How do you remove the name of a signer on a checking account? Both parties are alive.

I am POA OF MY SISTER & I am joint on her banking account.
This way I can write a check( her checks) for her to pay for her in a nursing home.
She does not have family & has Alzheimers .We both went to the bank together when she first was diagnosed with this disease & showed the POA FORMS TO THE BANK $ put joint on her banking account.I am canadian so check how it works in your State.I am not resposable for her bills if she can't pay.

An estate which is put into a revocable trust makes it much easier when the person deceases b/c it does not have to go through probate. My brother is an estate attorney; that's why I know any of this.

If your mother's estate was put into a trust (such as what my brother did for my mother years ago), once she deceases a "trust tax return" is filed for the year that she was still living. He took over online banking from his home in California while my now deceased mother's bank accounts were in Massachusetts. Also, I made sure I was a viewer only on the accounts and I live in Maryland (b/c I could see if any errors were made). After the tax returns cleared and no more of her bills came in, all of her accounts were closed. I hope this helps you, Friends and SallySee.

Go to the bank and find out or call the bank.

I became co-owner on my father's account after my mother passed many years ago. I became nervous about that once I found out my brother was using my Dad's debit card. Sure enough, the account got overdrawn at one point and the bank charged my personal account for the overdrafts and fees. We straightened it out, but I got a lot more diligent about monitoring my Dad's money. That monitoring bothered him, made him feel like I was snooping, but even though I requested he take me off the account, he wouldn't.

After my father became ill and was no longer monitoring the account himself (my brother still had the debit card), I went to the bank to make my stand and was informed that banking laws had changed recently. I no longer needed my Dad to originate the change of taking me off the account (which had previously been the case). The bank manager sat with me and had me off of the account that afternoon. My father wasn't happy with me when I told him.

My brother was listed as POA on my father's account in very short order. I think that more fitting, given the situation.

I don't know how the laws read in every state, but I was greatly relieved to take action and remove my family's finances from the liability of someone else utilizing my father's funds.

My Mom was on my nephews account. When we did her will and POAs the lawyer recommended we take her name off his account. His money could be counted if she ever needed Medicaid.

Taxes, in NJ your estate has to be pretty large for people who inherit to have to pay taxes.

julieew59,

You say that your mother has a poor memory. Has she been seen to see if she has dementia and is competent to make legal decisions? You just might be dealing with someone who is no longer competent.

How do I get my mother to relize I or someone needs to be able to handle her day to day banking (not just online)? She has poor memory and diagnosed legally blind. She is so ANGRY when I bring it up she says I just want to be able to sign her checks.

SallySee, it's my understanding that if an account has 'and' on it, it means both must sign the check together to deposit or sign together to withdrawal...so in all cases, both sign checks. If it is set up as an 'or', then either may conduct business without the other. As to responsibility for debt, you could simply ask at the bank....but sounds like in your case, it would be best to have the POA filled out to protect you, if you write checks on her account. A POA does not mean you are taking control of everything. Just that you CAN take control when your Mom is not able to do so, but it does protect you from being responsible for any of her debts. A meeting with an attorney can explain it.... and if your mom does not have her durable and medical POAs set up or her will done yet, it could all be done in one visit. When parents, (or ourselves!!) get older it is always good planning to get all this stuff in place before it's needed. As I had to take over as trustee and POA for my parents several years ago due to my Dad's dementia, it was a lifesaver to me that all this had been arranged before he could not handle his bills anymore....as it was all fast downhill after that....and now I have Mom with Alzheimer's and going down the same path.

but I don't have any POA, She just added my name to her accounts, much the way I have my name on my children's accounts.

Go to the bank, produce your documents, and change the checks to read her name "by Attorney-in-Fact" after her name and then your name.

Another question - I, too, am on my mother's checking and savings accounts - how does this end up when she dies? Am I responsible for taxes? She has about $40,000 in the bank. Someone told me that if the account reads ''Jane Doe AND Sally Doe" that means one thing, if it reads "Jane Doe OR Sally Doe" that means another. What do EITHER of them mean? Should I change them

You will want your name to apear on her accounts as POA. You will want to take the Durable POA to the bank and have them set up a POA account not just have your name added to her accounts and property. Every place that your name appears make shower you are listed as Power of Attorney not a joint owner. This keeps you from being responsible for her belongings. As a POA you don't want to be listed on any accounts unless it is with a spouse.