MEDIA RELEASE FJC AND DBS/POSB COLLABORATE TO PROVIDE FAMILIES ACCESS TO EMERGENCY FUNDING - Family Justice Courts

MEDIA RELEASE

                   FJC AND DBS/POSB COLLABORATE TO PROVIDE
                     FAMILIES ACCESS TO EMERGENCY FUNDING

The Family Justice Courts (“FJC”) is collaborating with DBS/POSB to provide support to
families, especially low-income families, by introducing an initiative that expedites access
to emergency funds for immediate subsistence needs. The initiative will be piloted in six
POSB branches starting 7 February 2020.

Through this initiative, when a person (‘P’) is incapacitated under the Mental Capacity Act
(“MCA”), the family members can access his/her bank account(s) with DBS/POSB on an
urgent basis. This will be especially useful in cases where P is incapacitated due to a
sudden incident, e.g. an accident, and the family needs money urgently for daily
subsistence. Such families under distress will no longer have to visit the courts to file such
an application and may conveniently approach six 1 selected POSB branches for
assistance with filing. Further, once the court grants the application, the bank can be
directly notified of the court order, which will be followed by an expedited verification
process before the funds are disbursed. To assist parties in need of emergency funding,
the Court will prioritise such applications and process them on an expedited basis. The
applicant should typically receive a response within three working days of the submission,
if the application is in order.

The collaboration between FJC and DBS/POSB covers applications for one-time
authorisation to withdraw up to $5,000 from P’s bank account(s) with DBS/POSB. Once P
has consulted with a registered doctor in Singapore, and a medical report has been
submitted online to FJC by the doctor, the applicant can visit any of the six selected POSB
branches located at major housing estates to file the application.

1The selected six POSB branches are located at: Toa Payoh Central | Yishun West | Bedok Central |
Hougang Central | Tanjong Pagar | Jurong Point

“With this collaboration, it becomes more convenient for distressed families to obtain
emergency funds by approaching a neighbourhood bank rather than going to court,” said
Mr Kenneth Yap, Registrar, Family Justice Courts.

Said Mr Shee Tse Koon, DBS Singapore Country Head, “We are pleased to be
implementing this initiative and are honoured to work with FJC to provide greater
support to low-income families. As a purpose-driven organisation, we want to do our
part to help families facing challenging circumstances obtain emergency funds as
quickly as possible. It is our hope that our participation in this initiative will help ease
and facilitate this process for families undergoing a challenging transition.”

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About the Family Justice Courts

Established in 2014, the Family Justice Courts (“FJC”) are a restructure of our Court system
to better serve litigants by bringing together all family related work under a specialised body
of courts. The FJC is comprised of the Family Division of the High Court, the Family Courts
and the Youth Courts and is administered by the Presiding Judge of the FJC. The cases dealt
with by the FJC include those relating to divorce and ancillary matters, family violence,
maintenance, adoption and guardianship, youth court, mental capacity and probate and
succession. Its mission is to make justice accessible to families and youth through effective
counselling, mediation and adjudication.

About POSB

A part of the DBS Group, POSB is the largest and oldest local bank in Singapore with over
four million customers. Having served generations of Singaporeans for over 140 years, it is
known as the "People's Bank", and prides itself on being "neighbours first, bankers second".

With a good understanding of Singaporeans through the years, POSB offers products and
services that are relevant to the savings, borrowing, investment and insurance needs of all
Singaporeans. With over 50 branches conveniently located islandwide, and over 1,000
ATMs and Cash Acceptance Machines across the island, POSB's distribution network is the
largest in Singapore.

POSB acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in each of its staff. For
more information, please visit www.posb.com.sg.

For Media Enquires

Family Justice Courts

Ms Christie Goh
Senior Assistant Director, Office of Public Affairs
Tel: 6325-7043
Email: christie_goh@fjcourts.gov.sg

DBS/POSB

Ms Tay Sze Lynn
Senior Vice President, Group Strategic Marketing and Communications
Tel: 6682-8738
Email: szelynn@dbs.com

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ANNEX A

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ANNEX B

Profiles for Media Interviews

 Name                              Profile
 Mr Gregory Vijayendran, SC        Board Chair, Law Society Pro Bono Services and
 Partner, Rajah & Tann             President, Law Society of Singapore.
 Mr Raymond Yeo                    Veteran family lawyer and former Co-chair of the Family
 Sole Proprietor, Raymond Yeo      Law Practice Committee.

POSB branch staff providing assistance to a customer

High-resolution version available upon request from DBS/POSB (Photo to be attributed to POSB)

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