Preparing your American Heritage accounts for estate transfer involves two key steps: designating beneficiaries on each account and, where appropriate, retitling accounts into a trust. Because American Heritage is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership bypass probate entirely.

With 16 product types, American Heritage offers a range of transfer options. Some accounts support Payable on Death (POD) designations, others can be retitled into a trust, and some require probate if no beneficiary is designated. The sections below break down each step.

Totally Free Checking AccountIdentity Protection Checking AccountVIP Checking AccountPlatinum Checking AccountCash Management Checking AccountShare Savings AccountClub AccountHigh-Yield Savings AccountMoney Market AccountVIP Money Market AccountPlatinum Money Market AccountShare CertificateBump-Up Certificate

1Navigate to americanheritagecu.org/account-maintenance-request-forms

2Select "Add a Beneficiary to an Individual Account"

3Complete the DocuSign form with beneficiary details: full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship

4Specify percentage allocation if naming multiple beneficiaries

5Submit the electronically signed form

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Required Documents

Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)

Special Requirements

POD designations available on checking, savings, money market, and certificate accounts
IRA accounts use a separate beneficiary designation form
Disbursement of an IRA varies depending on whether a beneficiary was elected and the relationship of the beneficiary
IRA accounts closed without early withdrawal penalty upon death; funds disbursed to Beneficiary IRA account(s)
POD accounts are NCUA-insured separately up to $250,000 per beneficiary
Changes can be made at any time by submitting a new form
Online forms processed via DocuSign electronic signature