How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at BNY Mellon
Covers 6 investment, 1 deposit, and 3 retirement accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
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
The key to protecting your BNY Mellon accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.
Across 10 product types, BNY Mellon accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Payable on Death (POD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
- BNY Wealth Management clients: log in at login.bnymellonwealth.com and contact your relationship manager to update beneficiary or TOD designations
- BNY Mutual Fund IRA accounts: log in at my.accessportals.com/app/drf/login to update beneficiary designation
- BNY Brokerage accounts: log in at bnybrokerageaccount.netxinvestor.com/nxi/login to access account forms
- Non-IRA mutual fund accounts: complete the Beneficiary Designation Form (digital via Adobe Sign) available at bny.com/investments/us/en/individual/resources/account-access-forms.html
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- TOD registration is not available for Louisiana residents
- For joint accounts, shares transfer to beneficiaries only upon death of the last surviving account owner
- If no beneficiary designation is on file at death, account balance is paid to the deceased's estate and may be subject to probate
- Trust named as IRA beneficiary: additional documentation may be required; contact 1-800-645-6561 or 1-800-843-5466
Sources
Data sourced from BNY Mellon primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these BNY Mellon instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against BNY Mellon primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
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
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