Estate planning at East West Bank
How to protect 19 East West Bank accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through East West Bank's Wealth Management
Death Claims
East West Bank, 135 N. Los Robles Ave., 7th Floor, Pasadena, CA 91101
How your East West Bank accounts transfer at death depends on how each one is titled and whether a beneficiary is on file. Of those, 17 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Getting these details right keeps assets out of probate and ensures they reach the intended recipients.
Beneficiary designations at East West Bank can be managed in branch, typically taking 15-30 minutes in branch. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
There are two sides to estate planning at East West Bank: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 19 account types at East West Bank.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact East West Bank's Wealth Management to file a claim. 8-step process, 8 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach East West Bank's Wealth Management at 1-888-978-8617 for help with any of these procedures.
Because East West Bank serves a limited number of states, procedures for trust funding and beneficiary changes may differ depending on your location. Verify availability before starting.
Frequently asked questions
Deposit accounts, yes -- IRAs, no. Checking, savings, money market, and CD accounts can be retitled into the name of a revocable living trust: visit a branch (https://www.eastwestbank.com/en/branch-locator) with your Certificate of Trust or full trust agreement and government-issued ID for all trustees, and the bank completes new signature cards in the trust name. A revocable trust generally does not need its own EIN -- income is reported under the grantor's SSN. IRAs cannot be retitled into a trust during the account holder's lifetime, but a trust can be named as the IRA beneficiary; East West Bank IRAs are offered through Cetera Investment Services LLC, and IRA beneficiary designations use a separate form from the deposit account POD form. East West Bank Wealth Management (1-888-978-8617, Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM PT) handles these conversations in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish.
Sources
Data sourced from East West Bank primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Death Claims
East West Bank, 135 N. Los Robles Ave., 7th Floor, Pasadena, CA 91101
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your East West Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
