What to do when a ConnectOne account holder dies
Report the death to ConnectOne's Client Connections Center at 1-844-266-2548
After an account holder at ConnectOne 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 ConnectOne's Client Connections Center at 1-844-266-2548 with the proper legal authority documents.
Death claim process
The death claim process at ConnectOne works as follows:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if there is no payable-on-death beneficiary, trust or surviving joint owner
- Trust agreement or Certification of Trust, if the account is held in trustThe successor trustee presents it with the death certificate.
- New York Certificate of Voluntary Administration, for a New York small estate, in place of full LettersBring the certificate itself rather than a photocopy.
- New Jersey Surrogate's small-estate affidavit, for a New Jersey small estate passing to a surviving spouse or partner, or to an heir with the written consent of the remaining heirsA Surrogate-certified true copy, not your own photocopy.
- New Jersey Form L-8, Affidavit for Non-Real Estate Investments: Resident Decedents, if the deceased person lived in New JerseyHanded to the banking office. Where Form L-8 cannot be used, a Form 0-1 waiver issued by the NJ Division of Taxation.
- Written notice signed by all parties named on a joint account, if the account has been frozen on one party's written notice
- Any claim or distribution forms ConnectOne provides
What happens to each kind of account6
- Payable-on-death account
Under Section 14, an In Trust For / Payable on Death beneficiary may withdraw only once all owners have died and the beneficiary is living, and takes only what remains "after all of the trustee's(s') outstanding debits and items have been paid."1
Two or more surviving beneficiaries own the account in equal shares without right of survivorship.1
- Joint account with survivorship
Under Section 13, where one owner survives, the entire account belongs to the survivor. Where two or more survive, each keeps their proportionate share and the deceased owner's portion is shared equally by the survivors.1
- Joint account without survivorship
Under Section 13, the death has no effect on ownership other than to transfer the deceased owner's rights to their estate. Where two or more owners survive, the account stays a joint account without right of survivorship.1
- Account in one name
Under Section 11, an individual account passes as part of the owner's estate.1
Accounts that fall to the estate wait on Letters or on a New Jersey or New York small-estate filing.2
- Trust account
The successor trustee presents the trust agreement or a Certification of Trust with the death certificate.2
- Certificate of deposit
The Truth in Savings disclosure honors an early withdrawal from a Time Deposit without penalty when an account holder dies or is judicially declared mentally incompetent. On a term of 24 months or more, that waiver is worth up to 360 days of interest.3
State requirements ConnectOne statesNew Jersey
- New Jersey
Section 9 of ConnectOne's agreement states that on the death of any person named on the account, "funds will be subject to the procedures set forth in New Jersey's estate tax statutes."1
State law on paying a balance without lettersFlorida, New York
- Florida
Fla. Stat. § 735.303
Florida law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit made under oath, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Fla. Stat. § 735.303Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: family member (surviving spouse; else adult child; else adult descendant; else parent)
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution and $2,000 in total from every holder
When: not earlier than 6 months after the date of the decedent’s death
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
- New York
N.Y. SCPA § 1310
New York law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor'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 bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
What ConnectOne's agreement and guidance say6
- Telling the institution
Section 28 of the Deposit Account Agreement says "You are responsible for notifying us of... the death of an account holder," and that a notice "is not effective until we have received it and have a reasonable opportunity to act on it."1
Under Section 57, neither death nor an adjudication of incompetence revokes the bank's authority to accept, pay or collect items until it knows of the death and has a reasonable opportunity to act.1
- Payments after the death
Even once it knows of the death, ConnectOne "may for 10 days after the date of death, pay checks drawn on or before the date of death unless ordered to stop payment by a person claiming an interest in the account."1
- Disputes between claimants
Section 12 lets ConnectOne freeze a joint account on written notice from any person named on it, and the freeze can hold "until we receive written notice, signed by all parties named in the account, as to the disposition of funds."1
- Wills, probate and small estates
Section 12 states that ownership of a joint account cannot be changed by will. It fixes ownership by net contribution, with equal shares presumed only in the absence of proof.1
- Debts owed to the institution
Section 4 gives ConnectOne a right of set-off and a security interest in the deposit accounts. Where an account is joint, it "may offset funds for the debt of any one of the joint owners," and it may use a joint owner's individual account to pay debts on the joint account.1
- Which state governs the account
Section 10 of the agreement places multiple-party, trust and payable-on-death accounts under New Jersey's Multiple Party Deposit Account Act.1
Not in ConnectOne's published guidance4
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form
- How long a claim takes
ConnectOne's Client Connections Center can be reached by phone at 1-844-266-2548 and email at support@cnob.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Show 2 more sourcesShow fewer sources
Data sourced from ConnectOne primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
ConnectOne death claims support
Client Connections Center
Phone
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your ConnectOne accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.
Do I Need Probate?
Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax, and inheritance tax for an estate.
