What to do when a First Intl Bank account holder dies
Report the death to First Intl Bank's Customer Service at 1-800-359-8092
What happens to First Intl Bank 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 Intl Bank's Customer Service (1-800-359-8092) to claim the funds.
Death claim process
The death claim process at First Intl Bank works as follows:
Filing a claim
- For a POD claim: photo ID and the death certificate
- For an estate claim: letters testamentary or letters of administration, or a qualifying small estate affidavit
- For a trust-titled account: the trust agreement or certificate of trust naming you successor trustee
- The completed paperwork FIBT sends you
- A copy of the death certificate
- Your government-issued photo ID
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration, a small estate affidavit, or trust documents naming you successor trustee, depending on how the account was held
Required Documents
- Copy of the death certificate
- 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
- Small estate affidavit, if the estate qualifies under the applicable state law
- Trust agreement or certificate of trust, and trustee identification, when a trust is named as beneficiary, or for a trust-titled accountThe trust documents name you as successor trustee.
- IRA distribution election form, or HSA distribution paperwork, for an IRA or HSA beneficiary
- Completed death claim and account distribution paperwork, when sending documents by mailFIBT mails the paperwork to you when you call.
What happens to each kind of account9
- Account in one name
On a single-party account, ownership passes as part of the party's estate.1
- Payable-on-death account
On a single-party account with a pay-on-death designation, ownership passes to the designated POD beneficiaries and is not part of the party's estate.1
On a multiple-party account with right of survivorship and a pay-on-death designation, the POD beneficiaries take only at the death of the last surviving party.1
- Joint account with survivorship
On a multiple-party account with right of survivorship, ownership passes to the surviving parties. Where two or more survive and one is the deceased party's spouse, the amount the deceased was beneficially entitled to belongs to the surviving spouse.1
- Joint account without survivorship
On a multiple-party account without right of survivorship, the deceased party's ownership passes as part of the deceased party's estate.1
- Fiduciary account
An account may be opened and maintained by a trustee under a written trust agreement, or by executors, administrators or conservators under court orders. FIBT disclaims any duty to monitor or enforce the trust or the letters.1
- Trust account
FIBT sold its Wealth Services Division to Wealth Enhancement Trust Services, LLC effective March 31, 2025. A death claim on a trust FIBT once administered goes to Wealth Enhancement, while FIBT keeps servicing the underlying deposit accounts.2
- Certificate of deposit
FIBT's Truth in Savings disclosure states that in certain circumstances, such as the death or incompetence of an account owner, the law permits, and in some cases requires, waiver of the early withdrawal penalty. The penalty is a forfeiture of interest plus a $25.00 administrative fee.3
An early withdrawal penalty can be imposed on an involuntary withdrawal from a time account caused by setoff, attachment or other legal process.1
- IRA
An IRA runs on its own beneficiary designation and its own distribution paperwork, not the deposit-account POD process. The beneficiary provides a death certificate and completes the IRA distribution paperwork.2
- Health savings account
An HSA runs on its own beneficiary designation and its own distribution paperwork, not the deposit-account POD process. The beneficiary provides a death certificate and completes the distribution paperwork.2
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Wealth Enhancement Trust Services, LLC
Trusts that FIBT's former Wealth Services Division administered2
Phone: 1-833-307-3750
- FIBT Mineral & Land Services
Mineral and royalty interests FIBT administers, including appraisals for an estate transfer2
Phone: 1-833-842-2924
Email: info@mineraltracker.com
What First Intl Bank's agreement and guidance say9
- Telling the institution
The Terms and Conditions require the customer to notify FIBT promptly if any person with a right to withdraw funds dies or is adjudicated incompetent.1
- What it does when notified
FIBT may continue to honor the deceased's checks, items and instructions until it knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge.1
- Payments after the death
FIBT may pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death for up to ten days after the death, unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment.1
- Powers of attorney
For an account owned by a single individual, "the agency is automatically terminated by the death of the owner." FIBT may keep honoring the agent's transactions until it has written notice or actual knowledge of the termination and a reasonable opportunity to act.1
- Debts owed to the institution
FIBT may set off account funds against a due and payable debt owed to it. Setoff does not reach an IRA or similar tax-deferred account.1
- Disputes between claimants
FIBT may place an administrative hold on an account, refusing payment or withdrawal, when it becomes subject to a claim adverse to the owner's interest, a claim by "others claiming an interest as survivors or beneficiaries of your account," or a claim arising by operation of law.1
The hold lasts as long as FIBT believes reasonably necessary to allow a legal proceeding to determine the claim, or until it receives satisfactory evidence the dispute is resolved.1
- Which state governs the account
The Terms and Conditions-ND are the agreement for every FIBT deposit account, regardless of the state the account was opened in, and are governed by federal law and the laws of the State of North Dakota.1
- Arbitration
Either party may elect binding arbitration of any claim related to the account agreement or the account, administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, with a class and representative action waiver. Claims filed in small claims court are carved out.4
The disclosure's joinder carve-out names "joint account holders or beneficiaries on your account and/or related accounts."4
- Online access
Legacy trust clients reach their accounts through the Trust Online Access option in the fibt.com sign-in menu, which opens firstintlbanktrust.accessasc.com.5
Not in First Intl Bank's published guidance4
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A claim form
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
- How long a claim takes
Sources5
- 1.Terms and Conditions-ND (TC-ND), 6/1/2023
- 2.Contact Us
- 3.Truth in Savings disclosure (CDs), rev. 05/2024
- 4.Resolution of Disputes by Arbitration, 02/2023
- 5.First International Bank & Trust
First Intl Bank's Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-800-359-8092 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(1)·
Data sourced from First Intl Bank primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
First Intl Bank death claims support
Customer Service
Phone
Toll-free
Trust administration (Wealth Enhancement Trust Services)
Mineral & Land Services / MineralTracker
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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