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Deceased Depositor
Deceased Depositor

This article will describe the steps and documentation necessary for handling the accounts of a depositor who has passed away.

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Written by Andrew Vebber
Updated over 2 years ago

In the unfortunate event that an account owner passes away there are several actions that you will need to execute on the account(s)

Account Closure and Withdrawal of Funds or Transfer of Funds to a Newly Created Hingham Savings Estate Account

After an account owner passes away you will need to produce the following to withdraw funds from the account.

Personal Representative / Executor or Executrix Documentation: A Personal Representative, Executor or Executrix are all terms for a person who has been authorized by probate court to manage the estate of a deceased individual. When you are appointed to the aforementioned role you will be issued paperwork from probate court identifying yourself as the Personal Representative, Executor or Executrix. This paperwork is one item that will be necessary to execute any account transactions including account closure.

Death Certificate: Once you are appointed by the probate court as a personal representative, executor or executrix of the estate you will need to provide an original death certificate to Hingham Savings for the deceased account owner.

Primary Identification: As the personal representative, executor or executrix you must provide a piece of non-expired primary identification to a Hingham Savings representative. The following is a list of acceptable primary identification:

If You Are a:

And You Have:

One of the Following Unexpired Primary Forms of Identification is Required:

U.S. Citizen

  1. A Social Security Number

  1. Any U.S. State-Issued Driver’s License

  2. U.S. State/Local-issued ID (e.g., Not a Driver’s License)

  3. U.S. Passport

  4. U.S. Armed Forces ID or Military ID

  5. Any U.S. Federal Government ID

  6. U.S. State or U.S. Government-issued Senior Citizen ID

  7. MA State-Issued License to Carry Firearms

Non-U.S. Citizen

  1. A Social Security Number

  2. An ITIN

  3. An Alien Identification Card Number

  4. Government- Issued ID

  1. Passport, Including Country of Issuance

  2. Any U.S. State-Issued Driver’s License

  3. Any U.S. State-Issued ID (e.g., Not a Driver’s License)

  4. U.S. Armed Forces ID or Military ID

  5. Any U.S. Federal Government ID (Including Alien Registration Card/Resident Alien Card)

  6. U.S. State or Government-Issued Senior Citizen ID

  7. Mexican Matricula Card

  8. Guatemalan Consular ID Card

Small Estates Provision:

Under Massachusetts statute, where as estate is valued at less than $25,000, you as an interested party(next of kin) may, thirty (30) days after the death of the decedent, file a small estate sworn affidavit and withdraw the funds.

This course of action requires that you present the following to a Hingham Savings representative:

  • An original copy of a death certificate for the account owner

  • Acceptable non-expired primary identification

  • Signed and notarized affidavit with respect to deceased depositor(s) (A blank copy of the small estates affidavit may be obtained from Hingham Savings).

Joint Account to Remain Open After the Removal of the Deceased Signer

Joint accounts (accounts with more than one signer) may have a deceased signer removed from the account without having to make other material changes to the account relationship. To remove the deceased signer you will need to take the following steps:

  1. As the surviving account owner you must present an original death certificate for the deceased account owner.

  2. As the surviving account owner you must provide a non-expired piece of primary identification as indicated on the above listed primary identification list.

  3. If the deceased account owner was also the tax reporting owner for the account, the tax identification number for the account will be changed to your tax identification number.

  4. As the surviving account owner you will need to sign an updated signature card as provided by a Hingham Saving representative.

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