What to do when a Brooklyn Coop account holder dies
Report the death to Brooklyn Coop's Member Services at 1-718-418-8232
After a member of Brooklyn Coop dies, the Member Services 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.
To start a claim, contact Brooklyn Coop by phone at 1-718-418-8232 or email documentation to membership@brooklyn.coop. You will need the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Brooklyn Coop:
Filing a claim
- Full legal name
- Social Security number, and the membership or account number if known
- Date of death
- Bed-Stuy (Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton Street) is closed Wednesdays
- East New York (282 Chestnut Street) is closed Mondays and Tuesdays
- Bushwick (1308 Myrtle Avenue) is open six days
- Joint accounts: the surviving joint holder opens a new Brooklyn Coop account in their own name and the remaining funds are moved over
- Payable-on-death accounts: the beneficiary named on the Membership Application presents a valid picture ID to receive the funds
- Accounts with no beneficiary: provide Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, or a voluntary administration certificate for a small estate, from the Kings County Surrogate's Court
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID, for each claimant, the person handling the account, or the named payable-on-death beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if the estate controls the accountFrom the Kings County Surrogate's Court.
- Voluntary administration (small estate) certificate, for a small estate, in place of full administrationFrom the Kings County Surrogate's Court.
- Trust agreement or certification of trust, and the trust's Tax ID Number, if a trust owns the account
What happens to each kind of account3
- Joint account with survivorship
If the account has a joint holder, "the joint member will be instructed to open a new account." The deceased member's account is not retitled to the survivor.1
The surviving joint holder opens a new account in their own name after presenting the death certificate, and the remaining funds are moved over.2
- Payable-on-death account
On an account without a joint holder with rights of survivorship, "the remaining funds will be dispensed to the beneficiary listed in the Membership Application. The beneficiary must show a valid picture ID to receive these funds."1
- Account in one name
"If no beneficiary is listed in the Membership Application, the account will fall under the control of the deceased member's estate."1
State law on paying a balance without lettersNew York
- New York
N.Y. SCPA § 1310
New York law permits a credit union to pay from a deceased member's balance on an affidavit made under oath, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.N.Y. SCPA § 1310Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: surviving spouse
Limit: $30,000 in total from every holder
When: forthwith
Paid to: surviving spouse, children eighteen or older, either parent, brother or sister, niece or nephew, or at their request a creditor or the person who paid the funeral expense
Limit: $15,000 in total from every holder
When: not less than thirty days after the death
Paid to: a distributee, a creditor, or the person who paid the funeral expenses
Limit: $5,000 held at the institution and $5,000 in total from every holder
When: not less than 6 months after the death
The section permits the payment. It does not require the credit union to make it. The section sets further conditions.
What Brooklyn Coop provides to the estate1
- Statement copies
On the July 2026 fee schedule a printout of account history is $2 and a reprint of official statements is $10.3
What Brooklyn Coop's agreement and guidance say5
- What it does when notified
"In the event of the death of a member, the credit union will stop all transactions on the account when notified of the member's death."1
- Payments after the death
"The credit union will validate all transactions that happened prior to the member's death, even if they are completed afterwards."1
- Membership
Being named a joint owner does not make someone a member: each member must buy and keep at least one share in an account naming them as sole or primary owner. This is why a surviving joint holder joins in their own right (section I-9).1
The par share frozen in the member's account is returned when the regular share account is closed (section I-4).1
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
Under section II-7 an inactivity fee applies after 1 year of no account activity, $15 per month on the July 2026 fee schedule. "After three years of inactivity, the account is considered abandoned, and the account balance escheated to New York State as per New York State law."1, 3
- Fees
On the July 2026 fee schedule a cashier's check is $7.50 and a money order is $2.00. Notary service, if the Surrogate's Court paperwork needs it, is $2.3
Not in Brooklyn Coop's published guidance3
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A claim form
- An online way to report a death
Sources3
- 1.Membership Agreement, June 2025
- 2.Contact Us
- 3.Our Fees, July 2026
A named payable-on-death beneficiary with a valid picture ID can typically be paid within several business days.
Brooklyn Coop's Member Services can be reached by phone at 1-718-418-8232 and email at membership@brooklyn.coop for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(1)·
Data sourced from Brooklyn Coop primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Brooklyn Coop death claims support
Member Services (deceased-member accounts)
Phone
Mailing address
Website
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