What to do when a Bellco account holder dies
Contact Bellco's Members Trust Company (Bellco trust partner) — 8-step process, 6 required documents, and 30-90 days depending on account structure and estate complexity
Member Services
Bellco Credit Union, P.O. Box 6611, Greenwood Village, CO 80155-6611
Bellco Operations Department - Special Account Support
Bellco Credit Union, Attn: Special Account Support, PO Box 5231, Greenwood Village, CO 80155
After a member of Bellco dies, the Bellco Operations Department - Special Account Support manages the transfer of accounts. POD-designated and trust-owned accounts pass directly to beneficiaries. Accounts held solely in the member's name may require probate court documents—Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration—before funds can be released.
Bellco 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.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Bellco:
Filing a claim
- Certified copy of the death certificate with the raised seal (Bellco returns it to you)
- Mail documents to: Bellco Credit Union, Attn: Special Account Support, PO Box 5231, Greenwood Village, CO 80155, or deliver to any branch
- Additional documentation may be required based on account structure; Bellco notifies you if anything further is needed
- Single-owner accounts with designated POD beneficiaries are closed and remaining funds distributed to the named beneficiaries after debts are resolved
- Single-owner accounts with no beneficiary are closed and remaining funds distributed to the estate after debts are resolved
- Joint-owner accounts remain open; the surviving joint owner can continue using the account or have it retitled into their own name
- Any debit card assigned to the deceased member is deactivated to prevent unauthorized use
- Bellco discontinues Bill Pay automatic payments once notified of the member's death
- For individual accounts, automatic transfers in and out of Bellco are rejected
- For joint accounts, transfers continue except direct deposits naming the deceased member, which are rejected
- Federal payments (Social Security, VA, Railroad Retirement) received after the date of death must be returned to the U.S. Treasury
- Notify companies debiting the deceased member's accounts to stop automatic transfers
- CDs with a surviving joint owner: a Bellco-member survivor may transfer the certificate funds "as is" into a new certificate keeping the same rate and maturity, or cash it in without penalty (cashing in is the only option if the survivor does not qualify for membership)
- Deposit account balances may be applied to outstanding loan balances as of the date of death per Bellco's statutory lien rights; surviving borrowers or the estate remain responsible for repaying loans
- Voluntary payment protection, if the member had it, is applied toward the qualifying loan balance
- First mortgages / Choice lines: a co-borrower automatically becomes the primary borrower; for single-borrower loans, the successor-in-interest of the property should contact Bellco
- Credit cards: a sole-borrower card is frozen and statements are addressed to the Estate once opened; a co-borrower card can remain open and be retitled into the co-borrower's name
- Auto loans / lines of credit: the successor-in-interest of the vehicle should contact Bellco; line-of-credit debt must be repaid by the estate or from remaining deposit funds before Bellco releases any funds
- To surrender collateral or if payments cannot be made, contact Bellco's Default Management team
- If a POD beneficiary exists: funds pass directly to the named beneficiaries outside of the estate
- If the estate is small: use Colorado Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (JDF 999, https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/media/8153), available when the decedent's total personal property does not exceed the year-of-death cap ($88,000 for 2026 deaths) and at least 10 days have passed since death, with no court appointment required
- If no beneficiary and the estate exceeds the small-estate cap: estate goes through probate; present Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (Colorado letter of administration information at https://www.courts.state.co.us/Forms/Forms_List.cfm?Form_Type_ID=143)
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate with raised seal
- Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary, joint owner, or personal representative
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD beneficiary; issued by probate court)
- Colorado Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (JDF 999), usable when the decedent's total personal property does not exceed the year-of-death cap ($88,000 for 2026 deaths) and at least 10 days have passed since death
- Trust documents (if a trust is named as beneficiary)
- Additional documentation may be requested based on account structure
What to know at this institution
Bellco publishes a detailed Guide for Handling a Deceased Member's Estate, Assets, and Debts (https://docs.bellco.org/forms/consumer/GuideforHandlingDeceasedMemberEstateAssetsDebts.pdf). Decedent claims questions and documents go to the Bellco Operations Department at 855-603-1051; mail to Bellco Credit Union, Attn: Special Account Support, PO Box 5231, Greenwood Village, CO 80155. The credit union recommends settling accounts promptly because it continues to report to the IRS under the deceased's SSN until the account is closed. Bellco also offers estate accounts, established at any branch. Deposit balances may be applied to a deceased member's outstanding Bellco loans under Bellco's statutory lien rights before funds are released; loan co-borrowers become the primary borrower and successors-in-interest on mortgages, auto loans, and Choice lines should contact Bellco directly. For settling the deceased's IRS account, Bellco directs claimants to the IRS at 800-829-1040 and to be prepared to fax the death certificate plus Letters Testamentary or IRS Form 56 (Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship). For small Colorado estates, heirs may collect deposit funds with a Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (JDF 999, revised April 28, 2026) instead of opening probate, provided the decedent's total personal property does not exceed the year-of-death cap ($88,000 for 2026 deaths; $86,000 for 2025 per the Colorado Judicial Branch), at least 10 days have passed since death, and no personal-representative appointment is pending. Bellco advises seeking financial, tax, and legal advice from professional advisors during the settlement process.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Bellco
Bellco accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Bellco's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionProcessing timelines at Bellco: 30-90 days depending on account structure and estate complexity. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Bellco requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate with raised seal, Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary, joint owner, or personal representative, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD beneficiary; issued by probate court), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Contact the Bellco Operations Department at 855-603-1051, or visit any branch (https://www.bellco.org/branches-and-atms/). You will need a certified copy of the death certificate with the raised seal, which Bellco returns to you. Mail documents to: Bellco Credit Union, Attn: Special Account Support, PO Box 5231, Greenwood Village, CO 80155, or deliver to any branch. If there is no POD beneficiary and the estate is small, Colorado heirs can collect deposit funds with a Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (JDF 999) — available when the decedent's total personal property does not exceed the year-of-death cap ($88,000 for 2026 deaths) and at least 10 days have passed since death — instead of opening full probate. Bellco publishes a detailed Guide for Handling a Deceased Member's Estate, Assets, and Debts at https://docs.bellco.org/forms/consumer/GuideforHandlingDeceasedMemberEstateAssetsDebts.pdf.
It depends on ownership structure. Per Bellco's deceased-member guide, single-owner accounts (with or without a POD beneficiary) are closed after debts are resolved and funds distributed to beneficiaries or the estate. Joint-owner deposit accounts remain open after notification; the surviving joint owner can continue writing checks, depositing, and withdrawing, and can later have the account retitled. Any debit card assigned to the deceased member is deactivated immediately to prevent unauthorized use, and Bellco Bill Pay automatic payments are discontinued.
Per federal regulation, any federal payments received in the deceased account holder's name after the date of death must be returned to the U.S. Treasury. This includes Social Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Railroad Retirement benefits. Bellco notes it often receives the death notification from the U.S. Government directly and reserves the right to begin the return process. For Social Security survivor benefits, contact the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213; processing can take up to 90 days, so notify them as soon as possible.
Bellco's Bellco Operations Department - Special Account Support can be reached by phone at 1-855-603-1051 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Bellco accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Bellco Operations Department - Special Account Support can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from Bellco primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Services
Bellco Credit Union, P.O. Box 6611, Greenwood Village, CO 80155-6611
Bellco Operations Department - Special Account Support
Bellco Credit Union, Attn: Special Account Support, PO Box 5231, Greenwood Village, CO 80155
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