What to do when a First Intl Bank account holder dies
Contact First Intl Bank's Wealth Enhancement Trust Services (formerly FIBT Wealth Services Division) — 8-step process, 6 required documents, and joint accounts transfer immediately. pod accounts are typically processed within 2-4 weeks after receipt of certified death certificate. estate accounts requiring probate documentation may take 30-90 days.
Customer Service
100 North Main, Watford City, ND 58854
Wealth Enhancement Trust Services (formerly FIBT Wealth Services Division)
Customer Service (FIBT publishes no separate estate or death-claim department; claims are opened through customer service or a branch)
First International Bank & Trust, 100 North Main, Watford City, ND 58854
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 (FIBT publishes no separate estate or death-claim department; claims are opened through customer service or a branch) ((800) 359-8092) to claim the funds.
First Intl Bank 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 Intl Bank works as follows:
Filing a claim
- FIBT's Terms and Conditions (TC-ND 6/1/2023, section 30, "Death or Incompetence") require you to notify the bank promptly if any person with a right to withdraw funds dies or is adjudicated incompetent -- notice is what stops the account
- Until FIBT both knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge, it may continue to honor the deceased's checks, items, and instructions
- FIBT may also pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death for up to ten (10) days after the death unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment
- An agent added under an account power of attorney loses authority at the owner's death (the agency is automatically terminated by the death of the owner on a single-owner account), but 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
- Single-Party Account: ownership passes as part of the party's estate -- the executor or administrator presents Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- Single-Party Account With Pay-on-Death Designation: ownership passes to the designated POD beneficiaries and is NOT part of the party's estate
- 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
- Multiple-Party Account Without Right of Survivorship: the deceased party's ownership passes as part of the deceased party's estate
- Multiple-Party Account With Right of Survivorship and Pay-on-Death Designation: POD beneficiaries take only at the death of the last surviving party
- IRA accounts: beneficiary provides certified death certificate and completes IRA distribution paperwork
- HSA accounts: beneficiary provides certified death certificate and completes distribution paperwork
- North Dakota: personal property not exceeding $100,000, 30 days after death (N.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01)
- South Dakota: entire estate not exceeding $100,000, 30 days after death (SDCL § 29A-3-1201)
- Minnesota: personal property not exceeding $75,000, 30 days after death (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201)
- Arizona: personal property not exceeding $200,000, 30 days after death (A.R.S. § 14-3971)
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary or claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (when account has no POD designation and no joint owner)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if estate qualifies under applicable state law)
- Trust documents and trustee identification (when trust is named as beneficiary)
- IRA distribution election form (for IRA beneficiaries)
What to know at this institution
FIBT publishes no death claim form, estate form, or survivor guide on fibt.com -- the disclosures page carries only credit card, Terms and Conditions, and Truth in Savings documents -- so every claim starts by phone at (800) 359-8092 or at a branch, and the bank issues the paperwork to the claimant. What IS published is the deposit account agreement, and it governs the window between death and notice. Terms and Conditions-ND (form TC-ND 6/1/2023, https://www.fibt.com/sto/disclosures/TC.pdf), the agreement for every FIBT deposit account regardless of the state the account was opened in (it is governed by federal law and the laws of the State of North Dakota): (1) section 30, "Death or Incompetence" -- the customer agrees to notify the bank promptly if any person with a right to withdraw funds dies or is adjudicated incompetent; FIBT may continue to honor checks, items, and instructions until it (a) knows of the death and (b) has had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge, and may pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death "for up to ten (10) days after your death or adjudication of incompetence unless ordered to stop payment by someone claiming an interest in the account"; (2) section 7, "Rights at Death" -- Single-Party accounts pass as part of the party's estate; Single-Party With Pay-on-Death Designation passes to the POD beneficiaries and is not part of the estate; Multiple-Party With Right of Survivorship passes to the surviving parties (with a spousal-priority rule where one survivor is the deceased's spouse); Multiple-Party Without Right of Survivorship passes as part of the deceased party's estate; Multiple-Party With Right of Survivorship and Pay-on-Death Designation pays the POD beneficiaries only at the death of the last surviving party; (3) section 31, "Fiduciary Accounts" -- an account may be opened and maintained by a trustee under a written trust agreement or by executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders, and FIBT disclaims any duty to monitor or enforce the trust or the letters; (4) section 17, Setoff -- FIBT may set off account funds against a due and payable