What to do when a BankPlus account holder dies
Report the death to BankPlus' Customer Service at 1-888-811-7587
When an account holder at BankPlus passes away, the next step depends on how the accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with BankPlus' Customer Service (1-601-664-7587) to access and distribute the funds.
The claim process begins with a phone call to 1-601-664-7587. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what BankPlus requires:
Filing a claim
What happens to each kind of account5
- Account in one name
Under the 2022 agreement, an Alabama account in one name with no pay-on-death designation passes as part of the owner's estate.1
- Joint account with survivorship
The 2022 agreement gives a Mississippi joint account with survivorship to the surviving owners, who then hold it as joint tenants with survivorship.1
- Joint account without survivorship
A Mississippi joint account held as tenants in common creates no survivorship by being opened, and the bank asks the owners to tell it in writing what share each contributed.1
- Payable-on-death account
On a pay-on-death or revocable trust account, a beneficiary can withdraw only once everyone who opened the account has died, and only if the beneficiary is still living; surviving beneficiaries share equally unless the records say otherwise.1
- Credit card
BankPlus may close a consumer Visa card account and call the whole balance due at once when the cardholder dies.2
State requirements BankPlus statesLouisiana, Mississippi, Alabama
- Louisiana
For a Louisiana joint account, the bank may pay the balance to the surviving owners, but that protects the bank only; the survivors may still answer to the heirs, legatees or creditors for funds that belonged to the person who died.1
- Mississippi
For a Mississippi pay-on-death or revocable trust account, surviving beneficiaries take equal shares without survivorship among themselves, and the bank pays a parent, custodian or guardian instead where the law requires it.1
- Alabama
For an Alabama joint account with survivorship, a surviving spouse among two or more survivors takes the share the deceased owner held; with no spouse among them, the survivors divide it equally.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersFlorida, Louisiana, Mississippi
- Florida
Fla. Stat. § 735.303
Florida law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit made under oath, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Fla. Stat. § 735.303Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: family member (surviving spouse; else adult child; else adult descendant; else parent)
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution and $2,000 in total from every holder
When: not earlier than 6 months after the date of the decedent’s death
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
- Louisiana
La. R.S. 6:315.1
Louisiana law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.La. R.S. 6:315.1Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $20,000 held at the institution and $20,000 in total from every holder
Paid to: the surviving spouse and heirs, if any; the heirs, if there is no surviving spouse (in that order)
The section applies where the person died without a will. The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
La. R.S. 9:1513
Louisiana law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.La. R.S. 9:1513Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: surviving spouse
Limit: $20,000 held at the institution and $20,000 in total from every holder
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
- Mississippi
Miss. Code Ann. § 81-5-63
Mississippi law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on a signed receipt or release, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Miss. Code Ann. § 81-5-63Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $12,500 held at the institution
Paid to: the decedent's spouse; the adult with whom any minor children of the decedent are residing (if there is no surviving spouse); any adult child of the decedent (if there is no surviving spouse or minor children); either parent of the decedent (if there is no surviving spouse or children); any adult sibling of the decedent (if there is no surviving spouse, children or parent) (in that order)
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- BankPlus Wealth Management Group
Trusts and estates the bank administers as trustee or executor3
Phone: 1-601-607-4283
What BankPlus's agreement and guidance say5
- Disputes between claimants
If someone claims money in an account and BankPlus has a good faith doubt about the claim, it may hold some or all of the balance until the claim is settled, or pay it into court.1
- Debts owed to the institution
The bank may use money in any of a customer's accounts to pay what the customer owes it, before or after a default, and on a joint account it may do so for the debt of any one owner.1
- Powers of attorney
BankPlus must approve the form of a power of attorney before an agent acts on an account, and it may honor an agent's transactions in good faith without checking that the power is still in force.1
- Which state governs the account
The 2022 agreement is governed by federal law and the law of the state where the account was opened, with Mississippi law setting the highest interest rate payable to the bank.1
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
Once an account balance has been turned over to the state as unclaimed, the agreement relieves BankPlus of responsibility for it.1
Not in BankPlus's published guidance11
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form
- A list of required documents
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
- Which court appointment document it accepts
- An online way to report a death
- How long a claim takes
- A small-estate procedure
- Telling the institution
- Payments after the death
Sources3
- 1.First Bank and Trust Transition Guide, Consumer Deposit Account Agreement, published July 2022 for the August 2022 conversion
- 2.BankPlus Visa Consumer Credit Card Agreement
- 3.Trust and Estate Administration
BankPlus' Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-888-811-7587 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(2)·
Data sourced from BankPlus primary sources (27 pages reviewed). How we research.
BankPlus death claims support
Customer Service
Phone
Toll-free
Mailing address
Website
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your BankPlus accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: probate petition, small estate affidavit, creditor notice and closing forms. Prepare each form for your state.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for your state.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.
Do I Need Probate?
Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.
What Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies?
See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
