What to do when a Amerant account holder dies
Contact Amerant's Wealth Management — Trust Services — 5-step process, 4 required documents, and pod and joint accounts typically release within days of receiving a certified death certificate; probated accounts follow the timelines of the decedent's home state (florida or texas).
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Verified Jun 2026
After a Amerant account holder dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Amerant's Wealth Management — Trust Services at (305) 629-1200 with the proper legal authority documents.
To start, call Amerant at (305) 629-1200. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate ready before you call.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Amerant works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Notify Amerant of the account holder's death by calling 1-855-263-7268 or visiting a banking center
2
Provide a certified copy of the death certificate
3
Establish your authority (POD beneficiary, joint owner, executor, administrator, or successor trustee)
4
Submit estate documentation as required for the account type and your role
5
For trust accounts administered by Amerant's wealth management division, contact the trust team at 1-866-649-8846
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the person handling the estate
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if the estate is probated)
- Small estate affidavit (if eligible under state law and no probate is opened)
How long the process takes at Amerant: POD and joint accounts typically release within days of receiving a certified death certificate; probated accounts follow the timelines of the decedent's home state (Florida or Texas). The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Amerant requires Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the person handling the estate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if the estate is probated), and Small estate affidavit (if eligible under state law and no probate is opened) to process a death claim. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Under Amerant's deposit agreement, when the account owner or last co-owner dies, the funds remaining in the account may be paid to the surviving Payable on Death (POD) beneficiaries, subject to the bank's right to charge the account for any amount the deceased owner or beneficiary owes. Accounts without a POD designation pass through the owner's estate.
Amerant operates in Florida and Texas, but the probate process and small-estate thresholds are governed by the deceased account holder's state of residence. Florida and Texas have different small-estate procedures, so confirm the rules for the decedent's home state before relying on a small-estate affidavit.
No. Add or update POD beneficiaries on deposit accounts by visiting a banking center or calling 1-855-263-7268. IRA CD beneficiaries are designated through the IRA agreement, separate from deposit-account POD designations.
Amerant's Customer Care Center can be reached by phone at 1-855-263-7268 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Amerant accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Wealth Management — Trust Services to confirm what applies.
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Verified Jun 2026
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