How can I pay for my father’s funeral?

S.H. writes: My father was seriously ill and I arranged a meeting with his bank Halifax to discuss what would happen if he passed away. I was particularly concerned about funeral expenses as I am not wealthy. I was assured that on his death the bank would release funds from his account to pay the funeral bill. Sadly he passed away. But when I took the death certificate to the bank I was horrified to be told it would not release the funds because my father had a joint account with my mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Luckily, I have an understanding funeral director who is willing to wait.

THIS has been an unusually tricky situation. Normally, banks release funeral costs without any problem and a joint account would pass to the surviving signatory, again without any problem. I can only imagine that when you first approached Halifax the person who spoke to you was speaking hypothetically. They were either unaware of your mother’s condition or assumed that there must be a power of attorney in place.

I have been over this with Halifax officials and they have been sympathetic towards you. They have a duty to be fair towards your mother, but they have also tried hard to be fair to you. With your approval Halifax has agreed to cover half the funeral costs from what was the joint account. By the time you read this, the payment will have been made.