What to do when a Dow CU account holder dies
Contact Dow CU — 6-step process, 7 required documents, and pod and joint accounts typically process within 5-10 business days after all documents are received. trust accounts process once the successor trustee's authority is verified. probate-dependent accounts wait on the michigan probate court issuing letters of authority, or on the 28-day waiting period for an mcl 700.3983 affidavit.
Member Contact Center
Dow Credit Union, P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649
Member Contact Center
Dow Credit Union, P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649
Member Services - Deceased Member Accounts
Dow Credit Union, P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649
When a member of Dow CU passes away, the Member Services - Deceased Member Accounts handles the transition of accounts to beneficiaries or the estate. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate, while solely-owned accounts may require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court.
Death claims at Dow CU can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Dow CU requires:
Filing a claim
- POD (Payable on Death) accounts: the designation pays out only when the LAST account owner dies. Surviving beneficiaries present a certified death certificate and a government-issued photo ID matching the designation. Where more than one beneficiary survives, the Account Agreement treats them as owning the funds jointly with rights of survivorship
- Joint accounts: Dow CU joint accounts are joint tenancies with rights of survivorship, governed by Michigan's Credit Union Multiple-Party Accounts Act (PA 41 of 1968, MCLA 490.51). The surviving owner presents a certified death certificate; the balance is already theirs by contract, less setoffs allowed by law for sums owed to the credit union
- Deposit Trust Accounts: the successor trustee provides the Certificate of Trust Existence and Authority (or first and last pages of the trust plus any amendments), an original or certified death certificate for anyone named in the trust title, and a government-issued photo ID
- Individual accounts with no POD, joint owner, or trust: the personal representative provides Michigan Letters of Authority issued by the probate court, together with a certified death certificate
- Small estates: Michigan allows a successor to collect personal property by sworn statement 28 days after death under MCL 700.3983 (Affidavit of Decedent's Successor) when the estate qualifies; Dow CU will want the death certificate with the affidavit
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate (original or certified copy)
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Michigan Letters of Authority from the probate court (if the account passes through probate)
- Affidavit of Decedent's Successor under MCL 700.3983, available 28 days after death for a qualifying small estate
- Certificate of Trust Existence and Authority (or first and last pages of the trust plus amendments) and successor trustee ID (Deposit Trust Accounts)
- POD beneficiary identification matching the designation on file (Payable on Death accounts)
- Written stop-payment instruction for checks drawn before death, if the personal representative does not want them honored
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Dow Credit Union is a Michigan-chartered, NCUA-insured credit union (charter #156696) regulated by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Its Account Agreement (https://dowcreditunion.org/disclosures) drives three things an estate should plan around: (1) checks the member drew before death may still be paid after death unless the personal representative stops payment; (2) the credit union holds a lien and a consensual security interest in the member's accounts, so loans, credit cards, and lines of credit are settled from balances before anything is released; and (3) safe deposit box access runs to the Renter, Co-Renter(s), Deputy(ies), or a legally appointed representative only — a joint deposit-account owner is not automatically allowed in. Safe deposit boxes are available at both the Midland and Saginaw branches. The Account Agreement also contains an arbitration provision. There is no claims portal and no online death-notification form; the credit union works claims through the Member Contact Center, the branches, and the P.O. Box.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Dow CU
Dow CU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Dow CU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Dow CU: POD and joint accounts typically process within 5-10 business days after all documents are received. Trust accounts process once the successor trustee's authority is verified. Probate-dependent accounts wait on the Michigan probate court issuing Letters of Authority, or on the 28-day waiting period for an MCL 700.3983 affidavit. 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 Dow CU includes Certified death certificate (original or certified copy), Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, and Michigan Letters of Authority from the probate court (if the account passes through probate), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Dow Credit Union collects beneficiaries on paper, not online. The Beneficiary Information section of the Membership and Services Application (https://dowcreditunion.org/docs/default-source/downloadable-forms/preliminary-membership-application.pdf) takes up to four beneficiaries and requires each one's full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number. If the form is not completed in person with a Dow Credit Union officer, the signatures must be notarized. To add or change a beneficiary on an existing account, call 1-800-835-7794 or visit the Midland or Saginaw branch for the maintenance form. Under the Account Agreement's POD/Trust Account Designation clause, the account stays payable to you during your lifetime and passes to the named beneficiaries only after the last owner dies.
It can. The Account Agreement's "Payment of Drafts (Checks) After Death" clause says Dow Credit Union may, after the date of death, pay checks the member drew before death unless the personal representative or another appropriate person claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment. An executor who does not want outstanding checks cleared should call 1-800-835-7794 and put the stop-payment instruction in writing to Dow Credit Union, P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649. Separately, the Offset clause lets the credit union apply the member's account funds against loans, credit cards, and other amounts owed before any balance is released to beneficiaries or the estate.
For an account with no POD beneficiary, no surviving joint owner, and no trust, Dow Credit Union works from probate authority: a certified death certificate plus Letters of Authority issued by the Michigan probate court, which is what Michigan issues to a personal representative. If the estate is small enough to qualify, Michigan instead allows a successor to collect personal property by sworn statement 28 days after death under MCL 700.3983 (the Affidavit of Decedent's Successor), presented with the death certificate. Submit either package at the Midland or Saginaw branch, or by mail to P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649. Safe deposit box access is narrower: only the Renter, Co-Renter(s), Deputy(ies), or a person legally appointed to act for the Renter can get in.
Dow CU's Member Services - Deceased Member Accounts can be reached by phone at 1-800-835-7794 and fax at 989-832-9283 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Dow CU accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Member Services - Deceased Member Accounts can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Dow CU primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Contact Center
Dow Credit Union, P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649
Member Contact Center
Dow Credit Union, P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649
Member Services - Deceased Member Accounts
Dow Credit Union, P.O. Box 1649, Midland, MI 48641-1649
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