How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Commerce Bank
Covers 6 deposit, 2 retirement, and 2 lending accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
Commerce Bank, 1000 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
Commerce Trust Company
Commerce Trust Company, 1000 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
Death Claims
Contact your local Commerce Bank branch for the appropriate mailing address for estate documents. For mortgage death claims: Commerce Bank Mortgage Corp., 922 Walnut Street, Suite 1100, Mailstop: TB11-CM3, Kansas City, MO 64106.
Estate planning for your Commerce Bank accounts starts with understanding how each one transfers at death. Beneficiary designations and trust retitling both bypass probate, but the right approach depends on the account type, your tax situation, and how much control you want over distributions.
With 10 product types, Commerce Bank offers a range of transfer options. Some accounts support Payable on Death (POD) designations, others can be retitled into a trust, and some require probate if no beneficiary is designated. The sections below break down each step.
- Request to add or update POD (Payable on Death) beneficiary designations
- Provide beneficiary name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship
Special Requirements
- All account owners must agree to beneficiary designation changes on a form acceptable to the bank
- For trust as beneficiary, provide full legal trust name, date of trust, and trustee information
- IRA beneficiary changes may require separate forms through Commerce Financial Advisors
- Under the Deposit Agreement, if two or more POD beneficiaries survive the last account owner they take in equal shares without right of survivorship; a beneficiary who predeceases the owner passes no interest to that beneficiary's heirs or estate
- POD accounts are governed by the law of the account's domicile state; Missouri POD accounts are established under Missouri's nonprobate transfers law
Sources
Data sourced from Commerce Bank primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Commerce Bank instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Commerce Bank primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Commerce Bank, 1000 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
Commerce Trust Company
Commerce Trust Company, 1000 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
Death Claims
Contact your local Commerce Bank branch for the appropriate mailing address for estate documents. For mortgage death claims: Commerce Bank Mortgage Corp., 922 Walnut Street, Suite 1100, Mailstop: TB11-CM3, Kansas City, MO 64106.
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