Court of Protection Order

If there comes a time when you can no longer make financial decisions for yourself, it can be a difficult time for your family. If no lasting power of attorney is already in place, the Court of Protection may need to appoint a deputy to act on your behalf. 

When a deputy registers with Nationwide, they can request:

• A chequebook
  We’ll give them a chequebook and cancel your chequebook.
• A card
  We'll give your deputy a card and cancel your card.
• Account statements
  Current accounts: we can send the statements to one or more deputies.
  Savings accounts: we can send statements to one deputy only.
• Online access:
  We may be able to give them and the account holder, or just one of you, access to the Internet Bank. They will need:
  • An account with us that’s eligible for Internet Bank access. If they don't already have Internet Bank access set up on their own accounts, we can set this up for them as part of the registration process.
  • A Court of Protection Order that doesn't include restrictions on what they can do. For example, limits to which accounts or how much money they can access.
  • A UK address when they register the Court of Protection Order.
  • To be personally named as a deputy in the Court of Protection Order.
  • To not be acting 'jointly' with another deputy. This means they have to make decisions together.
  • To not be acting on behalf of someone with a Nationwide joint account. If this is the case, they need to manage all of your accounts in branch.

When acting as a deputy with Nationwide, your deputy cannot:

• Use or apply for credit 
  We cannot let deputies run up unsecured debt in someone else’s name. This means they cannot apply for credit cards, overdrafts or loans on your behalf. But they can pay off existing debt and manage mortgage payments.
• Access all types of accounts 
  We cannot register deputies on the following savings accounts: Treasurer’s Trust, PortfolioInvestor, Business Investor or Child Trust Fund.
• Use telephone banking for payments or transfers
  Your deputy can call us to ask questions about the account, but they cannot transact on the phone.
• Use the Nationwide Banking app
  Deputies cannot use our Banking app yet, but they may be able to use our Internet Bank.
• Have a card if:
  
  • The Court of Protection order has restrictions on what they can do with that account. For example, there's a limit to how much money they can access.
  • They’re acting ‘Jointly’ with another deputy. This means they have to make decisions together.

Safeguarding and security

Your deputy must always act in your best interests. For your protection, we may sometimes refuse transactions or contact the Office of the Public Guardian to discuss them.

When the Order has been made by the Court of Protection, it then needs to be registered with us before it can be used to manage any Nationwide accounts. You need to follow the following steps to complete the process.

There are fees payable to the Court of Protection when the Order is applied for, and there are annual supervision fees to be paid. These costs vary depending on circumstances, and there may be discounts or exemptions. We don't charge anything to register a Court of Protection Order at Nationwide.

Fees differ depending on where you live in the UK and who you apply to.

You'll need to contact the relevant authority where you live if you want to change the Order.