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NAB teller ‘scans death notices’ to close accounts
Topic Started: 24 Oct 2016, 08:42 PM (1,548 Views)
Rufus
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NAB teller ‘scans death notices’ to close accounts
LINK HERE.....
LAST month, Busselton father-of-three and much-loved community figure Brad Hallyburton lost a 22-month fight with brain cancer.
The following Friday, on September 16, as around 1000 people from the small West Australian town turned out to farewell the former builder and keen cricketer, his wife Deb found herself locked out of their shared credit card and bank accounts.

“I went to access my account and found my card was not working,” she said. “The funeral was on Friday, so I just left it. I went into the local branch on the Tuesday to find out what was going on and they informed me that someone had frozen three accounts.”

According to NAB’s complaints department, which eventually called Mrs Hallyburton last week to explain, the accounts had been closed by a teller on the other side of the country, in a branch in a tiny Victorian country town.

The only problem: Mrs Hallyburton hadn’t told the bank her husband had died. “A teller there was reading a newspaper and came across a bereavement notice from family he has over there,” she said.

“After speaking with the branch manager it came to light that [he] generally peruses the local paper and finds names in the obituary section and then types them into their system to see if the person is a client of that particular bank — not branch, but bank — and if they are he then takes it upon himself to freeze the account, leaving us without access to any funds.”

Mrs Hallyburton said when she complained to the Victorian town branch manager, she was told, “He’s been doing it for years and he’s never been wrong yet.”
“I’m assuming she meant never been wrong as in hasn’t gotten the wrong person,” she said. “I said, ‘You can’t do that. You don’t know who we are, whether we have access to any other money’. There was no apology, no nothing.”

Mrs Hallyburton said the branch manager was “very rude” and took no responsibility for shutting the accounts, saying she “supports her staff 100 per cent”.


“When I first heard I was coming to terms with Brad passing away, I didn’t really understand,” she said. “When [the customer service officer] rang and told me what happened, I was just angry and upset. It caused me a lot of emotional stress to deal with that after losing somebody.”
According to NAB’s own bereavement policy, a freeze cannot be placed on an account until family members provide the proper paperwork, which includes a copy of the death certificate and will.

Mrs Hallyburton said her local branch manager, who lodged an internal complaint on her behalf, was “disgusted” at what had occurred and told her it was not only a breach of NAB policy but a breach of the Privacy Act.
But unsatisfied with the lack of apology from customer service, she has lodged a further complaint with NAB and another with the Financial Ombudsman.

“I am fully aware when a person passes that there is a policy and procedure in place to finalise people’s accounts, but I am sure this is the incorrect way of going about it,” she said. “I’m sure this happens and some people just don’t say anything.”
In May, the family made local headlines after members of the community raised $30,000 to purchase medication for Mr Hallyburton’s rare brain tumour.

Mrs Hallyburton, who left her job to care for her husband, said the support from the local community had been amazing.
“They did a big fundraiser when Brad was first diagnosed and raised $6000 in one night,” she said. “He was a local, born and bred in Busselton. He was involved in a couple of cricket clubs, he was just everyone’s mate. We tried all these treatments and nothing worked.”

After 31 courses of radiation the tumour continued to grow. The GoFundMe page was for the last option, a cancer medication not covered by the PBS. In March, Mr Hallyburton thanked the community for their support, telling the Busselton Mail he hoped everything went well.
“We start with a year, then try another year and another year and keep trying,” he said.

In Mrs Hallyburton’s obituary for her husband, she wrote: “You are the most amazing man I have ever known. My first love, my only love, you fought as hard and for as long as you could to be here with us.
“I know you were tired and had to go but you’ve left an empty space in our hearts that will never be filled. You were the best father and you will live on through your children.”

NAB executive general manager retail Bob Melrose said in a statement to news.com.au: “I am really sorry for the experience that Ms Hallyburton has had with NAB. NAB takes the privacy of all its customers extremely seriously and we are looking in to what’s happened in this instance.
“On behalf of NAB, I apologise for any distress this may have caused.”
frank.chung@news.com.au


Not that I know what the details are here, but when a partner dies it's not hard to get into a mess if joint accounts are not set up correctly.

Just so that people here know, joint accounts for partners can be set up as "either to operate" or "both must sign"
If the accounts are "either to operate" then if a partner dies the surviving partner can simply assume the balance of money in the account is available to them. The bank won't freeze those funds.

