Estate planning at Bell Bank
How to protect 11 Bell Bank accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through Bell Bank's Bell Bank Wealth Management — Trust and Financial Planning
Customer Service
Bell Bank Wealth Management — Trust and Financial Planning
Bell Bank, PO Box 10877, Fargo, ND 58106-0877
Customer Service (Death Notification)
Bell Bank, PO Box 10877, Fargo, ND 58106-0877
Bell Bank has 11 accounts, each with different rules for what happens when the account holder dies. Of those, 10 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 Bell Bank is straightforward—changes can be made in branch and by phone, typically taking about 15-30 minutes in branch. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
Bell Bank has documented procedures for both preparing accounts during your lifetime and handling claims when an account holder passes away.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 11 account types at Bell Bank.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Bell Bank's Bell Bank Wealth Management — Trust and Financial Planning to file a claim. 6-step process, 6 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach Bell Bank's Bell Bank Wealth Management — Trust and Financial Planning at 800-709-5781 for help with any of these procedures.
Because Bell Bank serves a limited number of states, procedures for trust funding and beneficiary changes may differ depending on your location. Verify availability before starting.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Visit a Bell Bank branch with your trust agreement or Certification of Trust, your trust tax identification number, and government-issued ID to retitle a checking, savings, money market, or CD account to a revocable living trust. Remove any existing POD designations first, because a trust-titled account is distributed under the trust terms rather than to a POD beneficiary. IRAs cannot be retitled to a trust, but a trust can be named as the IRA beneficiary.
Sources
Data sourced from Bell Bank primary sources (11 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
Bell Bank Wealth Management — Trust and Financial Planning
Bell Bank, PO Box 10877, Fargo, ND 58106-0877
Customer Service (Death Notification)
Bell Bank, PO Box 10877, Fargo, ND 58106-0877
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Bell Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
