Estate planning at Associated Bank
How to protect 17 Associated Bank accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through Associated Bank's Associated Bank Private Wealth - Trust & Estate Administration (fiduciary services provided through Associated Trust Company, N.A.)
Associated Bank Private Wealth - Trust & Estate Administration (fiduciary services provided through Associated Trust Company, N.A.)
Customer Care (account holder deceased) -- Associated Bank publishes no separate claims department, claim form, or claims portal; deposit-account claims are handled at a branch or through this line
Associated Bank, WE CARE Department, 1305 Main Street, MS 7722, Stevens Point, WI 54481-0327 (the bank's published address for written complaints and for mortgage requests for information and error resolution -- it is not a claims intake; deliver account claim documents to a branch or as Customer Care directs)
Associated Bank has 17 accounts, each with different rules for what happens when the account holder dies. Of those, 15 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. The right combination of beneficiary designations and trust ownership can keep the entire portfolio out of probate.
Managing beneficiaries at Associated Bank is straightforward—changes can be made online, in branch, and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
Associated Bank provides specific procedures for both proactive estate planning and filing claims after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and review 17 account types at Associated Bank.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Associated Bank's Associated Bank Private Wealth - Trust & Estate Administration (fiduciary services provided through Associated Trust Company, N.A.) to file a claim. 7-step process, 5 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach Associated Bank's Associated Bank Private Wealth - Trust & Estate Administration (fiduciary services provided through Associated Trust Company, N.A.) at 1-800-431-4649 for help with any of these procedures.
Associated Bank operates in select states, so estate planning procedures may vary by location. Confirm availability in your state before initiating trust funding or account changes.
Frequently asked questions
Probably not, and it is worth correcting before it matters. Associated Bank's own disclosure separates its affiliates: deposit and loan products come from Associated Bank, N.A. (ABNA); securities and advisory services from Associated Investment Services, Inc. (AIS); and investment management, fiduciary, administrative and planning services from Associated Trust Company, N.A. (ATC). Corporate trustee and personal representative appointments are fiduciary services, so the entity to name in a trust or will is Associated Trust Company, N.A. "Associated Bank Private Wealth" is a marketing name the holding company uses for those services, not a legal entity that can be appointed. Ask the Private Wealth team at 1-800-431-4649 to confirm the exact appointment language before the document is signed.
Only if the agency document clearly says so. Section 4.16 of the Deposit Account Agreement states that because naming a beneficiary is a testamentary act and Associated Bank does not recognize implied powers of an agent, the bank will not permit an agent to designate, remove or change POD beneficiaries unless it determines the document creating the agency clearly authorizes it. The agent also cannot name himself or herself as a POD beneficiary unless the document clearly authorizes the agent to exercise agency powers for the agent's own benefit. The bank may additionally require the agent's current government-issued identification and Social Security number, and it may decline to follow an agent's directions if it believes the agency document is invalid, incomplete or unclear. Separately, all account holders must sign to add, change or remove a POD beneficiary.
Sources
Data sourced from Associated Bank primary sources (27 pages reviewed). How we research.
Associated Bank Private Wealth - Trust & Estate Administration (fiduciary services provided through Associated Trust Company, N.A.)
Customer Care (account holder deceased) -- Associated Bank publishes no separate claims department, claim form, or claims portal; deposit-account claims are handled at a branch or through this line
Associated Bank, WE CARE Department, 1305 Main Street, MS 7722, Stevens Point, WI 54481-0327 (the bank's published address for written complaints and for mortgage requests for information and error resolution -- it is not a claims intake; deliver account claim documents to a branch or as Customer Care directs)
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Associated Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
