CrossFirst Bank
Subsidiary of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. (acquired by First Busey Corporation)
busey.comWhat to do when a CrossFirst Bank account holder dies
Report the death to CrossFirst Bank's Busey Customer Care at 1-800-672-8739
CrossFirst Bank merged into BuseyMerged, effective June 2025
CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. was acquired by First Busey Corporation effective March 1, 2025. CrossFirst Bank operated as a separate banking subsidiary until it was merged with and into Busey Bank, effective June 21, 2025 per the FDIC merger record (change code 223, CERT 58648 into CERT 16450). Former CrossFirst banking centers now operate under the Busey Bank brand, and crossfirstbank.com issues a 301 redirect to busey.com. Contact Busey Customer Care at 800.672.8739 for any former CrossFirst account; estate and death-claim procedures are Busey Bank's.
What happens to CrossFirst Bank accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with CrossFirst Bank's Busey Customer Care (1-800-672-8739) to claim the funds.
Begin by calling CrossFirst Bank at 1-800-672-8739. You will need the deceased's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate to get the process started.
Death claim process
The death claim process at CrossFirst Bank works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Ask that the individually owned accounts be restricted
- Ask which banking center holds the accounts and what that banking center requires for your registration type
- If a check the deceased person wrote should not be paid, say so when you report the death
- Direct messages on Busey's verified Facebook or Instagram accounts serve the same purpose
- Do not send identifying documents through these channels
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Proof of authority matching the registration: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration for an estate account, or a certification of trust and successor trustee ID for a trust account
- For a survivorship or payable-on-death claim, nothing beyond the death certificate and your own ID
- Report the death and ask that the individually owned accounts be restricted
- Ask which banking center holds the accounts and what that banking center requires for your registration type
- Report a lost or stolen Busey Debit Mastercard on the same number
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Copy of valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Copies of Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, a small estate affidavit, or the applicable trust documents
- Written instructions for how the funds should be distributed, signed by the authorized claimant
- Claimant contact information and a daytime phone number
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID, for the beneficiary, executor or successor trustee
- Account information for the deceased personAccount numbers, if available.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court, for an account with no beneficiary
- Small estate affidavit, for an account with no beneficiary, where the estate qualifies as a small estate
- Trust agreement or certification of trust showing the successor trustee provisions, for a trust account
- Successor trustee identification and acceptance documentation, for a trust account
- IRA distribution or transfer forms, for an IRA
- Written distribution instructionsSigned by the authorized claimant.
Forms CrossFirst Bank issues1
- Claim and account-closing forms
Provided at a branch.1
What happens to each kind of account7
- Joint account with survivorship
On a multiple-party account with right of survivorship, ownership passes to the surviving party. A certified death certificate removes the deceased person; no probate documents are needed.2
- Payable-on-death account
On a single-party account with a payable-on-death designation, ownership passes to the beneficiaries "and is not part of the party's estate." The beneficiary claims with a certified death certificate and photo ID; no probate documents are needed.2
On a multiple-party account with right of survivorship and a payable-on-death designation, the beneficiaries take only at the death of the last surviving party.2
- Account in one name
On a single-party account, or a tenants-in-common share, ownership "passes as part of the party's estate." Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration or a small estate affidavit are required.2
- Trust account
The successor trustee produces the death certificate, the certification of trust or the trust pages showing the successor trustee provisions, and their own ID.2
- IRA
For a Traditional 18 Month Variable, Roth Savings or IRA CD, the named beneficiary claims on Busey's IRA distribution or transfer forms, not through the deposit payable-on-death process.2
The Roth Savings IRA has grace periods of April 1-15 and October 1-15 only.1
- Certificate of deposit
The early withdrawal penalty is 6 months of interest for terms of 12 months or less and 12 months of interest above that, capped at interest earned in the current term.1
A CD renews automatically at maturity, and funds can be withdrawn without penalty for 10 calendar days after the maturity date.1
- Loan
Mortgages, home equity loans and HELOCs survive the borrower. Notify Busey and stop any further HELOC draws.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersNew Mexico, Texas
- New Mexico
NMSA 1978 § 58-1-8
New Mexico law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on proof the institution accepts, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.NMSA 1978 § 58-1-8Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution
Paid to: the surviving spouse; the surviving next of kin, of the closest degree of lineal consanguinity (in that order)
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
- Texas
Tex. Est. Code § 152.051
Texas law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an order of the court, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Tex. Est. Code § 152.051Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: a funeral home or the applicant, for funeral and burial expenses
Limit: $5,000 in total from every holder
When: the application may be filed "not earlier than the third day after the date of the decedent's death and not later than nine 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.
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Elan Financial Services
Busey-branded Visa credit cards, including the balance of a deceased cardholder1
Phone: 1-866-234-4691
- Busey Wealth Management
Corporate executor, trustee or estate administration agent services, engaged separately3
What CrossFirst Bank's agreement and guidance say4
- Telling the institution
"You agree to notify us promptly if any person with a right to withdraw funds from your account(s) dies." Busey may keep honoring checks and instructions until it knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on it.2
- Payments after the death
Busey may pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death for up to ten days after the death, unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment.2
- Accounts from a merged institution
Former CrossFirst Bank deposit accounts are now Busey Bank accounts governed by the Busey Bank deposit account agreement. There is no separate CrossFirst claims channel.1
- Which state governs the account
The Terms & Conditions carry state-specific ownership and beneficiary sections for Illinois, Florida, Missouri and Indiana, and the general governing-law clause points to Illinois law.2
Former CrossFirst accounts are in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Missouri. Ask the banker which state section Busey applies to the account.2
Not in CrossFirst Bank's published guidance5
- A claim form to download
- A mailing address for claim documents
- How long a claim takes
- Death exception to the CD early withdrawal penalty
- Busey Wealth Management phone line
CrossFirst Bank's Busey Customer Care can be reached by phone at 1-800-672-8739 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from CrossFirst Bank primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
CrossFirst Bank death claims support
Busey Customer Care
Phone
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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