What to do when a Bank of America account holder dies
Contact Bank of America's Estate Servicing Operations — 7-step process, 9 required documents, and varies by account type, state requirements, and documentation completeness. documents processed within 48 hours of email submission.
Phone1-800-432-1000
Toll-Free1-800-432-1000
Fax1-866-694-9046
Mailing Address
Bank of America, PO Box 25118, Tampa, FL 33622-5118
Spanish Language
International (collect)
Small Business
Mortgage & Home Equity
Home Equity Line
Estate Servicing Operations
Phone1-888-689-4466
Fax1-866-694-9046
Mailing Address
Bank of America, Estate Unit, PO Box 31655, Tampa, FL 33631-1655
Merrill Life Services
Merrill General
Private Bank
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Servicing Operations
Phone1-888-689-4466
Fax1-866-694-9046
Mailing Address
Bank of America, Estate Unit, PO Box 31655, Tampa, FL 33631-1655
Merrill Life Services
Merrill Life Services Fax
Merrill General
Private Bank
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Apr 2026
After a Bank of America account holder 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 Bank of America's Estate Servicing Operations at 1-888-689-4466 with the proper legal authority documents.
Bank of America provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
The death claim process at Bank of America works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Determine your role (executor, trustee, personal representative, or beneficiary)
2
Order certified copies of the death certificate from the funeral director or state vital records office
3
Notify Bank of America online at bankofamerica.com/estateservices, by phone at 1-888-689-4466 (Monday-Friday 9am-8pm ET), or at a local financial center
4
Provide the deceased's full legal name and Social Security number
5
Bank of America will place holds on sole-owned accounts, close debit/ATM and credit cards, cancel automatic transfers and bill payments, and assign a case number
6
Submit required documents through one of these methods:
- Online portal at bankofamerica.com/estateservices (most secure for personal information)
- Email to estateservicing@bofa.com (include contact phone number)
- Fax to 1-866-694-9046
- Mail to Bank of America, Estate Unit, PO Box 31655, Tampa, FL 33631-1655
- In person at a financial center
7
Wait for processing -- bank processes documents within 48 hours of email submission; overall timeline varies by account type, state requirements, and documentation completeness
Required Documents
- Death certificate (legible photocopy accepted; certified copy may be required)
- Government-issued ID for claimant
- Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or Certification of Appointment (if formal probate)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if estate qualifies under state law)
- Last will and testament (if applicable)
- Trust documents and Trustee Certification form (if trust is involved)
- Notarized Letter of Instruction (Bank of America form, provided as needed)
- Birth or marriage certificate or proof of legal name change (if applicable)
- Affidavit of domicile (for Merrill/investment accounts)
Death notification can be submitted online, by phone, by fax, by mail, or in person at a financial center. Non-customers can use the Third-Party Case Manager online portal at secure.bankofamerica.com to submit notifications. Document formats accepted: PDF, BMP, DOC, DOCX, JPG, JPEG, PNG. Protective actions upon notification: balance holds on sole-owned accounts, debit/ATM cards closed, credit cards blocked, automatic transfers and bill payments canceled, online/mobile banking suspended, applicable fees suspended. The decedent's Online Banking ID will be closed after the bank receives the death certificate. Credit card rewards may be redeemed by estate representatives within 57 days of account closure if account is paid in full. Federal benefits (Social Security, etc.) are subject to reclamation review and may need to be returned. For Merrill/wealth management accounts, contact Merrill Life Services at 1-855-450-9015 (Monday-Friday 8am-8pm ET), fax 917-778-0797, or mail to Merrill Document Processing, PO Box 31024, Tampa, FL 33631-3024. For Private Bank accounts, contact 1-800-878-7878 (Monday-Friday 8am-8pm ET).
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.
