What to do when an Amerant account holder dies
Report the death to Amerant's Customer Care Center at 1-855-263-7268
After an account holder at Amerant 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 Customer Care Center at 1-305-629-1200 with the proper legal authority documents.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Amerant works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Add the estate's taxpayer identification number if the funds are moving to an estate account
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Unexpired government-issued photo ID, for the surviving beneficiary, joint owner, personal representative, or successor trusteeThe deposit agreement defines "ID" as unexpired government issued photo identification.
- Written notice of death to the bankRequired by Section I.30.k of the deposit agreement.
- Certified Letters of Administration, or a Florida court order, for an account payable to the estateThe order may be an order of summary administration or an order of disposition without administration.
- Trust agreement or certification of trust, with the successor trustee's ID, for a trust-titled account
- Birth certificate and proof of guardianship, where a payable-on-death beneficiary is a minor
- Estate taxpayer identification number, if funds are moving into an estate account
What happens to each kind of account5
- Payable-on-death account
When the owner or last co-owner dies, Amerant may pay the funds to the surviving payable-on-death beneficiaries, in equal shares unless the owner instructed otherwise in writing.1
- Joint account with survivorship
The surviving co-owner takes the balance. Where the signature card does not state the form of ownership, Section I.13 treats two or more named owners as joint tenants with right of survivorship.1
- Joint account without survivorship
For tenants in common, "until we receive notice of the death of any joint tenant and have a reasonable period of time to act, any tenant in common will have complete withdrawal rights to the entire account balance."1
Surviving tenants in common remain tenants in common, and the deceased owner's share passes through the estate. Amerant asks owners to state each owner's contribution percentage in writing, the only record it will have of the split.1
- Account in one name
An account in one name with no payable-on-death beneficiary and no survivor, or a payable-on-death account where no beneficiary survived, belongs to the estate of the last surviving owner. It is released against Letters of Administration or a Florida small-estate document.2
- Trust account
The successor trustee produces the trust agreement or certification of trust and photo ID. No probate paperwork is needed for that account.2
State law on paying a balance without lettersFlorida
- Florida
Fla. Stat. § 735.303
Florida law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit made under oath, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Fla. Stat. § 735.303Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: family member (surviving spouse; else adult child; else adult descendant; else parent)
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution and $2,000 in total from every holder
When: not earlier than 6 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
- Amerant Wealth Management trust team
Accounts Amerant's wealth management division administers as trustee2
- MidFirst Bank
Legacy Houston-area Amerant accounts, sold to MidFirst on November 8, 20242
What Amerant's agreement and guidance say7
- Telling the institution
Section I.30.k, "Death or Incompetence," asks you to notify the bank promptly when an owner or authorized signer dies. Until it has notice, Amerant may keep acting on the account "as if all owners, signers or other persons are alive and competent."1
If the owner gave the bank instructions before dying, Amerant "may act on the instructions unless we receive written notice of death or incompetency prior to honoring such instructions." An oral report does not stop a pending instruction.1
- What it does when notified
On notice of death, Amerant may place a hold on the account and refuse deposits and withdrawals. It may hold the funds until it knows who the successor is and is satisfied, in its sole judgment, that it has no liability for any estate, gift or similar tax.1
For a joint or payable-on-death account where an owner has died, Section I.13 lets Amerant hold the funds "until all necessary legal documents and other requested information are delivered to us."1
- Deposits after the death
A salary, pension, Social Security or Supplemental Security Income deposit credited to the account after the date of death may be debited by Amerant and returned to the payer.1
- Debts owed to the institution
A payment to a payable-on-death beneficiary or a surviving joint owner is subject to Amerant's right to charge the account for anything a deceased owner, co-owner or payable-on-death beneficiary owes it.1
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
A payable-on-death claimant agrees to indemnify and hold the bank harmless for the distribution.1
- What it says about taxes
Under Section I.13 you agree "to notify us of the death of any joint owner and to reimburse us for any tax we may be required to pay by reason of our payment or release of funds in the account to you."1
- Payment to a minor or incapacitated beneficiary
A minor payable-on-death beneficiary is paid through the minor's legal guardians. Amerant may ask for the birth certificate and proof of custodianship.2
Not in Amerant's published guidance3
- An online way to report a death
- A fax number for claim documents
- A claim form
Sources2
- 1.Deposit Agreement, Effective June 15th, 2026
- 2.Contact Us
Amerant's Customer Care Center can be reached by phone at 1-855-263-7268 and email at questions@amerantbank.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Amerant primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Amerant death claims support
Customer Care Center (deposit accounts)
Phone
Toll-free
Wealth Management Trust Services
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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