I'm helping someone to sort out the affairs of her dead father.

He has £2,000 in his current account and has a credit card debt of £3,000 all to Barclay's Bank.

Barclay's have send her a letter to sign that clearly states that they will only pay her after they have been paid. Which would mean that there would be nothing to cover the funeral costs.

The way I see it is that she as the Administrator of her dead fathers estate should be able to get this money with no strings attached to cover the funeral costs.

Barclay's credit card should not have any preferential treatment and should be treated the same as any other creditor.

Can anybody advise me about this.?

Hi Andymr

Welcome to CAG

The guys will advise as soon as they are available.

A thread has been created for you.

Hi Andymr

Regarding your other post, a new thread has been created for you.

I think that you will be able to assert funeral costs as a priority commitment.

Send them a letter of appropriation. It doesn't only apply to benefit payments. Because Barclays are greedy, stupid and dishonest, and given the urgency, add to the letter of appropriation a paragraph which makes it clear that if there is any funny business from them on this issue that you will complain to the Ombudsman and also that you will consider that it is a breach of their duty to act fairly under BCOBS.

I suggest that you try and deliver this letter personally to the branch manager and explain to him clearly what it is all about so that there is no "error" of understanding or that there is no accidental mislaying of the letter.

HI thanks for the advice.

I will draft a letter of appropriation and see what reaction we get from the Manager.

I'm helping someone to sort out the affairs of her dead father. He has £2,000 in his current account and has a credit card debt of £3,000 all to Barclay's Bank.

Barclay's have send her a letter to sign that clearly states that they will only pay her after they have been paid. Which would mean that there would be nothing to cover the funeral costs. The way I see it is that she as the Administrator of her dead fathers estate should be able to get this money with no strings attached to cover the funeral costs. Barclay's credit card should not have any preferential treatment and should be treated the same as any other creditor. Can anybody advise me about this.

I think Barclays are being a bit sneeky here. The letter they are sending her to sign is basically asking her to confirm that the money will only be released if they are paid their debt first. As administrator of the estate, as you say she would have responsibility of ensuring priority debts are settled first.

It may be worth contacting the Money Advice Service or National Debtline for further advice on this.

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/dealing-with-the-debts-of-someone-who-has-died

https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/Pages/default.aspx

Money Advice Service is open to 8pm tonight !!!

Thread moved to the appropriate forum.

Regards

Andy

Regardless of any debt, funerals always come first other than secured debts which come first. Barclay's are trying it on.

When my mum died, the Nationwide tried the same thing. I sent them a letter of appropriation, telling that the money was needed to pay for funeral costs, and utility bills.

Cahoot was the same, they asked for a death certificate and they wrote off over £8000

Hi Andy,

Do you know if the Dec'd had any other bank a/c's, savings or assets.

If not and the bank a/c is the only money the Dec'd left, you'll need to be very assertive with the bank, They may well seek to treat the bank a/c funds as their's to set against the BC debt.

Your local authority might have a bereavement service: https://www.gov.uk/find-bereavement-services-from-council

Sorry for your friend's loss

- Seq,

Hi Guys

Thanks for advice.

This is the only money the deceased had. My view is that the current account balance has to be passed over to the Administrator of the estate after which the creditors will be ipaid. The first creditor is the Funeral company and Barclaycard is second. Therefore Bcard gets nothing.

I will talk with Barclays on Tuesday after hols.

Hi Andy,

Do NOT simply talk to the bank. Take the manager a Letter of Appropriation confirming that funeral costs are a priority debt and that Barclays must not use any funds to set against the Barclaycard account.

Personally, I would not get involved with the discussion about who are the first and subsequent creditors. For all the bank knows, there may be other funds and or assets that the BC debt could be paid from.

Do your best to speak to the manager if you can, but don't be surprised if the staff make it difficult.

Hi Thanks slick 132 I will keep that in mind.

BR

No go with the Barclays,

Staff in branch Don't know anything.

Put me on the phone to their Barclays Bereavement Centre who still insist that the £2K in the deceased's current account will go against the £3K Bcard debt.

Gave them the letter of First Appropriation nobody knows what it means.

Told them it meant that they got to give us the money.

Sending copy of the Letter of Appropriation direct to the Barclays' Bereavement centre (rob the dead centre).

Next will draft letters to Banking Ombudsman and BCOBS.

Could dNo with some media help. Anybody working for the press/TV news etc?

Who is the head guy in Barclays and his address?

Please check your email and pm box in about 30mins for a message from a journo who would like to speak with you.

Please check your email or spam folder now

Disappointing but not surprising !!

CEO is Antony Jenkins and you can write to him at the London HQ listed here - http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?208-Email-or-contact-details-for-Barclays(1-Viewing)-nbsp

I'm not sure the media will be so keen on this story. Clearly the Dec'd owed the money to the BC a/c. I hope others will comment if they disagree.

I would certainly make an urgent phone complaint to The FOS seeking immediate intervention, to stop BC taking the money from the bank a/c of the Dec'd. Follow it up in writing asking for urgent intervention.

Just to say Barclays have called to say they now willing to pay the money to a funeral company. Bit of a change of heart.

I wont believe it until they pay it. So far so good.

Thanks to my friends on the site for their advice.

That sounds more like the usual arrangement, where the bank can pay money to a funeral Co even before Probate has been granted.

Take a copy of the funeral invoice into the branch asap and ask the bank to pay whatever amount is in the a/c towards the invoice. The family will then have to settle the balance (if any) from other funds.

Two threads merged.

Please only use one thread per issue.