Wells Fargo Bank in Phoenix, AZ

I am seeing RED dealing with Wells Fargo Bank. My client is from out of town and her step-father passed away in March. Her mother is in a nursing home setting and is difficult. Very smart lady but stubborn as can be. My client had a power of attorney from her mother and WF said no it does not have the "verbiage" to comply in AZ. This was a POA done in AZ! WF wanted a power of attorney (their own form) giving my client the power to conduct business for the deceased signed by the mother (his widow), an Affidavit of collection (no probate needed) and the death certificate. WF gave them the form (POA) and we went to the Mariopa county self help page for the affidavit took them to the mother to sign and notarize. Daughter then takes the docs to WF and they call back saying the affidavit that was signed was not the right one; their form is required. I meet with them, read the form and it clearly says "on behalf of" and ask the daughter to sign it and put as POA for ... they go back to the bank to drop off the new form and leave to go back home. Monday afternoon she calls me because WF called her to state the Affidavit she signed was not good enough, it had to have the mother's signature. He wanted the mother to go to the bank to sign the form. I called WF spoke to the person and he says their legal department did not want the daughter to sign because it appears that she is taking the money. She was given POA on Wells Fargo's form by her mother; how in the world is she taking the money when she is trying to get the step-father's money to put into the mother's account to pay for her care? Both accounts are in the same bank! The employee told me he could not explain the reasoning and he would have the legal department call me. As of today, I have not heard from them. I called and was told the person I spoke to first is off and the bank manager would be back in an hour and would call me back. Hmmm.... no call.

Could this be one of the reasons banks are failing? They are not customer friendly and we are not talking millions of dollars here. Not even hundreds of thousands, a measly $20,000 or less after the bank charge whatever charges they can think of. Mother's cost of care is $2,500 a month, she has run out of money and daughter has started to use her 401K to pay for it. In the mean time, Wells Fargo is sitting on this money and a client might lose health care and medical care because they are worried about signatures.