What to do when a Citadel account holder dies
Report the death to Citadel's Survivor Support at 1-800-666-0191
When a member of Citadel passes away, the Survivor 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.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Citadel requires:
Filing a claim
- Submit the Contact Request Form on that page. Citadel calls this "the fastest way to connect with a dedicated Citadel Survivor Support Specialist" and follows up within 24-48 business hours
- Visit any Citadel branch
- Speak with a Video Chat Specialist through Citadel Video Connect
- An original death certificate
- The original Short Certificate or a Letter of Administration
- An EIN issued by the IRS, obtainable through the IRS.gov EIN online application, by phone at 800-829-4933, or by fax to 631-687-3995 using Form SS-4
- First and last name of the deceased (required)
- Date of death (required)
- First and last name of the informant (required)
- Preferred method of contact, email or phone (required)
- Preferred day or time for contact
- Informant phone number and email (both required)
- Which documents you already have: Death Certificate, Short Certificate, Funeral Bill, or Other (required)
- Citadel
- Attention: Survivor Support
- 520 Eagleview Blvd
- Exton, PA 19341
Required Documents
- Original death certificate, required in most cases to beginCitadel will return originals on request.
- Copy of the paid funeral bill, for an account in one name with a date-of-death balance of $20,000.00 or less
- Original Short Certificate or Letters of Administration, for an account in one name over $20,000.00 or with no payable-on-death beneficiary, and for every estate accountFrom the deceased person's county Register of Wills office.
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Deceased person's date of birth, Social Security number and account number
- Updated Certification of Trust, for a trust accountThe trustees also provide an original death certificate.
- EIN issued by the IRS, to open an estate accountObtainable through the IRS.gov EIN online application, by phone at 800-829-4933, or by fax to 631-687-3995 using Form SS-4.
- Additional documentation depending on the account type, for a business or non-personal account, with an original death certificate
Forms Citadel issues1
- Contact Request Form
Completed by the person reporting the death. Completed online.1
What happens to each kind of account9
- Account in one name
An account in one name with no payable-on-death beneficiary passes to the estate and needs the Short Certificate or Letters of Administration.1
- Joint account with survivorship
Checks can still be written. If the surviving joint owner is not the legal spouse, the account must be closed for accurate tax reporting and the survivor opens a new account in their own name.1
- Payable-on-death account
Citadel pays the beneficiaries of record in equal shares unless the owner designated otherwise.1
- Trust account
The trustees provide an original death certificate and an updated Certification of Trust. Checks can still be written.1
- Certificate of deposit
Certificates are redeemed without penalty, except those held jointly with a spouse.1
- IRA
Citadel starts the paperwork and forwards it to Ascensus, which then handles everything with the named beneficiaries on its own timetable. IRAs are processed separately from the deposit accounts, and verification of beneficiary information may be requested.1
- Investment account
Investment accounts held through Citadel Wealth Management (Cetera Investment Services) are settled by Cetera, not by Survivor Support, and are reported separately.1
- Credit card
Every debit and credit card in the deceased person's name is closed and cannot be reissued. A credit card co-borrower must reapply in their own name, and an authorized user's card is closed.1
- Loan
Every loan goes to Citadel's Collections Department, on that department's own timetable. Co-borrowers, executors and administrators "may only receive loan information".1
State requirements Citadel statesPennsylvania
- Pennsylvania
Citadel says that on a joint account, Pennsylvania inheritance tax is reported for Pennsylvania residents who are not the spouse where the account balance was over $300.00.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersNew York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
- 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.
- Pennsylvania
20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(b)
Pennsylvania law directs a credit union to pay from a deceased member's balance on an affidavit, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(b)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $20,000 held at the institution
When: at any time after the death of a depositor, member or certificate holder
Paid to: the spouse; any child; the father or mother; any sister or brother
The section sets further conditions.
- West Virginia
W. Va. Code § 44-1-28(c), (d)
West Virginia law permits a credit union to pay from a deceased member's balance on an affidavit, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.W. Va. Code § 44-1-28(c), (d)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $5,000 per account
When: 120 days after the death
Paid to: the decedent’s surviving spouse, if any; if no spouse survived the decedent, the distributees of the decedent under the laws of the State of West Virginia, as established by an affidavit to that effect (in that order)
The section permits the payment. It does not require the credit union to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere3
- Citadel Collections Department
Every loan of a deceased member1
Phone: 1-866-739-0070
- Citadel Wealth Management (Cetera Investment Services)
Investment accounts, which Cetera settles1
Phone: 1-610-380-6000
- Ascensus
IRAs, after Citadel starts the paperwork1
What Citadel's agreement and guidance say5
- What it does when notified
For some account types, Citadel places the funds on deposit on hold "to protect your loved one's assets."1
- Online access
Citadel deactivates the deceased person's Online Banking and Bill Payer. On a joint account, the deceased person's billers can be moved only to a spouse's Bill Payer, on request.1
- Deposits after the death
Checks payable to the deceased person may be deposited only up to ten days after the date of death; after that they must go to an estate account. Any check payable to the estate must go to a separate estate account.1
Automatic U.S. Treasury deposits made after the date of death are subject to hold and return: Social Security Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Railroad Pension and Black Lung deposits.1
- Payments after the death
Checks the deceased person wrote before death may clear the account for ten days after the date of death.1
- Powers of attorney
A power of attorney no longer applies once the owner has died.1
Not in Citadel's published guidance2
- A fax number for claim documents
- A claim form
Sources1
Citadel's Survivor Support can be reached by phone at 1-800-666-0191 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Citadel primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Citadel death claims support
Survivor Support
Phone
Toll-free
Collections Department (loans)
Citadel Wealth Management (investment accounts)
Mailing address
Website
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