What to do when a Desert Financial account holder dies
Report the death to Desert Financial's Member Services at 1-800-456-9171
After a member of Desert Financial dies, the Member Services manages the transfer of accounts. POD-designated and trust-owned accounts pass directly to beneficiaries. Accounts held solely in the member's name may require probate court documents—Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration—before funds can be released.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Desert Financial:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID of the claimant
- Claimant's Social Security number
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, where no survivorship, POD, or beneficiary designation applies and probate is requiredIssued by the Arizona probate court.
- Arizona small estate affidavit, where no personal representative has been appointed and the estate qualifies
- Trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, and the trustee's ID, if the account is held in trust or a trust is the beneficiary
- Written notice of the deathEnds the Credit Union's authority to follow a former agent or attorney-in-fact.
- Proof of relationship to the deceased, if requested
What happens to each kind of account6
- Joint account with survivorship
The surviving joint tenant takes the whole account by right of survivorship, "subject to Credit Union's right to offset and security interest."1
- Payable-on-death account
The funds are payable to all surviving POD beneficiaries only on the death of the last surviving account owner. Business accounts, organization accounts and IRAs cannot carry a POD.1
The Credit Union "is under no obligation to notify any POD beneficiary of the existence of a POD account or the vesting of the funds."1
- Trust account
The successor trustee provides the trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, the death certificate and the trustee's ID. The Credit Union may review the trust document.1
- IRA
An IRA cannot carry a POD designation. The beneficiary named in the IRA beneficiary designation on file claims directly.1
- Custodial account (UTMA/UGMA)
The custodian of an Arizona UTMA account must notify the Credit Union in writing immediately on the death of the minor.1
- Certificate of deposit
On the death of the primary owner, a Savings Certificate or College Savings Certificate must be closed by the first day of the quarter after the quarter in which the death occurs or in which the Credit Union is notified of it.1
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- Raymond James Financial Services
Desert Financial Wealth Management accounts, including beneficiary and date-of-death transfers (option 1)2
Phone: 1-602-336-5531
What Desert Financial's agreement and guidance say6
- Who can get account information
The Credit Union verifies the claimant's authority before releasing information or funds.2
- Debts owed to the institution
Any loan balance is settled first. Desert Financial has a statutory lien on all share accounts and the right to offset amounts owed to it against any account the member maintains.1
- Disputes between claimants
If heirs disagree about who is entitled to an account, the Credit Union may place a temporary, reasonable hold to investigate the dispute over ownership.1
Where there is a dispute between owners or an adverse claim against the account, it may refuse withdrawals and "may require a court order before it permits any account owner from withdrawing funds."1
- Holds and legal process
The Credit Union may require 7 to 60 days' written notice of intent to withdraw from a savings account. Checking funds may be withdrawn without notice.1
- Powers of attorney
The Credit Union is not required to recognize an outside power of attorney and may require its own Special Durable Power of Attorney form.1
It may keep recognizing an attorney-in-fact "until it receives written notice of revocation or termination and has had a reasonable time to act upon it."1
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
Abandoned funds are remitted to the state under the escheat law, with notice sent to the last known address on file.1
Not in Desert Financial's published guidance3
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A claim form
- How long a claim takes
Sources2
- 1.Statements of Terms, Conditions and Disclosures, Rev. 05/12/2026
- 2.Contact
Desert Financial's Member Services can be reached by phone at 1-800-456-9171 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Desert Financial primary sources (22 pages reviewed). How we research.
Desert Financial death claims support
Member Services
Phone
Toll-free
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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