If the account is "both must sign" then if a partner dies the surviving partner has a problem. The bank will freeze the funds but they will allow the survivor to pay for a funeral, but beyond that they may not be able to access the money until the banks requirements have been met. That usually means supplying a certified copy of the death certificate with directions from a solicitor, or if the deceased has substantial assets the bank will require Probate to issue. Probate is a court order directing how funds should be distributed according to the deliberations of the court with reference to any will. That can take months.

Essentially for poor people the process is very easy, but for the more wealthy the process can be protracted.

For the issue with the card mentioned in the article, that probably a credit card which is in the husbands name, with the wife as an authorised card user. Once the husband dies the card can no longer be used. Credit cards don't access funds, it's an open ended line of credit for which a deceased person cannot be held responsible for past his/her date of death.

All of the above may seem self evident, but the problem is that when a lifelong partner is dying, the survivor isn't thinking about money. So if you know anyone who is about to lose a partner, make sure you take them to the bank to sort these mundane issues out before they become major issues.

Edited by Rufus, 24 Oct 2016, 08:44 PM.
Take risks - if you win you will become wealthy, if you lose you will become wise
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Blondie girl
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A couple of things ...
I notice it doesn't specify which "country town branch staff took it upon itself to perve at death stuff. It is called covering its !@#$ very low very low to do this. Its a level of cockroach.
:mad:

Got to learn about the probate stuff this year after my Mother in Law died, if its not too complicated one can do without solicitor, (only involved properties that simply went one third between siblings and some shares which included Westpac had some dividends . * Also, I THINK its within 2 yrs to flog off to avoid CGT for properties. After 2yrs my Hubs says there is CGT to consider.

*please seek independent appropriate advice
Hey Peter
just some feedback if you can... I went to a meeting with my hubs and his Sisters when they had to visit my MIL bank to withdraw funds out of her various accounts and it was interesting looking at the documentation and process so I could understand stuff.... especially when the time comes for my own parents estate stuff.

Anyway I asked the bank lady about my id being modified in English and my real legit formal name and how actually confusing it is my banks accounts and stuff. She recommended that I should add the following ""also known as"" in my English versions & I think also the legit version to Id me better.
Just so there is no complications to estate stuff for the future.

Would that solve the potential drama?

It really is dependant on how thorough people out there are in checking the ID process coz I can see some loopholes
:)

eg passport for my kids
3 kids 3 passports required, the problem is its checked by various people but how thorough are they? One of twin sons got queried as my name was in English on each of their BC and if one checks the MC and my BC it is in my formal Name. I had to sign a declaration to say it was one and only me. The other two kids has no drama... so obviously the discrepancy was not noticed...


I could go on... :)

Some bank accounts I had held for a very long time, some in English and the Trust stuff in my formal id... even I have to double check what I'm known as .....

Rufus
24 Oct 2016, 08:42 PM



Just so that people here know, joint accounts for partners can be set up as "either to operate" or "both must sign"
If the accounts are "either to operate" then if a partner dies the surviving partner can simply assume the balance of money in the account is available to them. The bank won't freeze those funds.

If the account is "both must sign" then if a partner dies the surviving partner has a problem.


Yes
I had to think of that for my parents ages ago and now my Dad has no ability to consent anymore .

Its also good to understand POA if required to certain situations.
Edited by Blondie girl, 25 Oct 2016, 01:55 PM.
Newjerk? can you try harder than dig up another person's blog. My first promo was with Billabong and my name in English is modified with a T, am Perth born but also lived in Sydney to make my $$
It's Absolutely Fabulous if it includes brilliant locations, & high calibre tenants..what more does one want? Understand the power of the two "P"" or be financially challenged
Even better when there is family who are property mad and one is born in some entitlements.....Understand that beautiful women are the exhibitionists we crave attention, whilst hot blooded men are the voyeurs ... A stunning woman can command and takes pleasure in being noticed. Seems not too many understand what it means to hold and own props and get threatened by those who do.
Banks are considered to be law abiding and & rather boring places yeah not true . A bank balance sheet will show capital is dwarfed by their liabilities this means when a portions of loans is falling its problems for the bank.
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Rufus
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Blondie girl
25 Oct 2016, 01:25 PM
A couple of things ...
I notice it doesn't specify which "country town branch staff took it upon itself to perve at death stuff. It is called covering its !@#$ very low very low to do this. Its a level of cockroach.
:mad:

Got to learn about the probate stuff this year after my Mother in Law died, if its not too complicated one can do without solicitor, (only involved properties that simply went one third between siblings and some shares which included Westpac had some dividends . * Also, I THINK its within 2 yrs to flog off to avoid CGT for properties. After 2yrs my Hubs says there is CGT to consider.

