What to do when a Beacon Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Beacon Bank Call Center at 1-800-698-2265
Beacon Bank has merged with another institutionMerged, effective September 2025
Brookline Bank is now Beacon Bank & Trust. Brookline Bancorp and Berkshire Hills Bancorp completed a merger of equals on September 1, 2025 to form Beacon Financial Corporation (NYSE: BBT); the next day, September 2, 2025, the FDIC recorded the legal name change of the Brookline Bank charter (CERT 17798) to Beacon Bank and Trust and consolidated Berkshire Bank, Bank Rhode Island, and PCSB Bank into it. Branch signage and account documents converted to the single Beacon Bank brand on February 9, 2026. Because the Brookline charter is the surviving one, legacy Brookline accounts, account numbers, and the 211371489 routing number were never reissued.
What happens to Beacon Bank accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with Beacon Bank Call Center (1-800-698-2265) to claim the funds.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Beacon Bank works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Call the Call Center at 800.698.BANK (800.698.2265), Monday through Saturday 8:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. ET
- Or visit a local branch (branch locator)
- To stop debit-card activity outside Call Center hours, use the 24/7 lost or stolen debit card line at 800.698.2265. The automated telephone banking line, 888.685.8300, is available 24/7 for balances
- Certified death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID
- The account number or numbers of the deceased, if known
- Payable-on-death account: present the death certificate and the beneficiary's ID to claim the funds outside probate
- Joint account: present the death certificate to retitle the account into the surviving owner's name
- Estate account: provide Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, or a Massachusetts Voluntary Administration Statement (Form MPC 170) for a qualifying small estate
Forms Beacon Bank issues1
- Estate or deceased-account release paperwork
Provided at a branch.1
What happens to each kind of account9
- Payable-on-death account
The named beneficiary presents the death certificate and government-issued photo ID, and the funds pass outside probate.1
- Joint account with survivorship
Ownership passes automatically to the surviving owner or owners on presentation of the death certificate, and the account is retitled into the surviving owner's name.1
- Account in one name
An individual account with no payable-on-death beneficiary and no surviving owner is released to an appointed personal representative who presents Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. A full-probate release waits on Letters from the Probate and Family Court.1
- IRA
For a Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, IRA CD or IRA Savings, the designated beneficiary presents the death certificate and completes inherited-account paperwork. A deposit-account payable-on-death designation does not govern these accounts.1
An inherited IRA transferred to another custodian incurs the $50.00 IRA Transfer Fee, which the fee schedule states includes account closure.2
- Health savings account
The designated beneficiary presents the death certificate and completes inherited-account paperwork. A deposit-account payable-on-death designation does not govern an HSA.1
- Trust account
The successor trustee presents the Certificate of Trust or trust agreement and the trustee's photo ID.1
- Certificate of deposit
Certificate-of-deposit early-withdrawal penalties are generally waived on the death of the owner. Confirm with the banker before requesting an early payout.1
- Safe deposit box
Access is arranged through the branch. Boxes exist only at select branches, and a forced opening carries a $200.00 drilling fee.2
- Loan
Debt does not pass to a beneficiary or trust. Mortgage, HELOC and personal-loan balances remain liabilities of the estate.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersMassachusetts, New York
- Massachusetts
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 167D, § 12
Massachusetts law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on proof the institution accepts, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 167D, § 12Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $10,000 held at the institution
When: after the expiration of 30 days from the death of such depositor
Paid to: the surviving spouse of said deceased depositor; if there be no surviving spouse, the next of kin of such deceased (in that order)
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
- New York
N.Y. SCPA § 1310
New York 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.N.Y. SCPA § 1310Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: surviving spouse
Limit: $30,000 in total from every holder
When: forthwith
Paid to: surviving spouse, children eighteen or older, either parent, brother or sister, niece or nephew, or at their request a creditor or the person who paid the funeral expense
Limit: $15,000 in total from every holder
When: not less than thirty days after the death
Paid to: a distributee, a creditor, or the person who paid the funeral expenses
Limit: $5,000 held at the institution and $5,000 in total from every holder
When: not less than 6 months after the death
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Beacon Bank Retail Loan Servicing
Existing mortgage, home equity and personal loans1
Phone: 1-800-698-2265
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1308, Pittsfield, MA 01201-1308
- Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. (DMI)
Some Beacon Bank mortgages, as subservicer1
Phone: 1-855-674-1273
Mailing address: 1 Corporate Drive, Suite 360, Lake Zurich, IL 60047-8945
What Beacon Bank provides to the estate1
- Statement copies
Legacy Brookline Bank deposit and loan statements from February 2025 through February 2026 are available inside online and mobile banking.3
Older statements are requested from the branch. The fee schedule prices a Statement Copy with Images at $10.00 each and a Subpoena Research Fee at $75.00 per hour.2
What Beacon Bank's agreement and guidance say4
- What it does when notified
Once given the death certificate, the bank flags the account and stops debit-card, Bill Pay and Zelle activity.1
- Wills, probate and small estates
How each account was titled, payable on death or with survivorship, under the account agreement determines how it passes, not the will.1
- Fees
A Medallion signature guarantee and notary service are free to Beacon Bank customers. The fee schedule says a Medallion guarantee is "Not Available" to non-customers, so an heir who is not a Beacon customer obtains one elsewhere.2
A cashier's check is $10.00 for customers and "Not Available" to non-customers.2
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
An Abandoned Property fee of $65.00 (or such lesser rate as may be set by law) applies to each escheated account.2
Not in Beacon Bank's published guidance5
- A procedure for reporting a death
- Public claim form
- An online way to report a death
- A mailing address for claim documents
- A list of required documents
Sources3
- 1.Help
- 2.Common Features Consumer Fee Schedule, effective February 9, 2026
- 3.Merger FAQs
Beacon Bank Call Center can be reached by phone at 1-800-698-2265 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Beacon Bank primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Beacon Bank death claims support
Beacon Bank Call Center
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Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
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
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