Estate planning at Ameris Bank

Ameris Bank's wealth management and trust services are now provided through Argent Financial Group, an independent fiduciary wealth management firm that oversees more than $165 billion in client assets. Argent acquired Ameris Bank's trust and wealth management division at the close of 2022. Argent can serve as corporate trustee or executor and provides trust administration, estate planning, and charitable planning services. Contact Argent at 1-800-375-4646 or visit amerisbank.com/Wealth for more information.

Yes. Personal deposit accounts such as checking, savings, CDs, and money market accounts can be retitled to a revocable living trust at an Ameris Bank branch. Bring your trust agreement or Certification of Trust, government-issued ID for each trustee, and the trust tax identification number (or your SSN for a revocable grantor trust). Any existing POD designations should be revoked before retitling. IRAs cannot be titled to a trust but a trust can be named as beneficiary.

Yes. While IRAs cannot be titled directly to a trust, you can name a trust as the beneficiary of a Traditional IRA or Roth IRA at Ameris Bank. Contact a banker at your local branch or call 1-866-616-6020 to update your IRA beneficiary designation.

Yes. When retitling deposit accounts to a trust, Ameris Bank accepts either a full trust agreement or a Certification of Trust (also called a Certificate of Trust or Trust Abstract). A Certification of Trust provides essential trust details such as the trust name, date, and trustee information without requiring disclosure of the trust's beneficiaries or asset distribution terms.

Ameris Bank offers three personal checking accounts. Free Checking has no monthly service fee and no minimum balance. Benefits Checking includes IDProtect identity theft monitoring, credit file monitoring, up to $10,000 identity theft expense reimbursement, and cell phone protection up to $400. Interest Checking earns interest on the account balance, includes nationwide ATM fee reimbursement, and waives its $20 monthly fee when combined personal deposit balances reach $10,000.