What to do when an Affinity Plus account holder dies
Report the death to Affinity Plus' Deceased Member Care Team at 1-800-322-7228
When a member of Affinity Plus passes away, the Deceased Member Care Team handles the transition of accounts to beneficiaries or the estate. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate, while solely-owned accounts may require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Affinity Plus works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Call (800) 322-7228 or (651) 291-3700
- Visit any branch location
- Chat or video call during business hours
- Mail documentation to the Deceased Member Care Team
- The deceased member's name
- Your name and relationship to the deceased member
- Your phone and email, and how you prefer to be contacted
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificateA certified copy carries a seal, a statement reading "This is a true and certified copy," or a watermark.
- Government-issued photo ID, for each claimant
- Letters Testamentary, if there is a will and probate is required
- Letters of Administration, if there is no will and probate is required
- Trust documents and the trust's Tax ID Number, for a trust-owned account, from the successor trustee
- Affidavit of Collection of Personal Property (small estate affidavit), if the estate qualifies under Minnesota law
What happens to each kind of account4
- Joint account with survivorship
The surviving owner keeps the account with right of survivorship, subject to the credit union's statutory lien for the deceased owner's obligations.1
- Payable-on-death account
Named beneficiaries receive the funds once they provide the required documents. Two or more surviving beneficiaries take equal shares, without rights of survivorship between them.1
- Trust account
The successor trustee provides the trust documents, the death certificate and the trust's Tax ID Number.1
- Account in one name
With no beneficiary or joint owner, the personal representative provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court, or an Affidavit of Collection of Personal Property where the Minnesota small-estate route applies.1
State requirements Affinity Plus statesMinnesota
- Minnesota
Affinity Plus's guidance names Minnesota's Affidavit of Collection of Personal Property (small estate affidavit) for an estate within the state's small-estate threshold, and points members to the courts or an attorney above it.1
The guidance links the Minnesota Attorney General's probate and planning material and the Minnesota Judicial Branch probate pages.1
What Affinity Plus's agreement and guidance say4
- What it does when notified
Under section 30, "Death or Incompetence," Affinity Plus may honor transfer orders, withdrawals and deposits until it knows of the member's death.2
- Payments after the death
Even after it knows of the death, Affinity Plus may keep paying checks, drafts and other payment or transfer orders drawn on or authorized by the member for ten days after the death, unless a person claiming an interest in the account tells it to stop payment.2
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
Affinity Plus may require anyone claiming funds from a deceased owner's account to indemnify it against losses.2
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
Abandoned-account funds are remitted to the Minnesota Department of Commerce (section 26), so a long-dormant account may have to be reclaimed from the state rather than the credit union.2
Not in Affinity Plus's published guidance1
- How long a claim takes
Sources2
- 1.Deceased Member Guidance
- 2.Membership and Account Agreement, revision 07/25
Affinity Plus' Deceased Member Care Team can be reached by phone at 1-800-322-7228 and fax at 1-651-312-6252 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Affinity Plus primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Affinity Plus death claims support
Deceased Member Care Team
Phone
Toll-free
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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