What to do when a Bar Harbor Bank account holder dies
Contact Bar Harbor Bank's Bar Harbor Wealth Management — 5-step process, 7 required documents, and 5-10 business days after all documentation is received, though complex estates may take longer
Phone1-888-853-7100
Mailing Address
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, PO Box 1089, Ellsworth, ME 04605-9963
After Hours
International
24-Hour Telephone Banking
WebsiteLearn more→
Bar Harbor Wealth Management
Phone1-888-675-5244
Mailing Address
Bar Harbor Wealth Management, 90 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301
Bar Harbor Financial Services
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Settlement / Branch Services
Phone1-888-853-7100
Mailing Address
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, PO Box 1089, Ellsworth, ME 04605-9963
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
When a Bar Harbor Bank account holder 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 Bar Harbor Bank's Bar Harbor Wealth Management (1-888-853-7100) to access and distribute the funds.
Bar Harbor Bank offers an online claims portal that makes the initial filing process more straightforward. Survivors can also initiate claims by phone or by mailing documentation directly.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Bar Harbor Bank requires:
Filing a claim
1
Notify Bar Harbor Bank & Trust of the account holder's death by visiting a local branch or calling 888-853-7100
2
Gather required documentation:
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant
3
Choose the appropriate settlement path:
- For accounts with POD beneficiary: provide the death certificate and beneficiary ID to claim funds directly
- For joint accounts with right of survivorship: provide the death certificate; surviving owner retains access to the account
- For trust accounts: provide the death certificate, trust documentation with successor trustee provisions, and successor trustee ID
- For accounts without beneficiary or survivorship: obtain Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or a Small Estate Affidavit from the court and provide along with the executor or administrator's ID
4
If needed, open an estate account at a Bar Harbor Bank & Trust branch to manage estate proceeds and pay bills
5
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust will review submitted documentation and process the claim
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant (beneficiary, executor, administrator, or successor trustee)
- Account information for the deceased (account numbers if available)
- For accounts without beneficiary: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the court
- For small estates: Small Estate Affidavit as permitted under applicable state law (ME: estates under $40,000; NH: estates under $10,000; VT: estates under $10,000)
- For trust accounts: trust documentation including successor trustee provisions and trustee ID
- For IRA accounts: IRA beneficiary claim forms and applicable distribution election forms
Visiting a local branch is the most direct way to initiate the estate settlement process. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust operates over 50 branches across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. For estates requiring professional administration, Bar Harbor Wealth Management offers trust and estate services including acting as trustee or co-trustee.
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
Notify Bar Harbor Bank & Trust of the borrower's death by calling 888-853-7100
2
Provide initial information:
- Deceased borrower's full legal name and loan number
- Certified copy of the death certificate
3
Request the Successor in Interest documentation package from the mortgage servicing department
4
Complete and return the Successor in Interest form with supporting documentation proving your ownership interest in the property (e.g., probated will, court order, deed, or trust document)
5
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust will review your documentation and confirm your status as a Successor in Interest
6
Once confirmed, choose from available options:
- Continue making payments on the existing loan
- Assume the loan
- Refinance in your own name
- Pay off the remaining balance
7
Continue making monthly mortgage payments during the review process to avoid default
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Completed Successor in Interest form (obtained from mortgage servicing department)
- Documentation proving ownership interest in the property: probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document showing you as successor trustee or beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate)
- Marriage certificate (if surviving spouse)
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Bar Harbor Bank & Trust 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. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust services 99% of its mortgage loans locally, so the servicing department is accessible through the same customer service line.
How long the process takes at Bar Harbor Bank: 5-10 business days after all documentation is received, though complex estates may take longer. 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 Bar Harbor Bank includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant (beneficiary, executor, administrator, or successor trustee), and Account information for the deceased (account numbers if available), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Bar Harbor Bank & Trust 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. You can transfer your home into your revocable living trust without triggering the due-on-sale clause. Contact your branch or call 888-853-7100 to notify the bank of the title change.
No. Bank deposit accounts (checking, savings, money market, CDs) are FDIC insured and pass to a POD beneficiary or successor trustee directly through the bank. Investment and insurance products offered through Bar Harbor Financial Services are sold through Osaic Institutions, Inc. (Member FINRA/SIPC) and are not FDIC insured, not bank guaranteed, and may lose value. A brokerage account settled at death goes through the TOD beneficiary designation or trust titling on file with Osaic, not through a Bar Harbor Bank branch. Osaic Institutions and Bar Harbor Bank & Trust are not affiliated, so the death claim for those assets is handled separately from the bank deposit claim.
Bar Harbor Bank's Estate Settlement / Branch Services can be reached by phone at 1-888-853-7100 and email at customerservicecenter@barharbor.bank for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Bar Harbor Bank accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Bar Harbor Wealth Management can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Phone1-888-853-7100
Mailing Address
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, PO Box 1089, Ellsworth, ME 04605-9963
After Hours
International
24-Hour Telephone Banking
WebsiteLearn more→
Bar Harbor Wealth Management
Phone1-888-675-5244
Mailing Address
Bar Harbor Wealth Management, 90 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301
Bar Harbor Financial Services
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Settlement / Branch Services
Phone1-888-853-7100
Mailing Address
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, PO Box 1089, Ellsworth, ME 04605-9963
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
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