Legal Question in Investment Law in California

The bank told you what you had to do. If you don't know how to navigate the court probate procedures to do so, then hire an attorney who does. If the estate was small, it is not as complicated or expensive as you may fear, if you know what you are doing. You may be able to handle it for her with the POA. If serious about hiring counsel, feel free to contact me.

There is a relatively small number of LawGuru attorneys who receive and answer questions on investment law, and of those, even fewer would know probate law well enough to answer your question, even though it's pretty basic. Perhaps you should re-ask it under a topic heading such as Probate, Wills Trusts & Estates, or the like, where it will be disseminated for answer to a larger pool of lawyers, all specialists in the field.

Having said that, although your question was clearly stated and with more facts than we often get, I know it will produce more specific answers if you add a couple of specifics to your question, e.g., did your father have a will or trust? What was the approximate dollar value of his estate? Was there real estate, and if so, how did it pass, e.g., was it in joint tenancy, community property, etc.? Was there a probate proceeding of any kind, any appointment of an executor or administrator? The answers to these questions will govern which category of probate handling, if any, was or will be necessary.