What to do when an Amarillo National Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Amarillo National Bank's Customer Service at 1-800-262-3733
What happens to Amarillo National Bank accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with Amarillo National Bank's Customer Service (1-806-378-8000) to claim the funds.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Amarillo National Bank works as follows:
Filing a claim
What happens to each kind of account9
- Account in one name
An account in one name with no P.O.D. designation becomes part of the owner's estate and passes under the will or, without one, to the heirs.1
- Payable-on-death account
A P.O.D. account goes to its named beneficiaries, outside the estate, once the owner dies, or once the last owner dies on a joint account that also carries survivorship.1
- Joint account with survivorship
On a joint account with survivorship, a deceased owner's share goes to the owners who survive.1
- Joint account without survivorship
On a joint account without survivorship, each owner owns a share in proportion to what that owner put in, and a deceased owner's share goes into that owner's estate.1
- Convenience account
A convenience account goes into the last surviving owner's estate, not to the convenience signer. The bank may pay the signer until it is told of that owner's death, which does not change who owns the funds.1
- Trust account
An account titled as a trust account passes to its beneficiary when the last trustee dies, outside the trustee's estate unless that trustee outlived every beneficiary and every other trustee.1
- Fiduciary account
An executor, administrator or conservator acting under a court order may open and keep an account in that role. Opening it does not make the bank a trustee or put it in charge of enforcing the letters.1
- Credit card
On a secured credit card, the savings deposit that secures the card is not released after the cardholder dies until the card balance is repaid and the bank has the legal documents it asks for.2
- Certificate of deposit
The terms of each certificate say the early withdrawal penalty may be waived when an owner dies, where the law allows or requires it.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersTexas
- Texas
Tex. Est. Code § 152.051
Texas law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an order of the court, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Tex. Est. Code § 152.051Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: a funeral home or the applicant, for funeral and burial expenses
Limit: $5,000 in total from every holder
When: the application may be filed "not earlier than the third day after the date of the decedent's death and not later than nine months after the date of the decedent's death"
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Personal Trust & Estate Administration Services
Estate settlement and trust administration where the bank serves as executor, trustee or agent3
Phone: 1-806-378-8350
- Credit Card Department
Amarillo National Bank credit card accounts4
Phone: 1-806-392-9048
What Amarillo National Bank's agreement and guidance say6
- Telling the institution
The account terms ask that the bank be told promptly when anyone with the right to withdraw from the account dies.1
- Payments after the death
Checks the owner wrote on or before the date of death may still be paid for up to ten days afterward, unless someone with an interest in the account orders the bank to stop them.1
- Disputes between claimants
When survivors or beneficiaries make conflicting claims to an account, the bank may hold the funds until a court decides or it has proof the dispute is settled.1
- Debts owed to the institution
The bank may apply funds in the account to a debt any owner owes it that has come due, without notice first where the law allows.1
- Which state governs the account
The account terms are made subject to federal law and Texas law.1
- Fees
Researching bank records costs $20.00 an hour plus $.50 a copy, and a statement printout is $2.00.5
Not in Amarillo National Bank's published guidance8
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form
- A list of required documents
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
- Which court appointment document it accepts
- An online way to report a death
- How long a claim takes
- A small-estate procedure
Amarillo National Bank's Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-800-262-3733 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(5)·
Data sourced from Amarillo National Bank primary sources (37 pages reviewed). How we research.
Amarillo National Bank death claims support
Customer Service
Phone
Toll-free
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Amarillo National Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: probate petition, small estate affidavit, creditor notice and closing forms. Prepare each form for your state.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
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