debt owed to it, but not against an IRA or similar tax-deferred account; (5) section 38 -- an early withdrawal penalty can be imposed on an involuntary time-account withdrawal caused by setoff, attachment, or other legal process; (6) account powers of attorney end at the owner's death, though FIBT may keep honoring the agent until it has notice or actual knowledge and a reasonable opportunity to act. CDs: the Truth in Savings disclosure (rev. 05/2024) sets the early withdrawal penalty as an interest forfeiture plus a $25.00 administrative fee, and states that in certain circumstances, such as the death or incompetence of an account owner, the law permits or in some cases requires waiver of that penalty -- so a decedent's CD can be redeemed before maturity. IRAs and HSAs run on their own beneficiary designations and their own distribution paperwork, not the deposit-account POD process. Trust accounts: FIBT sold its Wealth Services Division to Wealth Enhancement Trust Services, LLC effective March 31, 2025 (approximately $581 million in client assets), so a death claim against a trust FIBT once administered goes to Wealth Enhancement at 1-833-307-3750, while FIBT keeps servicing the underlying deposit accounts; legacy trust clients still reach their accounts through the Trust Online Access login on fibt.com (trust.accessasc.com). Mineral & Land Services stayed with FIBT, so a decedent's mineral and royalty interests are still administered by the bank -- that team is reached directly at (833) 842-2924 or info@mineraltracker.com. FIBT's ABA/routing number is 091305031 for incoming transfers to an estate account. Small estate affidavit limits across FIBT's four states: North Dakota $100,000 personal property, 30 days after death (N.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01); South Dakota entire estate $100,000, 30 days after death (SDCL § 29A-3-1201); Minnesota $75,000 personal property, 30 days after death (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201); Arizona $200,000 personal property, 30 days after death (A.R.S. § 14-3971).
Prepare your letter of instruction to First Intl Bank
First Intl Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to First Intl Bank'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 Intl Bank →Processing timelines at First Intl Bank: Joint accounts transfer immediately. POD accounts are typically processed within 2-4 weeks after receipt of certified death certificate. Estate accounts requiring probate documentation may take 30-90 days. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
First Intl Bank requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary or claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (when account has no POD designation and no joint owner), 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
FIBT's Terms and Conditions (TC-ND 6/1/2023) decide it by ownership category, not by the will. A Single-Party Account passes as part of the owner's estate. A Single-Party Account With Pay-on-Death Designation passes to the POD beneficiaries and is not part of the estate. A Multiple-Party Account With Right of Survivorship passes to the surviving parties. A Multiple-Party Account With Right of Survivorship and Pay-on-Death Designation pays the POD beneficiaries only after the last surviving party dies. Estate accounts require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, though a small estate affidavit may substitute: North Dakota, personal property not exceeding $100,000, 30 days after death (N.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01); South Dakota, entire estate not exceeding $100,000, 30 days after death (SDCL § 29A-3-1201); Minnesota, personal property not exceeding $75,000, 30 days after death (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201); Arizona, personal property not exceeding $200,000, 30 days after death (A.R.S. § 14-3971). FIBT publishes no death claim form online, so call (800) 359-8092 or visit any branch to have the paperwork issued to you.
Notice is what stops the account. Under section 30 of FIBT's Terms and Conditions ("Death or Incompetence"), the bank may continue to honor the account holder's checks, items, and instructions until it both knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge, and it 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. So call (800) 359-8092 or visit a branch as soon as you can. On CDs, the Truth in Savings disclosure (rev. 05/2024) sets the early withdrawal penalty as an interest forfeiture plus a $25.00 administrative fee, and states that in certain circumstances, such as the death or incompetence of an account owner, the law permits or in some cases requires waiver of the penalty -- so ask for the waiver and redeem the CD before maturity rather than waiting the term out.
First Intl Bank's Customer Service (FIBT publishes no separate estate or death-claim department; claims are opened through customer service or a branch) can be reached by phone at (800) 359-8092 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple First Intl Bank accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Customer Service (FIBT publishes no separate estate or death-claim department; claims are opened through customer service or a branch) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from First Intl Bank primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
100 North Main, Watford City, ND 58854
Wealth Enhancement Trust Services (formerly FIBT Wealth Services Division)
Customer Service (FIBT publishes no separate estate or death-claim department; claims are opened through customer service or a branch)
First International Bank & Trust, 100 North Main, Watford City, ND 58854
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