What to do when a Arvest account holder dies
Contact Arvest's Arvest Wealth Management — 5-step process, 5 required documents, and varies based on account type and documentation; pod claims typically faster than probate
Arvest Bank Customer Service
Arvest Bank, P.O. Box 799, Lowell, AR 72745
Arvest Wealth Management
Arvest Wealth Management, PO Box 1515, Lowell, AR 72745
Customer Service / Arvest Wealth Management
Arvest Bank, P.O. Box 799, Lowell, AR 72745
After an account holder at Arvest 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 Arvest's Customer Service / Arvest Wealth Management at (866) 952-9523 with the proper legal authority documents.
Gather the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any known account or policy numbers before contacting Arvest. A certified death certificate is the primary document required to start any claim.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Arvest requires:
Filing a claim
- Call customer service at (866) 952-9523 or visit a local branch
- For trust accounts, contact Arvest Wealth Management at (888) 916-2121
- For POD accounts: beneficiary provides death certificate and valid government-issued ID to claim funds
- For joint accounts with survivorship: ownership passes automatically to surviving owner(s)
- For non-POD individual accounts: executor provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- For IRA accounts: beneficiary provides death certificate and completes distribution paperwork
- For trust accounts: provide trust documentation and successor trustee identification
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary or authorized representative
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for probate estates)
- Trust documentation (if account was held in trust)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if applicable under state law)
What to know at this institution
Arvest Wealth Management Estate Settlement services provide an experienced team to oversee estate administration, court process, and beneficiary distributions. Arvest can serve as executor or co-executor. Early withdrawal penalties on CDs may be waived upon death of account holder. Contact Arvest Wealth Management at (888) 916-2121 for estate settlement assistance. For a deposit account with no POD beneficiary and no surviving joint owner, the applicable small-estate procedure is set by the decedent's state of residence at death, not the branch location: in Arvest's headquarters state of Arkansas, a distributee may collect by affidavit filed with the circuit court probate clerk once 45 days have elapsed since death and the estate (excluding homestead and statutory spousal/minor allowances) does not exceed $100,000 (Ark. Code 28-41-101). Oklahoma (Okla. Stat. tit. 58 393), Missouri, and Kansas set their own affidavit limits and waiting periods.
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. When a borrower dies, the loan obligation transfers with the property to whoever inherits it. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act, the lender cannot accelerate the loan or call it due when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or the borrower’s revocable trust.
- Call Arvest Mortgage Servicing or visit a local branch
- Provide the deceased borrower's full legal name, Social Security number, 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
- Arvest will review your documentation and confirm your status
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Documentation proving ownership interest in the property (probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate)
- Marriage certificate (if surviving spouse)
Claims Contact
Phone: (800) 366-2132
Fax: (501) 716-5763
Online Portal →Arvest Bank, 500 Broadway Street, Little Rock, AR 72201
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Arvest cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, relative upon death, or the borrower's revocable living trust. Arvest Mortgage Servicing portal: mymortgage.arvest.com. Mortgage servicing: (800) 366-2132. Fax documents to (501) 716-5763.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Arvest
Arvest asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist Arvest requires.
Build your letter of instructionOpening an account for the estate itself
Checks made out to the estate deposit into an account titled to the estate, opened by the appointed executor or administrator under the estate's EIN.
How to open an estate account at Arvest →How long the process takes at Arvest: Varies based on account type and documentation; POD claims typically faster than probate. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by Arvest includes Certified death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary or authorized representative, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for probate estates), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Per the Arvest FAQ, POD (Payable on Death) beneficiary changes on deposit accounts must be completed in person at any Arvest branch. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID; any account owner can make the change. There is no online or downloadable form for deposit accounts. For IRA accounts, separate beneficiary designation paperwork is required. To start the process, call Arvest customer service at (866) 952-9523 or visit a branch.
Notify Arvest Mortgage Servicing at (800) 366-2132 or visit a local branch. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Arvest cannot accelerate the loan when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, relative upon death, or the borrower's revocable living trust. Heirs should provide a certified death certificate and documentation proving ownership interest (probated will, court order, deed, or trust document). Continue making monthly payments during the review process to avoid default. The Arvest Mortgage Servicing portal is at mymortgage.arvest.com.
Arvest Bank operates across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas, but the small-estate procedure that applies is generally the one for the decedent's state of residence at death, not the state where the branch is located. Each state sets its own affidavit limit and waiting period. In Arkansas -- Arvest's headquarters state -- a distributee may collect a small estate by affidavit filed with the circuit court probate clerk once 45 days have passed since death and the estate (excluding homestead and statutory spousal/minor allowances) does not exceed $100,000 (Ark. Code 28-41-101). Oklahoma uses a $50,000 affidavit procedure (Okla. Stat. tit. 58 393), and Missouri and Kansas set their own dollar limits. For deposit accounts with no POD beneficiary and no surviving joint owner, ask the Arvest branch which state's small-estate affidavit it will accept, or call customer service at (866) 952-9523. POD and joint-with-survivorship accounts pass outside probate regardless of state.
Arvest's Customer Service / Arvest Wealth Management can be reached by phone at (866) 952-9523 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Arvest accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Customer Service / Arvest Wealth Management to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Arvest primary sources (22 pages reviewed). How we research.
Arvest Bank Customer Service
Arvest Bank, P.O. Box 799, Lowell, AR 72745
Arvest Wealth Management
Arvest Wealth Management, PO Box 1515, Lowell, AR 72745
Customer Service / Arvest Wealth Management
Arvest Bank, P.O. Box 799, Lowell, AR 72745
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