Once again, I’m frustrated and angry at a faceless customer service rep and their manager at a local big dumb bank.
My client is in the ICU. They’re bedbound and about to be transferred to a Skilled Nursing Facility. They didn’t have a Power of Attorney. No Living Trust. Just a Will—which only helps after death.
Most of their bills were on autopay. Their Social Security check goes straight to their account. But not everything is automatic. Property taxes are due October 15. Hospital copays need to be handled. And someone had to pay the dog boarding bill until their daughter could pick it up.
From their hospital bed, my client signed a Power of Attorney. Under California law, the bank is required to honor it.
But guess what? The bank insisted the client “come into the branch.”
They’re in the ICU.
After pushing hard and escalating the issue, the bank finally agreed to accept the POA. But this process will take weeks, possibly months.
This is exactly why I write these emails.
This is why I urge clients to prepare before they’re incapacitated.
It’s why I recommend appointing a “junior trustee” or “back-up trustee” on your Living Trust, someone who can step in immediately without a court battle or begging a bank to follow the law.
Please don’t put your family through this stress.
Plan now.
