What to do when a D.A. Davidson account holder dies
Contact D.A. Davidson's D.A. Davidson Trust Company — 6-step process, 8 required documents, and varies by complexity. tod claims may process in days to weeks. full probate estates can take several months.
Phone1-406-727-4200
Toll-Free1-800-332-5915
Mailing Address
8 Third Street North, Great Falls, MT 59401
WebsiteLearn more→
D.A. Davidson Trust Company
Phone1-406-791-7320
Toll-Free1-800-332-5915
Mailing Address
D.A. Davidson Trust Company, 8 Third Street North, Suite 200, Great Falls, MT 59401
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Settlement / Death Claims (handled via decedent's D.A. Davidson financial advisor or D.A. Davidson Trust Company)
Phone1-406-727-4200
Toll-Free1-800-332-5915
Emailinfo@dadavidson.com
Fax1-406-727-1485
Mailing Address
D.A. Davidson & Co., Attn: Estate Settlement, 8 Third Street North, Great Falls, MT 59401
Verified Jul 2026
When a D.A. Davidson account holder passes away, the next step depends on how the investment accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with D.A. Davidson's D.A. Davidson Trust Company (1-406-727-4200) to access and distribute the funds.
Gather the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any known account or policy numbers before contacting D.A. Davidson. A certified death certificate is the primary document required to start any claim.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what D.A. Davidson requires:
Filing a claim
1
Notify D.A. Davidson of the death:
- Contact the decedent's D.A. Davidson financial advisor or local branch office
- If advisor is unknown, call customer service at (800) 332-5915
- Reference D.A. Davidson's "What to Do Upon the Loss of a Loved One" guide at https://www.dadavidson.com/Portals/0/Trust/PDFs/What_to_Do_Loss_of_Loved_One_2024.pdf
2
Advisor freezes the account and initiates the estate settlement process
3
Gather and submit required documents to the advisor:
- Certified death certificates (multiple copies recommended)
- Government-issued ID for executor, trustee, or claimant
- Estate documents (will, trust, or court documentation as applicable)
4
Claim process depends on account type:
- For TOD accounts: beneficiary presents death certificate and government ID to claim assets without probate
- For probate accounts: submit Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration and court documentation
- Estate account may be opened if needed (requires estate EIN)
5
If D.A. Davidson Trust Company is named as trustee or executor, their trust officers manage the settlement process
6
Assets distributed per will, trust, or beneficiary designations
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate (multiple copies)
- Government-issued ID for executor, trustee, or claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate)
- Copy of the will or trust document (if applicable)
- D.A. Davidson estate/claim forms (provided by advisor)
- Estate EIN (if opening estate account)
- Inherited IRA application (for IRA beneficiaries)
- Inheritance tax waiver (required by certain states)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Contact the decedent's financial advisor first. If unknown, call main customer service at (800) 332-5915. D.A. Davidson Trust Company can serve as executor or trustee when named in estate documents. For TOD accounts, assets transfer directly to named beneficiaries without probate. D.A. Davidson publishes a "What to Do Upon the Loss of a Loved One" guide available at their website.
Prepare your letter of instruction to D.A. Davidson
D.A. Davidson asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist D.A. Davidson requires.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at D.A. Davidson: Varies by complexity. TOD claims may process in days to weeks. Full probate estates can take several months. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Documentation required by D.A. Davidson includes Certified death certificate (multiple copies), Government-issued ID for executor, trustee, or claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but D.A. Davidson is advisor-led -- there is no self-service online retitling. Individual and joint brokerage accounts, the DADVANTAGE account, and advisory accounts can be retitled to a revocable living trust by contacting your assigned financial advisor. You will need a certified copy of your trust agreement (or Certificate of Trust), government-issued ID for all trustees, and the trust tax identification number. D.A. Davidson notes that account titling has a substantial impact on asset control and transfer at death.
Contact the decedent's D.A. Davidson financial advisor first -- the advisor (not a centralized estate department) drives the claim. If the advisor is not known, call (800) 332-5915 and request to be routed to the decedent's branch office. The advisor will freeze the account, request certified death certificates and estate documentation (will, trust, or Letters Testamentary as applicable), and walk through the claim process. D.A. Davidson publishes a "What to Do Upon the Loss of a Loved One" guide at https://www.dadavidson.com/Portals/0/Trust/PDFs/What_to_Do_Loss_of_Loved_One_2024.pdf.
For brokerage and DADVANTAGE accounts with a Transfer on Death (TOD) Agreement on file, named beneficiaries claim assets directly by presenting a certified death certificate and government-issued photo ID to the D.A. Davidson financial advisor. TOD designations bypass probate and supersede any conflicting will provisions for that account. Beneficiaries can typically open an inherited account at D.A. Davidson or transfer the assets in-kind to another firm. D.A. Davidson does not publish downloadable TOD forms -- all changes route through your advisor.
D.A. Davidson's Estate Settlement / Death Claims (handled via decedent's D.A. Davidson financial advisor or D.A. Davidson Trust Company) can be reached by phone at 1-800-332-5915, email at info@dadavidson.com, and fax at 1-406-727-1485 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple D.A. Davidson investment accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The D.A. Davidson Trust Company can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from D.A. Davidson primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Phone1-406-727-4200
Toll-Free1-800-332-5915
Mailing Address
8 Third Street North, Great Falls, MT 59401
WebsiteLearn more→
D.A. Davidson Trust Company
Phone1-406-791-7320
Toll-Free1-800-332-5915
Mailing Address
D.A. Davidson Trust Company, 8 Third Street North, Suite 200, Great Falls, MT 59401
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Settlement / Death Claims (handled via decedent's D.A. Davidson financial advisor or D.A. Davidson Trust Company)
Phone1-406-727-4200
Toll-Free1-800-332-5915
Emailinfo@dadavidson.com
Fax1-406-727-1485
Mailing Address
D.A. Davidson & Co., Attn: Estate Settlement, 8 Third Street North, Great Falls, MT 59401
Verified Jul 2026
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