How to Locate a Deceased Person's Bank Account

Dealing with a loved one's final preparations is never easy.

Losing a loved is always difficult, and it often means dealing with legal red tape in the form of banking, debts, property, etc. Often times there is no detailed plan or documentation in place for estate planning. Locating the deceased's banking information can create an extra hurdle when dealing with these difficult circumstances, but it doesn't have to be as difficult as you might think.

Instructions

1. Determine whether the deceased had a will.

2. Contact the courts or a family lawyer if possible. If the deceased had a will, contact the lawyer named on the will to verify its validity. If there was a will and it was registered at that office, the court should have one for viewing.

3. Check the deceased's mail for bank statements (usually sent monthly) and ask other family members and close friends about other assets the deceased may have had. It's possible that somebody knows the whereabouts of the deceased's bank accounts as a matter of coincidence.

4. Call your personal bank and ask a representative for help. Often times, a banking professional will have more authority to get information about specific accounts because of their fiduciary position. If the banking professional can't help you directly, he or she will be able to direct you to someone who can.

5. Call the deceased's prior place of employment, insurance company, mortgage broker, power company, and other locales that would have required payment, Inform them of the situation and ask if they can provide help in any way. This may or may not be possible, but if all else fails, it's worth trying.

Tips & Warnings

• When you do find the deceased's bank account, be sure to have a copy of the death certificate in hand before visiting, along with any available paperwork clarifying you as an executor.

• Without a will, the monetary contents of the deceased's bank account will likely have to go into a probate estate account issued by the state. This account will be court mandated for use to pay any bills or outstanding debt left by the deceased.

References

• Banking Questions: Deceased Individuals: "Accessing the Accounts of the Deceased"