*please seek independent appropriate advice
Hi Blondie,

Yes a solicitor isn't absolutely necessary, but it's wise where there is a lot involved.

If someone dies with $10,000 in their account the bank won't ask for probate. Each bank sets their own guidelines on that.
It is someone else's money the bank are paying out, so they have to be sure that the account holder is really dead, and the people asking for the money are the executors of the estate. So they need a death certificate and a will.

If there is no will then it becomes a hassle and probate may be required even for a smallish amount.

I actually haven't done this work for decades so check with your own bank.

By the way, banks have always checked the obituary columns looking for deceased clients. It's so they can note the accounts and stop any unauthorised withdrawals by family members trying to get their hands on the money before the correct process has been carried out. There is a funeral to pay for and possibly bills to be paid first. Sad but true.


Quote:
 
Hey Peter
just some feedback if you can... I went to a meeting with my hubs and his Sisters when they had to visit my MIL bank to withdraw funds out of her various accounts and it was interesting looking at the documentation and process so I could understand stuff.... especially when the time comes for my own parents estate stuff.

Anyway I asked the bank lady about my id being modified in English and my real legit formal name and how actually confusing it is my banks accounts and stuff. She recommended that I should add the following ""also known as"" in my English versions & I think also the legit version to Id me better.
Just so there is no complications to estate stuff for the future.

Would that solve the potential drama?

It really is dependant on how thorough people out there are in checking the ID process coz I can see some loopholes
:)

eg passport for my kids
3 kids 3 passports required, the problem is its checked by various people but how thorough are they? One of twin sons got queried as my name was in English on each of their BC and if one checks the MC and my BC it is in my formal Name. I had to sign a declaration to say it was one and only me. The other two kids has no drama... so obviously the discrepancy was not noticed...


I could go on... :)

Some bank accounts I had held for a very long time, some in English and the Trust stuff in my formal id... even I have to double check what I'm known as .....


Again I don't know. You could change your name to your Anglo name by Deed Poll if you wanted to. That might sort out the problems, however it shouldn't be necessary if you don't mind answering a few questions when you are in these situations.

All married women who take their husbands surname have a bit of a hassle as their birth certificate is in their maiden name, but a certified copy of a marriage certificate will sort that out.

Quote:
 
Yes
I had to think of that for my parents ages ago and now my Dad has no ability to consent anymore .

Its also good to understand POA if required to certain situations.


Get an "Enduring Power of Attorney" otherwise the bank won't act on it if they realise your mother or father no longer understand what is happening. At that point a normal "Power of Attorney" terminates. Particularly important if your parents ever suffer from Dementia or Parkinson's or any other mentally degenerative order.
Edited by Rufus, 25 Oct 2016, 04:06 PM.
Take risks - if you win you will become wealthy, if you lose you will become wise
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Blondie girl
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Yes a few legal things have been arranged and my Hubs and I have super organized legal stuff on our personal estate and what is set up for our kids. thanks . However the worry is by possible actions of others. There is always the possibility of my Mother if she loses it mentally over time. As I have a certain mongrel brother who is greedy and self entitled it was evident when property was gifted in his name and he put it upon himself to sell this property with no prior consultation with family (also 2 other properties transferred next to nothing in its value many yrs back) and thinks he can do whatever with no conscience .

Another Brother is single and whilst he had had some health issues this year, he has never bothered to organise his personal estate matters and has not organised a Will. Its up to him to organise this and I have warned him that a certain brother will try very hard to get all that he had worked hard for. I don't care if he donates or gives to his nieces and nephews just have a damn plan.

As for my name stuff, I have nothing to hide. The discrepancy with the passports was not about my unmarried surname it was about the swapping of my first non-English name to my middle name in English and that two out of three documents did have variances in my names.

