What to do when a First Foundation account holder dies
Contact First Foundation's Private Wealth Management — Trust & Estate Settlement — 6-step process, 5 required documents, and pod and joint accounts typically release within days of receiving a certified death certificate; probated accounts follow the timelines of the decedent's home state.
Brand change
First Foundation Bank merged into Sunflower Bank, N.A. on April 1, 2026 and now operates as "Sunflower Bank, N.A. dba First Foundation Bank" under FirstSun Capital Bancorp. During the transition the First Foundation name, logo, Client Support line (888-405-4332), and Private Wealth Management trust team continue unchanged; system migration and branch signage changes are anticipated by the end of Q3 2026. Effective April 2026.
The procedures below reflect First Foundation's accounts. Account servicing may transfer as the change takes effect.
Private Wealth Management — Trust & Estate Settlement
Client Support
First Foundation Bank, Attn: Client Support, 18101 Von Karman Ave., Ste. 750, Irvine, CA 92612
After an account holder at First Foundation dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact First Foundation's Client Support at 888-405-4332 with the proper legal authority documents.
First Foundation 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
The death claim process at First Foundation works as follows:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the person handling the estate
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if the estate is probated)
- Certification of trust or trust agreement naming the successor trustee (for accounts titled to a trust)
- Small estate affidavit (if eligible under state law and no probate is opened)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
First Foundation's Terms and Conditions of Your Deposit Account ("Death or Incompetence" clause) provide that the bank may continue to honor checks, items, and instructions until it knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act, and that it may pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death for up to ten (10) days afterward unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment. The same agreement's "Direct Deposits" clause authorizes the bank to deduct, without prior notice and from any account you hold with it, any federal benefit payment it is required to reimburse to the government — the reason survivors should stop Social Security and other benefit deposits before distributing a balance. Death behavior is set by the ownership form recorded on the account: a single-party account passes as part of the owner's estate, while a single-party account with a pay-on-death designation passes to the named POD beneficiaries outside the estate (California, Nevada, and Hawaii deposit terms). Written notices and claim documents go to First Foundation Bank, Attn: Client Support, 18101 Von Karman Ave., Ste. 750, Irvine, CA 92612 (888-405-4332). Mortgage servicing moved to Sunflower Bank effective July 17, 2026 — a successor in interest on a First Foundation mortgage should call Sunflower Bank mortgage support at 800-331-4799 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM CT) or email mortgagesupport@sunflowerbank.com rather than the deposit Client Support line. Because First Foundation now operates as Sunflower Bank, N.A. dba First Foundation Bank, some claim documents received during the transition may be processed under the Sunflower Bank entity.
Prepare your letter of instruction to First Foundation
First Foundation accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to First Foundation's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at First Foundation: POD and joint accounts typically release within days of receiving a certified death certificate; probated accounts follow the timelines of the decedent's home state. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
First Foundation requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the person handling the estate, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if the estate is probated), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
First Foundation's deposit terms state that at the death of an account owner, a single-party account passes as part of the owner's estate, while a Payable on Death (POD) account passes directly to the surviving named beneficiaries outside the estate. Confirm whether a POD designation is in place to know whether an account will avoid probate.
Yes. First Foundation's Private Wealth Management division provides trust administration and estate settlement, including determining the proper beneficiaries and distributing property according to the estate plan. A successor trustee or executor can engage this team separately from the deposit-account claims process.
Under First Foundation's Terms and Conditions of Your Deposit Account, the bank may continue to honor checks, items, and instructions until it learns of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge. Even after learning of the death, it may pay or certify checks the owner drew on or before the date of death for up to ten (10) days afterward — unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment. This is why the deposit terms require you to notify the bank promptly, and why an executor or POD beneficiary who wants to freeze outstanding checks should place a stop-payment request at 888-405-4332.
The FirstSun Capital Bancorp / First Foundation merger closed on April 1, 2026, when First Foundation Bank merged into Sunflower Bank, N.A., which now operates as "Sunflower Bank, N.A. dba First Foundation Bank." The change is at the entity level; existing deposit accounts, POD designations, and trust retitling continue through the same Client Support line at 888-405-4332 and the same Private Wealth Management trust and estate settlement team. First Foundation branding, phone lines, and the trust portal stay in place through the system migration anticipated by the end of Q3 2026, so a claim or retitling started under the First Foundation name will be honored — it may simply be processed under the Sunflower Bank entity. One piece has already moved: mortgage servicing transferred to Sunflower Bank effective July 17, 2026, so a surviving spouse or heir dealing with a First Foundation mortgage should call Sunflower Bank mortgage support at 800-331-4799 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM CT) or email mortgagesupport@sunflowerbank.com.
First Foundation's Client Support can be reached by phone at 888-405-4332 and email at newaccount@ff-inc.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple First Foundation accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Client Support to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from First Foundation primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Private Wealth Management — Trust & Estate Settlement
Client Support
First Foundation Bank, Attn: Client Support, 18101 Von Karman Ave., Ste. 750, Irvine, CA 92612
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