Estate planning at BNY Mellon
How to protect 10 BNY Mellon accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through BNY Mellon's BNY Wealth Trust & Estate Services
Brand change
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation unified its public brand to "BNY" in June 2024. The consumer wealth division, formerly BNY Mellon Wealth Management, now operates as BNY Wealth; the RIA/broker-dealer custody arm, formerly BNY Mellon Pershing, is now BNY Pershing. Same legal entity — the file id and slug retain "bny-mellon" so legacy links resolve. Effective June 2024.
The procedures below reflect BNY Mellon's accounts. Account servicing may transfer as the change takes effect.
BNY Wealth / BNY Investments Client Services
240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286
BNY Wealth Estate Settlement / BNY Investments Client Services
BNY Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 534434, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4434; BNY Brokerage Services, 144 Glenn Curtiss Blvd, 9th Floor, Uniondale, NY 11556
How your BNY Mellon accounts transfer at death depends on how each one is titled and whether a beneficiary is on file. Of those, 10 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Getting these details right keeps assets out of probate and ensures they reach the intended recipients.
Beneficiary designations at BNY Mellon can be managed online, by mail, and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
There are two sides to estate planning at BNY Mellon: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and review 10 account types at BNY Mellon.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact BNY Mellon's BNY Wealth Trust & Estate Services to file a claim. 5-step process, 9 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →For questions about any of these procedures, contact BNY Mellon's BNY Wealth Trust & Estate Services at 1-800-610-8229.
Frequently asked questions
BNY is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, founded in 1784, and operates multiple distinct divisions. BNY Wealth provides private wealth management, trust administration, estate planning, and private banking for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families ($339 billion in total private client assets as of 3/31/2026). BNY Investments serves retail and institutional investors with mutual funds, brokerage accounts, ETFs, and annuities. BNY Pershing provides clearing and custody services used by broker-dealers and registered investment advisors. If you hold accounts through a financial advisor, those are likely custodied through Pershing.
Yes. BNY Wealth is one of the nation's oldest professional trustee services, with over 200 years of trust administration experience. BNY Wealth can serve as professional trustee, directed trustee, or custodian for revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, testamentary trusts, dynasty trusts, directed trusts, asset protection trusts, GRATs, generation-skipping trusts, and marital trusts. Delaware trust structures are available for favorable tax treatment (Delaware does not tax accumulated income and capital gains in trusts with non-resident beneficiaries). For investors using BNY Investments (mutual fund or brokerage accounts), trust titling is also available at lower minimums.
BNY Wealth has specialized expertise in a broad range of trust structures used in estate planning: revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, dynasty trusts, directed trusts, asset protection trusts, Delaware statutory trusts, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs), Generation Skipping Trusts (GSTs), marital (QTIP) trusts, and testamentary trusts. The firm also offers estate settlement services and can coordinate tax preparation, investment management, custody, and distribution on behalf of estate beneficiaries. BNY Wealth reports a 96% overall client satisfaction rating.
BNY Wealth is structured for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. The firm applies a minimum annual advisory fee of $25,000, making it best suited for clients with significant investable assets. For investors who want access to BNY-family investment products without the full wealth management engagement, BNY Investments offers mutual fund accounts (no stated minimum), brokerage accounts ($10,000 minimum for non-IRA), and the BNY Managed Asset Program (starting at $25,000).
Yes. BNY allows a trust to be named as beneficiary of Traditional, Roth, and Rollover IRAs. Additional documentation may be required when a trust is the named beneficiary. IRA accounts themselves cannot be retitled to a trust -- only beneficiary designations are available. Contact BNY Investments at 1-800-645-6561 (mutual fund IRAs) or 1-800-843-5466 (brokerage IRAs) for details.
Active Wealth is BNY Wealth's integrated advisory approach that coordinates investing, tax planning, estate planning, banking, and lending into one cohesive strategy. BNY Wealth reports $339 billion in total private client assets as of 3/31/2026. The framework is designed for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, with a minimum annual advisory fee of $25,000.
Sources
Data sourced from BNY Mellon primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
BNY Wealth / BNY Investments Client Services
240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286
BNY Wealth Estate Settlement / BNY Investments Client Services
BNY Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 534434, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4434; BNY Brokerage Services, 144 Glenn Curtiss Blvd, 9th Floor, Uniondale, NY 11556
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your BNY Mellon accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
