What to do when a Blue FCU account holder dies
Report the death to Blue FCU's Member Support at 1-800-368-9328
When a member of Blue FCU passes away, the Member Support handles the transition of accounts to beneficiaries or the estate. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate, while solely-owned accounts may require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court.
Claims can be filed by phone (1-800-368-9328) or by emailing documentation to support@bluefcu.com. Before reaching out, gather the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Blue FCU:
Filing a claim
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- A Wyoming small-estate affidavit certified by the county clerk
- Colorado form JDF 999
- Trust documentation
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo identification, for each beneficiary, successor, or personal representative making the claim
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, where the account has no payable-on-death designation and no surviving joint owner
- Wyoming small-estate affidavit, or a decree of summary distribution, for a Wyoming decedent's small estateThe affidavit is filed with the county clerk, and a certified copy is presented to Blue.
- Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (Colorado form JDF 999), for a Colorado decedent's small estate
- Trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, and trustee identification, where a trust is the payable-on-death beneficiary or the account is titled to a trust
- Written stop-payment instruction, if outstanding checks should not be paid during the ten days after the death
- Indemnification agreement, if Blue requires one as a condition of honoring the claim
Forms Blue FCU issues1
- IRA beneficiary claim and distribution paperwork
Sent by the institution on request.1
What happens to each kind of account6
- Account in one name
With no payable-on-death designation, "the interest passes, subject to applicable law, to the account owner's estate," and the personal representative presents Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.1
- Joint account with survivorship
Joint accounts carry rights of survivorship by default: "when one owner dies, all sums in the account will pass to the surviving owner(s)." The survivor's interest remains subject to Blue's statutory lien for the deceased owner's obligations.2
A surviving joint owner generally has uninterrupted access.1
- Joint account without survivorship
Where the Account Card or the online application documented a joint account without survivorship, "the deceased owner's interest passes to his or her estate."1
- Payable-on-death account
On the death of the last owner the account is "payable to all surviving POD or trust beneficiaries/payees," who take jointly in equal shares without rights of survivorship unless state law provides otherwise. The designation does not apply to IRAs.2
Each share in a membership may carry its own payable-on-death designation. Payment to a beneficiary moves once the death certificate and the claimant's identification are verified.1
- IRA
An IRA passes under its own beneficiary designation; a payable-on-death or trust designation on a share account does not reach it.2
The beneficiary provides a certified death certificate and completes IRA distribution paperwork.1
- Certificate of deposit
The 24-Month Market Index Term Share carries an early-withdrawal penalty equal to 730 days of dividends.1
What Blue FCU's agreement and guidance say5
- Telling the institution
Blue "may honor all transfer orders, withdrawals, deposits, and other transactions on an account until we know of a member's death or adjudication of incompetence."2
- Payments after the death
Even after notice of death, Blue "may continue to pay checks or drafts drawn on the deceased member's account for a period of ten days after the member's death unless we receive instructions from any person claiming an interest in the account to stop payment on the checks or drafts."2
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
"To the extent permitted by law, we may require anyone claiming funds from a deceased owner's account to indemnify us for any losses we sustain if we honor that claim."2
- Debts owed to the institution
Blue's statutory lien and the member's pledge let it "apply the balance of all your accounts to any obligation on which you are in default." The lien does not reach an IRA or any other account that would lose special tax treatment if given as security.2
- Membership
Withdrawing the $5 membership share and closing all accounts ends the membership. The agreement "will be binding upon any heirs or legal representatives of any account owner."2
Not in Blue FCU's published guidance6
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form to download
- A fax number for claim documents
- A mailing address for claim documents
- Beneficiary designation form
Sources2
Blue FCU's Member Support can be reached by phone at 1-800-368-9328 and email at support@bluefcu.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Blue FCU primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Blue FCU death claims support
Member Support
Phone
Outside the USA (call collect)
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
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What Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies?
See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
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What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
