Lloyds TSB

[ronnie21]

Got to be the most unhelpful bank ever!!!  Won't bore you too much but mother-in-law died three months ago.  Two next-of-kin, my wife and her alcoholic useless brother.  Naturally it has been us that have tried to sort the mess out, he never even went to her funeral, she had a current account, a debit card and a credit card with Lloyds. They had also given her - an 82 year old house-bound woman - a £2,000 loan shortly before her death!!  What bank in their right mind would do such a thing?  Three days aftger her death the alcy stole her credit card and withdrew over £500 cash (he knew her pin number).  The accounts had been closed the day after death!!  We had to give statements to the police regarding this but the bank decided as it was such a small amount they would not pursue it!! Dealing with the funeral directors and getting very small insurance claims paid out proved to be relatively simple.  Getting the money paid out in her current account is proving impossible, we need it to complete the funeral bills, they will not let us have it until we have a fully receipted bill from the funeral director!  Now today we have a form sent to us to list all her debts, assets etc. of which there are absolutely none!!  And which we declared to them two months ago. They also want the alcy's signature to say he will not be claiming anything!! He shot off to Devon with the money he stole and has not been heard of since!!  Fucking useless bastards!!

[Samdy Gray]

Did your MiL leave a Will?

[ronnie21]

Did your MiL leave a Will?

No mate, she had sold her house to a private equity firm about ten years ago - the alcy brother pissed most of that money away (he was the blue eyed boy!).  Apart from the debts to the bank the biggest single debt is the funeral bill, we cannot finish paying it out until the bank releases the funds, they will not release it until they get a fully receipted bill!!!

[Luci]

I think Santander will give Lloyds a run for their money - utter tripe!

[Simon Pieman]

I think Santander will give Lloyds a run for their money - utter tripe!

Can't wait to be shot of Santander.

[DMR]

I struggle to make a monkey last a fortnight, never mind 3 months.

Clearly more savvy than he let's on!

[Samdy Gray]

No mate, she had sold her house to a private equity firm about ten years ago - the alcy brother pissed most of that money away (he was the blue eyed boy!).  Apart from the debts to the bank the biggest single debt is the funeral bill, we cannot finish paying it out until the bank releases the funds, they will not release it until they get a fully receipted bill!!!

I understand it must be frustrating, but the bank are within their right to withhold the funds until they see Letters of Administration (I assume you've applied?).

[janaage]

Sam's right, it can be frustrating but it's completely understanding where lloyds are coming from here. They can't be seen to distribute capital without getting the authority they need. I would imagine that most if not all banks would act in the same manner here.

[Arriba]

My mum had similar problems with having to provide proof of everything etc when my nan died. Shit i know and of no help, but a common occurance when you last need it unfortunately.
Bro in law being a cunt doesn't help either and makes your sitiuation worse.

[REDBUCK]

The lesson here is to make a will

[Arriba]

The lesson here is to make a will

my nan did and the banking problems remained. There were no debts either.

[Samdy Gray]

Wills make sure your estate is distributed as per your wishes, but applying for probate can take months (or even years!) especially if there is an IHT liability to settle first. So making a Will doesn't prevent these delays.

Good estate planning and use of trusts is the key.

[janaage]

Trusts are fantastic, one good thing to come out of the crusades! As long as you understand what creating a trust actually means, and you choose the right one.

[Samdy Gray]

Good for tax avoidance too.

[ronnie21]

I understand it must be frustrating, but the bank are within their right to withhold the funds until they see Letters of Administration (I assume you've applied?).

Letters of Administration?  No mate, she died on the Saturday afternoon (we were playing Barnet!!) and my wife and I went into the bank on the Monday, emerged two hours later having signed all the forms they wanted and all subsequent forms they have sent us!!  What pisses me off is it is only a relatively small amount, about the same as they wrote off when the alcy brother stole the money from her credit card!!