To open a new Power of Attorney account, or to register a Power of Attorney for an existing account, please refer to the following instructions:
Branch:
• The original Power of Attorney (or copy certified by a solicitor) must be brought in for branch staff to review/confirm prior to any changes being made.
• For new accounts, a new ‘Personal Account’ application form must be completed by all parties including the donor and each of the attorney’s required to be a signatory.
• Where the donor has an existing account, an ‘Official Signatory Form’ must be completed for every attorney that is to be linked to the donor’s account.
• We are required to confirm the identity of all parties to the account. Our preferred way to identify applicants who are over 18 is through SmartSearch, an online tool that uses information from Credit Reference Agencies to verify your identity. In most cases, this will allow us to open your account. If we do need further proof of identification we will let you know. The number and types of identification you will need to provide in these cases are dependent on whether you are an existing member and if you open an account at one of our branch offices or by post. Original documentation and not copies must be produced when required. Please refer to our ‘Proving Your Identity’ brochure.
• Within the new account application form / Official Signatory Form, please carefully consider how many attorneys should be linked to the donor’s account and how many signatories are required to carry out transactions.
Email:
• As above: all forms can be completed and emailed to us, where this is the case, we may need to carry out further verification checks and ask to see additional ID.
Telephone / Online:
• We do not accept requests to register a Power of Attorney via the telephone or our online service.
The Personal Account application, Official Signatory form and Proving your Identity brochure are all available at our branches and on our website, for download or to print.
Note: For further information on making, registering, and notifying people/organisations about a Power of Attorney, please refer to the Gov.UK website.
Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney: Register a lasting power of attorney - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
