Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Citizens Business Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
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Contact Citizens Business Bank's CitizensTrust Wealth Management — 6-step process, 6 required documents, and varies based on account type, documentation completeness, and whether probate is required. accounts with pod beneficiaries or trust titling are generally processed faster than accounts requiring probate.
CitizensTrust Wealth Management
701 N Haven Avenue, Ontario, CA 91764
Client Services
701 N Haven Avenue, Ontario, CA 91764
After a Citizens Business Bank account holder dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Citizens Business Bank's CitizensTrust Wealth Management at 1-888-228-2265 with the proper legal authority documents.
Gather the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any known account or policy numbers before contacting Citizens Business Bank. A certified death certificate is the primary document required to start any claim.
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Citizens Business Bank:
Citizens Business Bank operates only in California. For CitizensTrust wealth management accounts, the estate settlement process is handled by the CitizensTrust trust administration team, which provides comprehensive estate settlement services including asset collection, tax filing, and beneficiary distributions.
Processing timelines at Citizens Business Bank: Varies based on account type, documentation completeness, and whether probate is required. Accounts with POD beneficiaries or trust titling are generally processed faster than accounts requiring probate. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Documentation required by Citizens Business Bank includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate is required), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Visit a Business Financial Center with your government-issued photo ID. Provide the beneficiary details including full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship. Specify percentage allocations if naming multiple beneficiaries. Review and sign the POD (Payable on Death) designation form with a banker. You can also call Client Services at 1-888-228-2265 to begin the process. Trusts can be named as POD beneficiaries.
Contact Client Services at 1-888-228-2265 or visit a Business Financial Center. Bring a certified copy of the death certificate and your government-issued photo ID. For POD accounts, the named beneficiary can claim funds with a death certificate and ID. For trust-titled accounts, the successor trustee presents the trust agreement, death certificate, and ID. For non-POD, non-trust accounts, the estate representative provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. A Small Estate Affidavit may be accepted under California Probate Code Section 13100 for qualifying estates.
Citizens Business Bank's Client Services can be reached by phone at 1-888-228-2265 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Citizens Business Bank accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the CitizensTrust Wealth Management to confirm what applies.
CitizensTrust Wealth Management
701 N Haven Avenue, Ontario, CA 91764
Client Services
701 N Haven Avenue, Ontario, CA 91764
Learn how to protect your Citizens Business Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Learn how to protect your Citizens Business Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
