What to do when a Bellco account holder dies
Report the death to Bellco's Special Account Support at 1-855-603-1051
After a member of Bellco dies, the 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.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Bellco:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Death certificateA certified copy with the raised seal. Bellco returns it to you.
- Government-issued photo ID, for the beneficiary, joint owner or personal representative
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if there is no payable-on-death beneficiaryIssued by the probate court.
- Colorado Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (JDF 999), for a small estate, instead of probateThe JDF 999 form (R: April 28, 2026), notarized.
- Trust documents, if a trust is named as beneficiary
- Additional documents, depending on how the accounts are ownedBellco tells you if it needs anything further.
What happens to each kind of account7
- Account in one name
A single-owner account with no beneficiary is closed, and the remaining funds go to the estate after debts are resolved.1
- Payable-on-death account
A single-owner account with payable-on-death beneficiaries is closed, and the remaining funds go to the named beneficiaries after debts are resolved, outside the estate.1
- Joint account with survivorship
A joint-owner account stays open. The surviving joint owner can keep using it or have it retitled into their own name.1
- Certificate of deposit
A surviving joint owner who is a Bellco member may move the certificate "as is" into a new certificate with the same rate and maturity, or cash it in without penalty. A survivor who does not qualify for membership can only cash it in.1
- IRA
Bellco asks that you contact it to discuss an IRA rather than following the standard deposit path, because of the tax implications.1
- Credit card
A card in the deceased member's name alone is frozen, and its statements are addressed to the estate once one is opened. A co-borrower's card can stay open and be retitled into the co-borrower's name.1
- Loan
On a first mortgage or Choice line, a co-borrower automatically becomes the primary borrower. On a single-borrower loan, the successor in interest of the property contacts Bellco.1
On an auto loan, the successor in interest of the vehicle contacts Bellco. Line-of-credit debt must be repaid by the estate or from remaining deposit funds before Bellco releases any funds. Voluntary payment protection, if the member had it, is applied to the qualifying loan balance.1
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- Bellco Default Management team
Surrendering collateral, or a loan whose payments cannot be made1
What Bellco's agreement and guidance say9
- Telling the institution
The agreement asks owners to "notify us promptly if any person with a right to withdraw funds from your account(s) dies." Bellco may keep honoring checks, items and instructions until it knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge.2
- Payments after the death
Bellco may pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death for up to ten days after the death, "unless ordered to stop payment by someone claiming an interest in the account."2
- What it does when notified
Once notified, Bellco discontinues Bill Pay automatic payments and deactivates any debit card assigned to the deceased member.1
On an individual account, automatic transfers in and out of Bellco are rejected. On a joint account, transfers continue, except direct deposits naming the deceased member, which are rejected.1
- Deposits after the death
Bellco's guide says federal payments received after the date of death, such as Social Security, VA and Railroad Retirement, must be returned to the U.S. Treasury.1
- Debts owed to the institution
Deposit balances may be applied to the deceased member's outstanding Bellco loans as of the date of death, under Bellco's lien rights, before funds are released. Surviving borrowers or the estate remain responsible for repaying loans.1
The lien does not reach an account where "it is an Individual Retirement Account or similar tax-deferred account," where "the debt is created by a consumer credit transaction under a credit card plan," or where "the debtor's right of withdrawal arises only in a representative capacity."2
- Powers of attorney
Bellco says a power of attorney becomes void at death and cannot be used to settle accounts.1
- Who can get account information
A certified copy of the documentation naming you personal representative entitles you to full account information, including which checks have cleared, even if you are not a joint owner.1
- Wills, probate and small estates
Bellco states that "all funds deposited with Bellco are located in Colorado."1
- What it says about taxes
Bellco says it continues to report to the IRS under the deceased person's Social Security number until the account is closed, and recommends settling accounts as soon as possible.1
Not in Bellco's published guidance1
- How long a claim takes
Sources2
Frequently asked questions
No. Bellco states on its own trust page that it "cannot serve as a Trustee or provide you with legal advice." It opens and holds deposit accounts for trusts, but the fiduciary role goes elsewhere. Bellco names three preferred vendors, each with the disclaimer that "Bellco is not affiliated with nor responsible for the products and services provided by any preferred vendor": Members Trust Company (720-482-2501, https://www.bellco.org/wealth-management/trust-accounts/members-trust-company/), which serves as Trustee, Executor, Agent-for-Trustee, Guardian of the Property, and Conservator and is regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; The Hughes Law Firm (303-423-8423 or 888-776-1066, https://www.bellco.org/wealth-management/trust-accounts/the-hughes-law-firm/), which gives Bellco members four free half-hour consultations a year and 10%-25% off its regular fees on most common legal matters, covering wills, living trusts, probate, guardianships, conservatorships, and trust settlements from offices in Arvada, Aurora, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood, and Southeast Denver; and Trust & Will (https://www.bellco.org/wealth-management/trust-accounts/trust-and-will/) for online wills and trusts. Investment and estate planning advisory services are available at branches through Osaic Institutions, Inc., which is also not affiliated with Bellco.
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. There is a short grace window on checks already written: Bellco's account agreement (Rev. 06/2026) says it "may pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death or adjudication of incompetence for up to ten (10) days after your death or adjudication of incompetence unless ordered to stop payment by someone claiming an interest in the account," and that it may keep honoring items until it both knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge. If a check written before death should not clear, someone claiming an interest in the account must affirmatively order a stop payment inside that window.
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.
Sometimes, and the limits matter. Bellco participates in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP) and provides the stamp free to members, but its published requirements (https://docs.bellco.org/forms/consumer/MedallionSignatureGuaranteeRequirements.pdf) rule out several common estate situations. Each signer must be an owner of the securities and a Bellco member of at least six months in good standing; the security account must be owned by individuals and NOT by a legal entity such as a business or a trust; every person whose signature is guaranteed must attend the appointment in person, and Bellco does not accept an agent under a power of attorney signing on behalf of an owner; and the guarantee is capped at $500,000 per transaction. Bellco will stamp a change of ownership or liquidation of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, savings bonds, and unit investment trusts, but expressly will not stamp a death certificate or court document showing appointment and authority, a trust agreement, a power of attorney, a certificate of deposit, or an IRA holding no securities. Bring two forms of valid unexpired government-issued ID (a Bellco account counts as one), proof of security ownership, and pricing no older than 90 days; review takes up to two business days, or five for complex cases, and Bellco says not to sign anything until instructed. Confirm a guarantor is on staff before booking at https://www.bellco.org/schedule-an-appointment/.
Bellco's Special Account Support can be reached by phone at 1-855-603-1051 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Bellco primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Bellco death claims support
Special Account Support (Bellco Operations Department)
Phone
Mailing address
Website
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