What to do when a First Hawaiian account holder dies
Contact First Hawaiian's Wealth Management Group - Personal Trusts — 6-step process, 7 required documents, and varies based on account type and documentation. accounts with a p.o.d. authorization or a surviving joint owner may be resolved more quickly. probated estates depend on court timelines.
Customer Service
First Hawaiian Bank, PO Box 3200, Honolulu, HI 96847
Wealth Management Group - Personal Trusts
Customer Service Center (death notification; no dedicated claims unit is published)
First Hawaiian Bank, PO Box 3200, Honolulu, HI 96847
What happens to First Hawaiian accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with First Hawaiian's Customer Service Center (death notification; no dedicated claims unit is published) (1-808-844-4444) to claim the funds.
Death claims at First Hawaiian 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
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at First Hawaiian:
Filing a claim
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the person making the claim
- P.O.D. authorization (Hawaii branches): the single named beneficiary is paid the remaining balance; if that beneficiary died before the owner, the authorization terminated and the account is paid to the owner's estate instead
- "In trust for" account (Guam and CNMI branches): funds are paid on the death of the last surviving trustee to the living beneficiary, or jointly to the living beneficiaries
- Joint account: First Hawaiian opens joint accounts as joint tenants with right of survivorship (not tenants in common), so the surviving depositor may withdraw all of the funds once the bank has written notice of the death
- Trust account: the successor trustee presents the trust agreement or Certification of Trust and the death certificate; the Rules give the bank the right to terminate an account when the named trustee ceases to be trustee by reason of death
- No beneficiary, joint owner, or trust: the account is an estate asset — the executor or administrator provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, or a Hawaii Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property if the estate qualifies
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Written notice of the death (required of surviving joint depositors under the Deposit Account Rules)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate is required)
- Trust agreement or Certification of Trust (if the account is held in trust)
- Hawaii Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (small estate collection under HRS 560:3-1201 — personal property only, for estates whose personal property does not exceed $100,000)
- Proof of relationship to the deceased (if applicable)
What to know at this institution
First Hawaiian Bank does not publish a dedicated estate services or death notification page, a downloadable death-claim form, or a claims fax line. Start with the Customer Service Center at (808) 844-4444 or toll-free (888) 844-4444, daily 7:00 AM-7:00 PM HST, or at a branch; written notice and documents go to First Hawaiian Bank, PO Box 3200, Honolulu, HI 96847. Two clauses in the bank's Deposit Account Rules and Regulations shape the claim: a P.O.D. authorization allows only ONE beneficiary per account and is available only at Hawaii branches (a P.O.D. account at a Guam or CNMI branch is treated as an "in trust for" account), and surviving joint depositors must notify the bank immediately in writing when one owner dies. The bank's CD terms waive the early withdrawal penalty when the withdrawal is due to the death or mental incompetence of any depositor listed in the account name. Trust and investment accounts are handled by the Wealth Management Group — Personal Trusts (808) 525-7134, First Hawaiian Advisors (808) 525-5159, Institutional Advisory (808) 525-5177, Trust Retirement Benefits (808) 525-7755. Mortgage successor-in-interest matters go to (844) 672-1594 (Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-5:00 PM HST) and auto loans to (808) 943-4525. Hawaii also imposes a state estate tax (HRS chapter 236E; Form M-6 is due nine months after the date of death), filed by the executor with the Hawaii Department of Taxation — it is separate from the bank's account-release process.
Prepare your letter of instruction to First Hawaiian
First Hawaiian accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to First Hawaiian's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionOpening an account for the estate itself
Checks made out to the estate deposit into an account titled to the estate, opened by the appointed executor or administrator under the estate's EIN.
How to open an estate account at First Hawaiian →Processing timelines at First Hawaiian: Varies based on account type and documentation. Accounts with a P.O.D. authorization or a surviving joint owner may be resolved more quickly. Probated estates depend on court timelines. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
First Hawaiian requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, and Written notice of the death (required of surviving joint depositors under the Deposit Account Rules), 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
One. First Hawaiian's Deposit Account Rules and Regulations state that only one beneficiary is allowed per account under a Payable on Death (P.O.D.) authorization, and the bank pays the balance to the beneficiary last designated according to its records. If you want to leave deposits to more than one person, you need a separate account with its own P.O.D. authorization for each. A P.O.D. authorization can be signed on an individual or joint account (including checking), and on a joint account it takes effect only after the last owner dies.
No. P.O.D. authorizations are available only at First Hawaiian's Hawaii branches, not at the Guam or CNMI (Saipan) branches. An account opened at a Guam or CNMI branch with a P.O.D. authorization is treated as an "in trust for" account instead — on the death of the last surviving trustee, the funds are paid to the living beneficiary, or jointly to the living beneficiaries if more than one survives. "In trust for" accounts can no longer be opened at Hawaii branches. You can change or delete a P.O.D. authorization during your lifetime by contacting your branch.
The P.O.D. authorization terminates, and the account is paid to your estate — which means it goes through probate rather than to a substitute beneficiary. If the named person instead dies after you but before the funds are paid out, the money is paid to that beneficiary's estate. Because only one beneficiary is allowed per account, a P.O.D. designation at First Hawaiian has no built-in contingent beneficiary; review the designation with your branch whenever a beneficiary dies.
Call the Customer Service Center at (808) 844-4444 or toll-free (888) 844-4444, daily 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM HST, or visit any branch with a certified copy of the death certificate and your photo ID. If you were a joint owner, the Deposit Account Rules require the surviving depositor to notify the bank immediately in writing — you can send that notice with the death certificate to First Hawaiian Bank, PO Box 3200, Honolulu, HI 96847. Trust and investment accounts are handled by the Wealth Management Group's Personal Trusts team at (808) 525-7134; a mortgage successor in interest calls (844) 672-1594, and an auto loan (808) 943-4525.
No. First Hawaiian's CD disclosures state that the early withdrawal penalty will not be imposed if the withdrawal is due to the death or mental incompetence of any depositor listed in the account name. An executor, P.O.D. beneficiary, or successor trustee can therefore break a term CD to settle the estate without the penalty being deducted. Bring the certified death certificate and your authority documents to the branch handling the account.
First Hawaiian's Customer Service Center (death notification; no dedicated claims unit is published) can be reached by phone at 1-888-844-4444 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple First Hawaiian accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Customer Service Center (death notification; no dedicated claims unit is published) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from First Hawaiian primary sources (39 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
First Hawaiian Bank, PO Box 3200, Honolulu, HI 96847
Wealth Management Group - Personal Trusts
Customer Service Center (death notification; no dedicated claims unit is published)
First Hawaiian Bank, PO Box 3200, Honolulu, HI 96847
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