Preparing your Bellco accounts for estate transfer involves two key steps: designating beneficiaries on each account and, where appropriate, retitling accounts into a trust. Because Bellco is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership bypass probate entirely.

With 17 product types, Bellco offers a range of transfer options. Some accounts support Payable on Death (POD) designations, others can be retitled into a trust, and some require probate if no beneficiary is designated. The sections below break down each step.

Bellco Free CheckingBellco Boost Interest CheckingBellco Platinum CheckingBellco SavingsBellco Premier Money MarketBellco Traditional Certificate of DepositBellco Smart Move CDBellco Jumbo CDBellco Student CheckingBellco Youth CDBellco Health Savings Account (HSA)Bellco HSA CD

1Visit any Bellco branch with government-issued photo ID

2Request a Payable on Death (POD) beneficiary designation update for your account(s)

3Provide beneficiary information: full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship

4Specify primary and contingent beneficiaries with percentage allocations

5Complete and sign the beneficiary designation form

Required Documents

Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)

Special Requirements

POD (Payable on Death) available for deposit accounts (checking, savings, money market, CDs)
Funds with a POD designation pass directly to beneficiaries and are not part of the estate
Joint accounts with right of survivorship pass to the surviving owner(s)
IRA beneficiary designations are separate from deposit account POD designations
Bellco reserves the right to refuse some forms of ownership and beneficiary designations unless otherwise prohibited by law
Beneficiary contact information should be kept current; contact Bellco Operations Department to update mailing or email addresses