What to do when a Elevations CU account holder dies
Contact Elevations CU's Wealth Management (via CUSO Financial Services / LPL Financial) — 6-step process, 8 required documents, and joint accounts transfer immediately. pod accounts are typically processed within 2-4 weeks. estate accounts requiring probate documentation may take 30-90 days depending on court timelines.
Member Services
Elevations Credit Union, Attn: Operations Dept, P.O. Box 9004, Boulder, CO 80301
Wealth Management (via CUSO Financial Services / LPL Financial)
Member Services - Trust & Estate Accounts
Elevations Credit Union, Attn: Operations Dept, P.O. Box 9004, Boulder, CO 80301
After a member of Elevations CU dies, the Member Services - Trust & Estate Accounts 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.
Elevations CU provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Elevations CU requires:
Filing a claim
- Call (800) 429-7626 (Mon-Fri 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM MT, Sat 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM MT)
- Visit any branch location in person (https://www.elevationscu.com/locations)
- Joint accounts with right of survivorship: surviving joint owner retains access to the account
- Accounts with POD designation: funds are paid to named surviving POD beneficiaries after the last owner's death
- Accounts with no POD and no joint owner: funds pass to the estate and require probate documentation
- If all POD beneficiaries predeceased the owner(s): funds are paid to the estate of the last surviving owner
- If at least 10 days have passed since the death, the decedent's total personal property (less liens and encumbrances) is at or under the year-of-death limit ($88,000 for a 2026 death), and the decedent owned no real property, a successor may collect the deposit funds with a Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (Colorado JDF 999, CRS 15-12-1201)
- The affidavit is not filed with the court — it is presented directly to Elevations as the party holding the funds (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/JDF999.pdf)
- Read the accompanying guide, JDF 998, before using the affidavit (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/JDF998.pdf)
- If the estate exceeds the limit or includes real property, the affidavit cannot be used and probate is required
- Complete the probate process and appoint a personal representative
- Obtain Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued in Colorado
- Open an estate account at Elevations to manage the deceased's financial affairs during settlement
- The decedent must have been an Elevations member, qualified for membership, or all named estate beneficiaries must be current members
- Obtain Letters of Conservatorship issued in Colorado
- The Protected Person must be a current Elevations member or qualify for membership
- Visit a branch to open the conservatorship estate account
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary, claimant, or personal representative
- All affected account numbers
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued in Colorado (when probate is required)
- Estate/Conservatorship Authorization Form (provided by Elevations as a condition of opening an Estate or Conservatorship account)
- Trust documents and trustee identification (when trust is named as beneficiary)
- Letters of Conservatorship issued in Colorado (for conservatorship estate accounts)
- Colorado Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit (JDF 999, under CRS 15-12-1201 — https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/JDF999.pdf) in lieu of Letters where total estate property less liens does not exceed the year-of-death limit ($88,000 for a 2026 death), at least 10 days have passed, and there is no real property
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Per the Trust & Estate Accounts page (https://www.elevationscu.com/personal/trust-estate-accounts), estate accounts are temporary accounts opened after death to allow the personal representative to manage the deceased's financial affairs during estate settlement. Powers of attorney are not accepted for opening estate accounts. Elevations requires Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued in Colorado — Letters issued by another state's court are not sufficient. As a condition to opening an estate or conservatorship account, the personal representative must provide an Estate/Conservatorship Authorization Form and any additional documentation requested; failure to provide may result in involuntary closure of the account. A probate estate can be opened if the decedent qualified for membership, held an existing account at the time of death, or all named beneficiaries of the estate are current members. Beneficiary (POD) designations are not allowed on an estate account. Lending products and shared (CO-OP) branching are not available with estate accounts. Conservatorship estate accounts are also available for situations where a Protected Person needs financial management. Elevations does not publish a standalone deceased-member claim form or a claims portal, and it does not run a mailed letter-of-instruction process — the death must be reported by phone at (800) 429-7626 (or 303-443-4672) or in person at a branch, and the account paperwork is completed with a branch representative.
Expected timelines at Elevations CU: Joint accounts transfer immediately. POD accounts are typically processed within 2-4 weeks. Estate accounts requiring probate documentation may take 30-90 days depending on court timelines. 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 Elevations CU includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary, claimant, or personal representative, and All affected account numbers, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Contact Elevations at (800) 429-7626 or visit any branch to add a Payable on Death (POD) beneficiary to your savings, checking, money market, or certificate account. You will need each beneficiary's full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, relationship, and the percentage allocation. Per the Membership and Account Agreement, on the death of the last owner the account is paid to the named surviving POD beneficiaries (and to the estate of the last surviving owner if all named beneficiaries predeceased that owner). A trust can also be named as POD beneficiary using the trust name and Tax ID Number.
Possibly, using the Colorado Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit procedure (CRS 15-12-1201). If at least 10 days have passed since the death, the total value of the decedent's estate property (less liens and encumbrances) does not exceed the year-of-death limit ($88,000 for a 2026 death; the figure is adjusted annually for inflation), and there is no real property, an heir can present a completed affidavit (Colorado JDF 998/999) directly to Elevations to collect the deposit funds without probate or an estate account. If the estate exceeds the limit or includes real property, the personal representative must complete Colorado probate and obtain Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration before Elevations will open an estate account. Confirm requirements at (800) 429-7626.
First report the death at (800) 429-7626 (Mon-Fri 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM MT, Sat 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM MT) with a certified death certificate, then complete Colorado probate and obtain Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued in Colorado. An estate account can be opened only if the decedent was an Elevations member, would have qualified for membership, or all named estate beneficiaries are current Elevations members. Visit a branch with the Letters, photo ID, and a completed Estate/Conservatorship Authorization Form. The personal representative does not personally have to be an Elevations member, powers of attorney are not accepted, and lending products and shared (CO-OP) branching are not available on estate accounts. See https://www.elevationscu.com/personal/trust-estate-accounts.
Yes. For a revocable trust account, all Settlor(s)/Grantor(s) must be current Elevations members or eligible for membership; for an irrevocable trust, all settlors/grantors or all trust beneficiaries must qualify. Elevations accepts both revocable and irrevocable trust accounts but requires a brand-new account under the trust name (existing personal accounts cannot simply be retitled), and powers of attorney are not accepted to open a trust account. The acting trustee does not necessarily have to be an existing member. Elevations does not offer trustee services, and POD beneficiary designations are not used on a trust account — what happens to the money at death is governed by the trust agreement itself. Bring the Trust Agreement and photo ID for all settlors and trustees to a branch appointment.
Elevations CU's Member Services - Trust & Estate Accounts can be reached by phone at 1-800-429-7626 and fax at 303-441-2961 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Elevations CU accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Member Services - Trust & Estate Accounts can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from Elevations CU primary sources (32 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Services
Elevations Credit Union, Attn: Operations Dept, P.O. Box 9004, Boulder, CO 80301
Wealth Management (via CUSO Financial Services / LPL Financial)
Member Services - Trust & Estate Accounts
Elevations Credit Union, Attn: Operations Dept, P.O. Box 9004, Boulder, CO 80301
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