First world probs. :)

*Look out for parents (one with dementia ) to enable their ageing yrs with much independence and dignity as possible. The issue will be if my mum dies before dad,, if his mobility goes drastically down, if he starts to wander, he would need high level care in a nursing home, as she currently does everything for him from prompting and reminding him to cooking, meds etc. He has fallen twice in one week which frightens me as he could break his bones or get nasty skin lacerations.. he has some skin tears.... Thankfully he is not diabetic.

The ageing process is certainly eye opening and makes one think of stuff financially in the future. Nothing beats health but despite $$, yes it does make life easier but at what price?


Newjerk? can you try harder than dig up another person's blog. My first promo was with Billabong and my name in English is modified with a T, am Perth born but also lived in Sydney to make my $$
It's Absolutely Fabulous if it includes brilliant locations, & high calibre tenants..what more does one want? Understand the power of the two "P"" or be financially challenged
Even better when there is family who are property mad and one is born in some entitlements.....Understand that beautiful women are the exhibitionists we crave attention, whilst hot blooded men are the voyeurs ... A stunning woman can command and takes pleasure in being noticed. Seems not too many understand what it means to hold and own props and get threatened by those who do.
Banks are considered to be law abiding and & rather boring places yeah not true . A bank balance sheet will show capital is dwarfed by their liabilities this means when a portions of loans is falling its problems for the bank.
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Rufus
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Blondie girl
26 Oct 2016, 03:17 PM
Yes a few legal things have been arranged and my Hubs and I have super organized legal stuff on our personal estate and what is set up for our kids. thanks . However the worry is by possible actions of others. There is always the possibility of my Mother if she loses it mentally over time. As I have a certain mongrel brother who is greedy and self entitled it was evident when property was gifted in his name and he put it upon himself to sell this property with no prior consultation with family (also 2 other properties transferred next to nothing in its value many yrs back) and thinks he can do whatever with no conscience .

Another Brother is single and whilst he had had some health issues this year, he has never bothered to organise his personal estate matters and has not organised a Will. Its up to him to organise this and I have warned him that a certain brother will try very hard to get all that he had worked hard for. I don't care if he donates or gives to his nieces and nephews just have a damn plan.

As for my name stuff, I have nothing to hide. The discrepancy with the passports was not about my unmarried surname it was about the swapping of my first non-English name to my middle name in English and that two out of three documents did have variances in my names.

First world probs. :)

*Look out for parents (one with dementia ) to enable their ageing yrs with much independence and dignity as possible. The issue will be if my mum dies before dad,, if his mobility goes drastically down, if he starts to wander, he would need high level care in a nursing home, as she currently does everything for him from prompting and reminding him to cooking, meds etc. He has fallen twice in one week which frightens me as he could break his bones or get nasty skin lacerations.. he has some skin tears.... Thankfully he is not diabetic.

The ageing process is certainly eye opening and makes one think of stuff financially in the future. Nothing beats health but despite $$, yes it does make life easier but at what price?


Yep I watched my mum die with dementia. It took over 10 years and it was soul destroying.
Thanks to my very pragmatic father we had the correct Enduring POA in place.

I hope it works out for you.
Take risks - if you win you will become wealthy, if you lose you will become wise
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newjez
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My brother in law used to go through the death notices on the weekend to see which of his clients had died. I don't think it's unusual.
Whenever you have an argument with someone, there comes a moment where you must ask yourself, whatever your political persuasion, 'am I the Nazi?'
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Blondie girl
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Rufus
26 Oct 2016, 03:55 PM
Yep I watched my mum die with dementia. It took over 10 years and it was soul destroying.
Thanks to my very pragmatic father we had the correct Enduring POA in place.

I hope it works out for you.
Yes its about pragmatism.
Thanking you.
Newjerk? can you try harder than dig up another person's blog. My first promo was with Billabong and my name in English is modified with a T, am Perth born but also lived in Sydney to make my $$
It's Absolutely Fabulous if it includes brilliant locations, & high calibre tenants..what more does one want? Understand the power of the two "P"" or be financially challenged
Even better when there is family who are property mad and one is born in some entitlements.....Understand that beautiful women are the exhibitionists we crave attention, whilst hot blooded men are the voyeurs ... A stunning woman can command and takes pleasure in being noticed. Seems not too many understand what it means to hold and own props and get threatened by those who do.
Banks are considered to be law abiding and & rather boring places yeah not true . A bank balance sheet will show capital is dwarfed by their liabilities this means when a portions of loans is falling its problems for the bank.
Profile "REPLY WITH QUOTE" Go to top
 
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