What to do when a Burke & Herbert Bank account holder dies

An individual account belongs to its named owner, and at the owner's death it passes as part of the owner's estate.¹

At a joint owner's death the balance belongs to the surviving owners. It stays a joint account while two or more survive and becomes an individual account when one is left.¹

The named beneficiaries take the account only after every owner has died, in equal shares unless the designation says otherwise. If none survives, the account stays with the surviving owners.¹

Estate and fiduciary accounts are not eligible for the bank's Overdraft Privilege Service.¹

Anyone with access to a box must tell the bank of another box holder's death before opening it. The bank may refuse access at a renter's death and hold back the contents until it has satisfactory evidence of the estate representative's authority.¹

Written requests and error notices on Burke & Herbert Bank residential mortgage loans²

Burke & Herbert Bank credit card accounts²

Trusts and estates the bank administers, and distributions to their beneficiaries³

On notice of an owner's death or incapacity, the bank may freeze the account until it has received the documentation needed to decide who should be paid.¹

The bank may keep paying and collecting items until it knows of the death. For 10 days after the date of death it may pay checks written on or before that date unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders a stop.¹

If an owner owes the bank a debt that has come due, the bank may take it from the owner's accounts. On a joint account it may set off for the debt of any one owner.¹

A surviving owner or beneficiary agrees to hold the bank harmless for paying out funds as the agreement and the account designations direct.¹

An authorized signer on the account has no rights at the owner's death, and the death of the sole or last owner ends the signer's authority. The bank may rely on the signer until it has proper notice and a reasonable time to act.¹

A checking account with no activity for 366 days, or a certificate of deposit with none for 1,460 days, is charged a $5 dormant account fee each month. Once a balance is turned over to the state, the bank is no longer responsible for it.¹

The consumer deposit account agreement states that it is governed by the laws of Virginia, except where federal law controls.¹

LINKBANK accounts moved to Burke & Herbert Bank on June 15, 2026, and kept their account numbers unless the bank notified the owner otherwise. Converted accounts can be served at any Burke & Herbert Bank branch.^{4, 1}