What to do when an America's CU account holder dies
Report the death to America's CU's Deceased Member Claims at 1-888-742-6551
After a member of America's CU dies, the Deceased Member Claims manages the transfer of accounts. POD-designated and trust-owned accounts pass directly to beneficiaries. Accounts held solely in the member's name may require probate court documents—Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration—before funds can be released.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at America's CU:
Filing a claim
- It asks for the member name, date of death, account numbers, and a signed declaration that you hold the rights to the funds
- You tick which supporting documents you are enclosing
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- Your valid, unexpired state-issued photo ID or driver's license
- The completed form 0336. Print it before you go: the Forms and Applications page no longer lists it
- Payable-on-death account: present the certified death certificate and your ID as the named beneficiary
- Joint account with survivorship: present the certified death certificate, and ask about establishing membership in your own name so the balance can move to a separate account you own
- No joint owner and no beneficiary: provide Letters Testamentary, a Letter of Administration, or a court-issued Small Estate Affidavit naming all payees and amounts or percentages
- The agreement lets the credit union keep paying the deceased member's authorized checks and transfers for ten days after death unless someone claiming an interest instructs it to stop payment
- The completed and signed form 0336
- A certified copy of the death certificate (the form marks this "Required")
- A copy of your unexpired state-issued picture identification card or driver's license (also marked "Required")
- Where there are no joint owners or beneficiaries: Letters Testamentary, a Letter of Administration, or a court-issued Small Estate Affidavit naming all payees and amounts or percentages
Required Documents
- Deceased Member Account Claim and Close Form (form 0336), completed and signed
- Certified copy of the death certificateForm 0336 marks it "Required".
- Unexpired state-issued picture identification card or driver's license for the claimantForm 0336 marks it "Required".
- Letters Testamentary or a Letter of Administration, if there is no joint owner and no beneficiaryNaming you executor or administrator.
- Small Estate Affidavit from probate court, if there is no joint owner and no beneficiaryIt must name all payees and the amounts or percentages.
- Another document, if there is no joint owner and no beneficiaryForm 0336 marks "Other" as subject to approval by America's Credit Union.
- EIN for the estate, if establishing an estate account
- Trust documentation, if the account was held in trust
Forms America's CU issues1
- Deceased Member Account Claim and Close Form (form 0336)
Available to download.1
What happens to each kind of account3
- Joint account with survivorship
A joint owner with rights of survivorship sends the certified death certificate and a copy of an unexpired state-issued picture ID or driver's license; that is the whole package.1
Joint owners, if eligible, may establish membership in their own name and open a separate account into which they may deposit balances from accounts owned jointly with the deceased member. The joint account itself is not simply left in the survivor's name.1
- Payable-on-death account
A named beneficiary sends the certified death certificate and a copy of an unexpired state-issued picture ID or driver's license; that is the whole package.1
- IRA
The beneficiary provides the death certificate and completes separate distribution paperwork.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersTexas
- Texas
Tex. Est. Code § 152.051
Texas law permits a credit union to pay from a deceased member'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 credit union to make it. The section sets further conditions.
What America's CU's agreement and guidance say6
- Who can get account information
Before it will discuss the account at all, America's Credit Union needs valid photo ID, a certified copy of the death certificate, and the person asking to be a joint owner with rights of survivorship or a named beneficiary. Someone who is neither cannot get balances or statements.2
- Payments after the death
The credit union may honor all transactions until it knows of an owner's death. Even then it may pay checks, drafts or other transfer orders the deceased owner authorized for ten days after death, unless a person claiming an interest in the account tells it to stop payment.1
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
America's Credit Union may require anyone claiming funds from a deceased owner's account to indemnify it for any losses resulting from honoring that claim.1
- Membership
Accounts of a deceased member must be closed promptly. The agreement binds the heirs and legal representatives of any account owner.1
Membership eligibility depends on the field of membership: Dallas, Collin or Rockwall County, the Springfield, Missouri employer groups, or family of either.2
- Debts owed to the institution
Any debts the deceased member owed the credit union, including loans and credit card accounts, must be paid in full before any claimed funds are disbursed.2
- Deposits after the death
America's Credit Union must return any government payments associated with the deceased member's Social Security number received after the date of death, so survivors notify the paying agency directly.2
Not in America's CU's published guidance1
- How long a claim takes
Sources2
- 1.Deceased Member Account Claim and Close Form (form 0336), rev. April 2026
- 2.Forms and Applications
Mortgage and home lending
Mortgages and home equity loans are liabilities, not assets. They do not have beneficiaries and cannot be retitled to a trust.
- Call (214) 742-6551 or toll-free (888) 742-6551, or visit a branch
- Provide the deceased borrower's full legal name and loan number
- Provide documentation proving your ownership interest: probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document naming you as successor trustee or beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Independent Administration if going through probate
- Continue making payments
- Apply for loan assumption
- Refinance
- Pay off the balance
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Documentation proving ownership interest in the propertyA probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Independent Administration, if going through probate
- Marriage certificate, if a surviving spouse
Federal law on calling a home loan after a death
These exemptions apply to a loan secured by residential real property containing less than five dwelling units.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d); 12 CFR 191.5(b), 141.14Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- A lender may not exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer by devise, descent, or operation of law on the death of a joint tenant or tenant by the entirety.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d)(3); 12 CFR 191.5(b)(1)(iii)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- A lender may not exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer to a relative resulting from the death of a borrower.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d)(5)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- A lender may not exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer where the spouse or children of the borrower become an owner of the property.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d)(6)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
A federal regulation sets further conditions on these transfers.12 CFR 191.5(b)(1)(v)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
America's CU's Deceased Member Claims can be reached by phone at 1-888-742-6551, email at deathclaims@americascu.org, and fax at 1-855-674-1852 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from America's CU primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
America's CU death claims support
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