1
Contact Bank of America Estate Servicing Operations (ESO) at 1-888-689-4466 to report the death and initiate the estate process
2
Gather required documentation:
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Court-approved documentation identifying the administrator, executor, or heirs
3
If a co-borrower exists, that person continues to have responsibility for repayment and remains on the account
4
If you inherited the property, submit the Request Form for Successor in Interest to the Name and Title Change Unit (NTCU) with supporting documents:
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if court-appointed representative)
- Small Estate Affidavit or similar court filing establishing you as an heir (if no representative was appointed)
5
Wait for Bank of America to confirm your successor-in-interest status and grant access to loan information
6
Once confirmed as a successor in interest, choose from available options:
- Continue making payments on the existing loan
- Apply for a Qualified Assumption (download application from the Bank of America mortgage assumptions page)
- Refinance in your own name
- Pay off the loan
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if a court-appointed representative exists)
- Small Estate Affidavit or similar judicial determination establishing heir status (if no court-appointed representative)
- Request Form for Successor in Interest (provided by Bank of America)
- Deed to the property or other proof of ownership interest
- Trust documents and Trustee Certification form (if property held in trust)
- Qualified Assumption application package (if applying to formally assume the loan)
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Bank of America cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or relative of the deceased borrower, or to the borrower's revocable living trust. Heirs who inherit the property are not required to formally assume the loan to continue making payments. However, to formally assume full liability and have the loan placed in the heir's name, a Qualified Assumption is required, which involves credit qualification similar to a refinance. The first step is always to contact the Estate Servicing Operations team at 1-888-689-4466 (Monday-Friday 9am-8pm ET) to report the death. Successor-in-interest requests are processed by the Name and Title Change Unit (NTCU). Documents can also be faxed to the death certificate fax line at 1-866-694-9046 or mailed to Estate Servicing Operations, PO Box 31655, Tampa, FL 33631-1655.
Processing timelines at Bank of America: Varies by account type, state requirements, and documentation completeness. Documents processed within 48 hours of email submission. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Bank of America requires several documents to process a claim, including Death certificate (legible photocopy accepted; certified copy may be required), Government-issued ID for claimant, and Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or Certification of Appointment (if formal probate), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
POD beneficiaries can be added to checking, savings, CD, investment, and IRA accounts. Only individual or co-owned personal accounts and sole proprietor small business accounts qualify. Joint business accounts are not eligible. Account owners and co-owners cannot be named as POD beneficiaries. If an account is overdrawn when the owner passes away, the POD beneficiary will not receive any funds and is not liable for the deficit.
Bank of America places a balance hold on sole-owned accounts, closes debit/ATM and credit cards, cancels automatic transfers and bill payments, and suspends online/mobile banking. You can notify the bank online at bankofamerica.com/estateservices, by phone at 1-888-689-4466 (Monday-Friday 9am-8pm ET), by email at estateservicing@bofa.com, by fax to 1-866-694-9046, by mail to Estate Unit PO Box 31655 Tampa FL 33631-1655, or at a financial center. The bank processes documents within 48 hours of email submission. If the account has a POD beneficiary, those funds pass directly to the named beneficiary outside of probate.
POD (Payable on Death) applies to Bank of America deposit accounts like checking, savings, and CDs. TOD (Transfer on Death) applies to Merrill Edge investment accounts. Both designations allow assets to pass directly to named beneficiaries outside of probate. POD is managed through the Your Beneficiary self-service pages online or at a financial center. TOD is managed through the Transfer on Death Agreement form available at merrilledge.com/forms-library. Trust accounts, custodial accounts (UTMA/UGMA), and IRAs are not eligible for a TOD Agreement.
Bank of America's Estate Servicing Operations can be reached by phone at 1-888-689-4466, email at estateservicing@bofa.com, and fax at 1-866-694-9046 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Bank of America accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Estate Servicing Operations to confirm what applies.
Phone1-800-432-1000
Toll-Free1-800-432-1000
Fax1-866-694-9046
Mailing Address
Bank of America, PO Box 25118, Tampa, FL 33622-5118
Spanish Language
International (collect)
Small Business
Mortgage & Home Equity
Home Equity Line
Estate Servicing Operations
Phone1-888-689-4466
Fax1-866-694-9046
Mailing Address
Bank of America, Estate Unit, PO Box 31655, Tampa, FL 33631-1655
Merrill Life Services
Merrill General
Private Bank
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Servicing Operations
Phone1-888-689-4466
Fax1-866-694-9046
Mailing Address
Bank of America, Estate Unit, PO Box 31655, Tampa, FL 33631-1655
Merrill Life Services
Merrill Life Services Fax
Merrill General
Private Bank
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Apr 2026
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