How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Arrowhead CU
Beneficiaries are managed in branch, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken in branch, by phone or by mail
The goal with your Arrowhead CU accounts is to make sure every account has a transfer mechanism in place—either a POD beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Because Arrowhead CU is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Accounts without either one pass through the estate, by probate or the state's small-estate procedure.
Arrowhead CU has 15 accounts with different estate transfer rules. Here is how beneficiary designations, trust ownership, and probate apply to each one.
Beneficiary form at Arrowhead CU
Membership Signature Card (for payable-on-death accounts) and IRA beneficiary designation (for IRAs).
- For deposit accounts: POD payee full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship
- For IRAs: a separate IRA beneficiary designation, because the Account Agreement says a POD designation does not apply to IRAs
- Account number(s) for the accounts to be updated
- Identity verification information as requested by the representative
- Full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship for each beneficiary
- Allocation between beneficiaries; multiple POD payees take in equal and undivided shares under the Account Agreement
Required Documents
- Government-issued photo ID (at a branch)
- Each beneficiary's full legal name
- Each beneficiary's date of birth
- Each beneficiary's Social Security number
- Each beneficiary's relationship to you
- Account numbers for the accounts to be updated (by phone)
- Identity verification information (by phone, as the representative requests)
- Separate IRA beneficiary designation, completed (for an IRA)
- Certification of trust (when naming a trust). Arrowhead may require a copy of the certification of trust, and may require it to be notarized
- A certification of trust confirming your power as trustee; the Account Agreement says the credit union may require this to be notarized before the account is opened
- The complete trust agreement if no certification is available
- Trust Tax Identification Number (EIN), or the grantor's Social Security number for a revocable trust using it
- Trust name exactly as it appears in the trust instrument
- EIN or grantor SSN for the trust
- Trustee names and contact information
Required Documents
- Certification of trust or complete trust agreement. A certification of trust (also called a trust abstract or affidavit of trust) confirming the trustee's power, which may be required notarized; otherwise a complete copy of the trust agreement
- Government-issued photo ID (for all trustees)
- Tax identification number for the trust. A Social Security number or an EIN
- Any amendments to the original trust agreement
- Death certificates (if a grantor or trustee is deceased)
- Trust name exactly as it appears in the trust instrument (on the application)
- Trustee names and contact information (on the application)
- For deposit accounts: POD payee full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship
- For IRAs: a separate IRA beneficiary designation, because the Account Agreement says a POD designation does not apply to IRAs
- Account number(s) for the accounts to be updated
- Identity verification information as requested by the representative
- Full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship for each beneficiary
- Allocation between beneficiaries; multiple POD payees take in equal and undivided shares under the Account Agreement
Required Documents
- Government-issued photo ID (at a branch)
- Each beneficiary's full legal name
- Each beneficiary's date of birth
- Each beneficiary's Social Security number
- Each beneficiary's relationship to you
- Account numbers for the accounts to be updated (by phone)
- Identity verification information (by phone, as the representative requests)
- Separate IRA beneficiary designation, completed (for an IRA)
- Certification of trust (when naming a trust). Arrowhead may require a copy of the certification of trust, and may require it to be notarized
What Arrowhead CU says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Arrowhead CU's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary2
- IRA
A payable-on-death designation does not apply to an IRA. An IRA is governed by its own separate beneficiary designation.1
- Trust account
Arrowhead no longer offers Totten trust accounts. Legacy ones go to the named beneficiaries in equal shares on the death of the last surviving trustee, or to that trustee's estate if no beneficiary survives, and cannot be altered by will.1
Who can be named1
- A trust
A trust can be named as beneficiary. Arrowhead may require a copy of the certification of trust.1
- A trust, IRAs
A trust can be named as beneficiary of an IRA or IRA certificate.2
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- Payable-on-death account
Where more than one POD payee survives, they own the account jointly without rights of survivorship and are paid in equal and undivided shares.1
Beneficiary forms Arrowhead CU issues2
- Membership Signature Card
For payable-on-death accounts. Provided at a branch.1
Return to
Mailing address: Arrowhead Credit Union, PO Box 4100, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91729
- IRA beneficiary designation
For IRAs. Sent by the institution on request.1
Return to
Mailing address: Arrowhead Credit Union, PO Box 4100, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91729
What Arrowhead CU's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- Claims against the account
A payable-on-death designation pays Arrowhead first, to the extent of any outstanding matured or unmatured debt owed to it, and only then the POD payees.1
- Changing or revoking a designation
Ownership and beneficiaries are established by the most recent Membership Signature Card, so a designation is added or changed on a new card rather than a standalone form.1
- Who can see the designation
Arrowhead has no obligation to tell a beneficiary that the account exists or that their interest has vested.1
State requirements Arrowhead CU statesCalifornia
- California
Arrowhead's agreement says individual, joint and payable-on-death accounts may be subject to California's Multiple Party Accounts Law. Trust, fiduciary and UTMA accounts are expressly not.1
Which accounts a trust can hold1
- IRA
IRAs and IRA certificates cannot be retitled to a trust.2
Trust account forms Arrowhead CU issues2
What Arrowhead CU says about trust accounts5
- Review of the trust document
Arrowhead may require a notarized trust certification confirming your power as trustee before it will open the account.1
Arrowhead is not required to know, understand, interpret or enforce the terms of your trust instrument.1
- Whether a new account is opened
A different form of ownership is established by executing a new Membership Signature Card, so a trust account is a new account, not a renamed one.1
- Account numbers
A new account number is assigned when the trust account is established on the new signature card.1
- Automatic payments and direct deposits
Because the account number changes, direct deposits, automatic payments and overdraft links have to be redirected to the trust account.1
- Fees
Branch notarization is $10 per signature.2
State requirements Arrowhead CU statesCalifornia
- California
Arrowhead's agreement says trust accounts are expressly outside California's Multiple Party Accounts Law, which governs individual, joint and payable-on-death accounts.1
Not in Arrowhead CU's published guidance1
- An online way to name a beneficiary
Sources4
- 1.Membership and Account Agreement
- 2.Arrowhead Credit Union (document not named)
- 3.Find a branch
- 4.Contact page
Sources
Data sourced from Arrowhead CU primary sources (25 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Arrowhead CU instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Arrowhead CU primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Arrowhead CU estate support
Member Services
Phone
After Hours Card Support
Visa Debit Card Activation/Lost/Stolen/Fraud
Business Visa Credit Cards
Lending Fax (Payoff Requests/Real Estate)
Shared Branching Customer Service
Estate planning support (Legal Karma program)
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Arrowhead CU accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
New Baby or Adoption
Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.
Learn more
Marriage
What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.
Learn more
New Home
How to put your house in a revocable trust: the deed you record, what it does to your mortgage and property taxes, and when a TOD deed is simpler.
Learn more
Retirement
Retirement changes your financial picture. Healthcare directives, beneficiary reviews, long-term care planning, and protecting what you've built.
Learn moreForms for Planning Your Estate
Free forms for planning your estate: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
Name your heirs, guardians, and final wishes. Free for every state.
Transfer on Death Deed
Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
Tools for Planning Your Estate
Free tools for planning your estate: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
Compare revocable living trust costs across providers including online services and attorneys.
How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?
Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Find out if a revocable trust makes sense based on your state, estate value, and family situation.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
Compare the cost of probate vs a trust for your state and estate value.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
Compare costs across estate planning providers including online services and attorneys.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
Calculate your life insurance needs based on income, debts, and family situation.
