What to do when a First Community CU account holder dies
Contact First Community CU — 4-step process, 6 required documents, and joint accounts transfer immediately to the surviving owner. authorized drafts may keep clearing for ten days after the credit union is notified of the death unless someone claiming an interest stops payment. pod claims are typically processed within 2-4 weeks. estate accounts requiring probate documentation may take 30-90 days.
Member Services
First Community Credit Union, 200 N Adams St, Coquille, OR 97423
Member Services
First Community Credit Union, 200 N Adams St, Coquille, OR 97423
Death Claims / Member Services
First Community Credit Union, 200 N Adams St, Coquille, OR 97423
The Death Claims / Member Services at First Community CU coordinates account transitions after a member's death. How each account is handled depends on its setup: POD and trust accounts transfer automatically, while solely-owned accounts typically require court authorization through Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The claim process begins with a phone call to 1-855-328-2441. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what First Community CU requires:
Filing a claim
- Joint / multiple-party accounts: held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship unless the Membership Form says otherwise, so the balance belongs to the surviving owner(s) -- subject to the credit union's statutory lien, right of set-off, and any pledge the deceased owner granted, even without the survivor's consent
- Single-owner account with POD: paid to the named, living POD beneficiary once the last owner dies; multiple surviving beneficiaries share equally
- Single-owner account without POD: the interest passes to the decedent's estate -- the personal representative provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- No beneficiary, no probate proceeding, and no estate: the agreement lets the credit union (but does not require it to) pay the funds to any heir, who is then solely responsible for further distribution; alternatively it may hold the funds until a proper court order is presented
- IRA accounts: a POD designation does not apply -- the beneficiary named on the separate IRA beneficiary designation provides the certified death certificate and completes IRA distribution paperwork
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate (or a court order) -- the agreement calls this the satisfactory evidence that triggers the credit union to act on the death
- Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary or claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (when the account has no POD designation and no joint owner)
- Oregon Simple Estate Affidavit (the state's small estate affidavit), if the estate qualifies: personal property up to $75,000 and real property up to $200,000, filed no earlier than 30 days after death (ORS 114.505 to 114.560)
- Trust documents and trustee identification (when a trust is named as beneficiary)
- A signed indemnification, if the credit union requires one before honoring the claim
What to know at this institution
First Community publishes no dedicated death claim or estate services page -- the member-facing site is a JavaScript SPA -- but its governing MEMBERSHIP AND ACCOUNT AGREEMENT is public at https://www.myfirstccu.org/file/64 (revision "MAA.DC3.P -- Revised May 2026") and is the controlling document. Its "Death or Incompetence of Account Owner" clause: the credit union keeps honoring transactions until notified of the death and given satisfactory evidence (certified death certificate or court order); after that it may still pay member-authorized drafts and transfer orders for ten (10) days unless a person claiming an interest stops payment; it may require any claimant to indemnify it against losses; funds are paid per the Membership Form (for example to a POD beneficiary); with no beneficiary, no probate, and no estate, it may pay any heir (who becomes solely responsible for distribution) or hold the funds for a court order; and every payment at death remains subject to the credit union's lien and security interest. There is no named claim form -- the Customer Service Center at (855) 328-2441 is the entry point, and documents go to 200 N Adams St, Coquille, OR 97423. Under Oregon law (ORS 708A.430), POD designations on deposit accounts pass funds directly to surviving beneficiaries and bypass probate. Oregon's Simple Estate Affidavit (ORS 114.505 to 114.560) can substitute for probate when personal property does not exceed $75,000 and real property does not exceed $200,000, and it may not be filed until 30 days after death (ORS 114.515(3)).
Prepare your letter of instruction to First Community CU
First Community CU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to First Community CU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at First Community CU: Joint accounts transfer immediately to the surviving owner. Authorized drafts may keep clearing for ten days after the credit union is notified of the death unless someone claiming an interest stops payment. POD claims are typically processed within 2-4 weeks. Estate accounts requiring probate documentation may take 30-90 days. 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 First Community CU includes Certified copy of the death certificate (or a court order) -- the agreement calls this the satisfactory evidence that triggers the credit union to act on the death, Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary or claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (when the account has no POD designation and no joint owner), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Deposit accounts -- checking, savings, money market, and share certificates -- support POD beneficiary designations, recorded on the Membership Form (the Membership and Account Application, Account Update, or Change Card). Under the credit union's Membership and Account Agreement, the account is payable to the owners during their lifetimes and, when the last owner dies, to any named, living POD beneficiary; multiple surviving beneficiaries share equally, and one beneficiary does not inherit another's share. Any owner may change a beneficiary, but only upon written notice on a form the credit union approves. Add or update a designation at any branch, by calling (855) 328-2441, or by mail. A trust may be named as POD beneficiary. Oregon law (ORS 708A.430) lets POD funds pass to the beneficiary outside probate.
Report the death to the Customer Service Center at (855) 328-2441 or any branch. Under the Membership and Account Agreement, the credit union keeps honoring transactions until it is notified of the death and given satisfactory evidence -- a certified death certificate or a court order -- and even after that it may pay drafts and other payment orders the member authorized for ten days, unless someone claiming an interest in the account tells it to stop payment. Then ownership controls: a joint account passes to the surviving owner(s) by right of survivorship; a POD account is paid to the named beneficiaries; an account with neither passes to the estate, and the personal representative provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. The credit union may require a claimant to indemnify it before releasing funds.
The Membership and Account Agreement addresses that gap directly: if there is no beneficiary designation, no probate proceeding, and no estate, First Community may -- but is not required to -- pay the funds to any heir, who is then solely responsible for distributing them. Otherwise it may hold the funds until a proper court order is presented, and it may require documentary evidence satisfactory to it before releasing anything. Every payment at death also remains subject to the credit union's lien and security interest, so a loan the member owed can be set off first. For a small Oregon estate, the Simple Estate Affidavit (ORS 114.505 to 114.560) is the usual alternative to probate: personal property up to $75,000 and real property up to $200,000, filed no earlier than 30 days after the death.
First Community CU's Death Claims / Member Services can be reached by phone at 1-855-328-2441 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple First Community CU accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Death Claims / Member Services to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from First Community CU primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Services
First Community Credit Union, 200 N Adams St, Coquille, OR 97423
Member Services
First Community Credit Union, 200 N Adams St, Coquille, OR 97423
Death Claims / Member Services
First Community Credit Union, 200 N Adams St, Coquille, OR 97423
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