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I'm poa for my mother. Do I have to get her to the bank to add my name to her accounts. She had a stroke and unable to do things on her own.

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I'm pretty sure that POA's are good only while they are living. Upon death then whomever is named executor or executrix is then responsible for the administration of the estate and paying all outstanding debts and distributing whatever as per the will. This is done in probate court and you can in some states do probate on your own, its really best and lots more efficient to have an experienced probate attorney work with you on it. Some states (like TX) have it that if the named executor lives in another state, you must have an in-state attorney of record for documents service so you have to have an attorney.

Cap - if you think that mom might be needing a NH and may be applying for Medicaid then look at the CD's the next time they are set to expire. You should get a notice 30 - 90 days in advance and a form to sign-off on to renew. If these are old CD's and pay a high rate, then i'd go ahead and roll them over BUT if they are paying pitiful low rates....like most are right now...then look to see what kind of penalty you will face if mom had to cash them out before maturity date. If it's a scary penalty, then maybe just close out the CD when it expires and put it in a regular savings account so if you need $$ asap to pay for AL or NH you can do it right away and with no paperwork issues or penalty.
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strange that someone would claim that poa terminates upon a persons death. my mother has a springing power of atty that only comes into play upon incapictation or death..im co-owner of her checking but also wonder if that gives me control over savings and cd's.. i have a friend whos mother passed away unexpectadly and all i can say is by having her mothers will with a hometown atty she was walked thru the process from start to finish and that even involved the liquididation of rental properties. im suggesting that you stay local with the atty cause the business will go down in your home county and the signatures the atty may need are simply right across the street..
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What kind of POA do you have? If you have the POA to handle her finances then you would just need to give them a copy of the POA to make that happen. My mom has a credit card that says they won't talk to me until they have a copy of the POA.

However, I do not have the financial POA for my mom, but I do pay all of her bills online and the banks do not the know the difference. I am on her bank account, house mortgage and a couple of her credit cards so I don't need the financial POA, but if you pay the bills online and have access to the bank account online, no one will know who is paying the bills.
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Yes you can and the bank will probably want a copy of the POA if you have not already given them one.
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If your mother is physically able to go to the bank, do so. Ask her to have you as a signer on the other accounts. If you have POA over her finances you are authorized by her to sign her name to any checks. Believe it or not, banks nor businesses do not verify signature on a check unless the account holder claims a forgery. The bigger concern you should have is after the end time and deposits are on accounts that you are not a joint signer on, you may have a problem to remove the deposits. The POA is only good while the grantor is living. It ceases upon death. Get your name on all her affairs. But as said above check with her bank and see what is the best way to handle this matter.
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You are POA so should be able to just sign the checks with your name adding the letters POA after your name, but check with the bank .
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Why not ask the bank? I have my mother-in-law checking and saving accts. set up online. I can transfer money from savings to her checking when I need to, to pay her bills. I also have POA. They only account that I have to actually GO into the bank for, is when her CD comes mature. Can't do that online.
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