Grieving Daughter Gives Bank Real Proof of Dad's Death: His Ashes

Anyone who's ever had a parent die knows that dealing with a loved one's financial matters afterward is one of life's less pleasant tasks. It can mean numerous letters or trips to a bank or credit card company to close accounts, have money transferred and more.

So pity poor Siobhon Peers, who lost her father, David, to cancer in October 2011, but continued to receive letters -- about 20 in all -- from the Royal Bank of Scotland, saying the deceased owed 6 pounds (about $9.14 at current exchange rates) on his account, the result of a standard overdraft charge.

As London's Telegraph newspaper reports, Peers sent a copy of her father's death certificate to the bank to close his account, but the bank demanded an original copy and continued to send letters. "I sent them a copy of the death certificate and that should have been enough," Peers told the newspaper. "I wasn't going to send them the original as I want to keep that."

Nevertheless, month after month, bank charges continued to pile up, as the outstanding overdraft amount mushroomed to 625 pounds with interest.

Fed up, Peers eventually went down to her local Royal Bank of Scotland branch and gave them what they were looking for -- and more. In addition to an original copy of her father's certificate, she also produced her father -- such as he remains -- in ashes contained within in an urn.

As the Telegraph reports:

Staff stared open-mouthed and customers looked on in shock as Peers said: "You wanted proof my dad is dead -- well, here he is. I've brought him along with me."

She later said: "I took my dad to the bank, slapped his ashes on the counter and thought that would be the end of it. There was nothing owing on the account and I'm sick of getting hassled."

Peers, who has two sons and still lives in the house she shared with her father, lost her mother, Norma, when she was just 15.

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Commenting on the matter, a spokesman for the Royal Bank of Scotland told the Telegraph: "After Ms. Peers visited the branch further information came to light which meant it was necessary to contact her again. We apologize for any distress cause and have now closed the account."

Despite her distress, we can't help wonder if Peers isn't rather grateful that her father was cremated, since a coffin is considerably more difficult to tote around.

(h/t Business Insider)