What to do when a Bell Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Bell Bank's Customer Service at 1-800-450-8949
When an account holder at Bell Bank 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 Bell Bank's Customer Service (1-701-298-1550) to access and distribute the funds.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Bell Bank requires:
Filing a claim
- The deceased person's full legal name and account number or Social Security number
- Date of death
- Your name, government-issued photo ID, and relationship to the deceased person
- Payable-on-death beneficiary claim: the beneficiary's identification and proof of identity
- Joint account with right of survivorship: the surviving owner's ID
- Trust-titled account: the trust agreement or Certification of Trust, and the successor trustee's ID
- Probate estate: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- Small estate: a small estate affidavit, if the estate qualifies
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- Trust agreement or Certification of Trust
- Small estate affidavit, if the estate qualifies
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if probate is required
- Trust agreement or Certification of Trust, if the account is held in trustThe successor trustee also brings ID.
- Small estate affidavit, if the estate qualifies as a small estate
- Beneficiary identification, for a payable-on-death or IRA beneficiary claim
Forms Bell Bank issues1
- Distribution or claim forms
Completed by the claimant, returned with the supporting documents. Sent by the institution on request.1
What happens to each kind of account2
- Payable-on-death account
An account with a payable-on-death beneficiary transfers more quickly than assets covered by a will, which follow probate. A beneficiary designation overrides inconsistent instructions in a will.2
- Trust account
An account held in a trust passes under the trust rather than through probate.1
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Bell Bank Wealth Management Trust and Financial Planning
Trust and wealth management accounts1
Phone: 1-800-709-5781
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM CT
- Bell Bank Mortgage Servicing
A Bell Bank mortgage held by the deceased person1
Phone: 1-866-387-0980
Email: MSServicing@bell.bank
Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-9:00 PM CT; Saturday 8:00 AM-noon CT
Mailing address: Bell Bank Mortgage Servicing, P.O. Box 11277, Fargo, ND 58106
Help Bell Bank offers survivors1
- Bell Bank Wealth Management
Bell Bank Wealth Management can serve as personal representative or conservator, or provide full estate settlement: notifying heirs and beneficiaries, locating and inventorying assets, paying creditor claims and expenses, collecting debts, handling tax returns, keeping records and distributing under the will.1
What Bell Bank's agreement and guidance say1
- Wills, probate and small estates
The time a claim takes varies with the settlement path and the documents. Payable-on-death, joint and trust-titled accounts generally release faster than accounts that require probate, which depend on court timelines.1
Not in Bell Bank's published guidance1
- A claim form
Sources2
Bell Bank's Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-800-450-8949 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Bell Bank primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Bell Bank death claims support
Customer Service (Death Notification)
Phone
Toll-free
Trust and Financial Planning
Mortgage Servicing (deceased borrower)
Mortgage Loan Counseling
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate planning articles
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