal with incapacitated customers -- they just aren't telling you.

As I said elsewhere on this thread, you don't need to go through the bank to get new checks, so you may just have to revert to using them instead of an ATM card if they continue to give you a hard time.

If they continue to give you trouble and you and your sister are honorable people just looking out for Mom's interests, I suppose you could just clear out her account by writing a check for the balance and open a new one at another bank in your names solely for her expenses.
lealonnie1 Nov 2022
I always had both my name and mom's name on the bank accounts and checks which made life much much easier.
WearyJanie Nov 2022
I will be looking into that this coming week! Mom still has good days, so hoping I can catch one and get to the bank to finalize all that needs to be done.
AnnReid Nov 2022
I had a letter written by the psychiatrist who did my LO’s cognitive evaluation, and that document and my POA document took care of everything I needed with banking and Social Security.

The language of the psychiatrist’s report stated simply that she was unable to manage her own affairs and requesting that agencies extend me their help in caring for her.

The cognitive assessment cost $300, paid for from her funds.
WearyJanie Nov 2022
I will talk to my attorney about that! I thought the POA was what was needed to handle affairs when the cognitive abilities slipped. We will work on that next.
cwillie Nov 2022
When POA Isn’t Enough: Authorizations Needed to Act on a Loved One’s Behalf
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/make-sure-you-are-an-authorized-representative-for-your-loved-one-202376.htm

What to Do When the Bank Refuses a Financial POA Document
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/what-to-do-when-bank-rejects-poa-178641.htm
WearyJanie Nov 2022
Thank you! I did not see those posts—they will be very helpful!
Bridget66 Nov 2022
Talk to the branch manager. Take your POA and ID. They most likely have their own POA forms. Both of my Mom's banks required their POA on file along with one done by her attorney.
WearyJanie Nov 2022
I thought I had done all the bank required—I had met with a rep, who copied my POA documents, in order to have the accounts put in mom’s name only. I will do this again and clarify things this time.
AlvaDeer Nov 2022
You need to go, not to a teller, but the an adminstrator at the bank, and make an appointment to do that. You will then present all papers needed. If you Dad is already removed from the account then that is done, but now you must be added as POA. Your POA papers dictate what you can do. I hope they were done by an attorney. It is illegal to ignore the rights of POA. However you must do what is required of YOU to be appointed. The POA may stipulate that your Mother must be adjudged incapable of acting for herself, or she must request you to act for her. Those all require letters and documentation as well.
I would make an appointment this week with someone in charge at the bank. Take your papers in with you. Tell them that you require addition of yourself to the account as POA.
Now if you are wanting your Mom to have ATM cards, make withdrawals, and yourself as well , this would be confusing to your record keeping and that is one of your fiduciary duties as POA.
I think, were I you, I would take all my papers. Your Mom as the one conferring POA upon you will pay for attorney advice. Take all your papers and all your questions. Your having a letter from the attorney attesting to your being POA will help you in all financial matters. Start there unless you prefer to see the bank and ask them what other than your POA papers (which you will carry with you) do they need when your Mom is incapable of going into the bank. And by the way, if incapable of going into the bank then she is also incapable of getting to ATM withdrawal machines to use this card, and it isn't yours to use.
Good luck. I served as POA and Trustee for my brother. It is a hard job. It took me almost a solid year to get everything properly set up from bills coming to me, to medicare and supplemental insurance sending me duplicates and etc. Quite a job.
WearyJanie Nov 2022
I will go back to the bank this week--I live 10 hours away, and try to visit every six weeks or so. My sister lives with my mother, but my brother and I share POA for various reasons. Yes the durable POA was done by an eldercare attorney, and I had the papers with me when I changed all the bank accounts over this summer--and the bank made copies. I didn't realize that there were additional steps that needed to be taken in order to handle the banking.

For clarification, the ATM card has been used by my sister to withdraw minimal cash for small expenses, like ordering dinner in and paying for snow shoveling, etc. This was the routine when my father was still alive as well. My sister has lived with them for maybe five years and manages the basics of care (she used to be an aid in a nursing home). They use less than $100 a month, sometimes no money at all.

As suggested by an earlier poster, I will go forward with having an evaluation made that will declare my mother incapable of handling her own affairs, but I thought that was basically what the durable POA was for.

I am just beginning the process of getting all the bills sent to me. Lots of work ahead.

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