How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at First Interstate
Beneficiaries are managed online, in branch or by phone. Trust paperwork is taken in branch, by phone or by mail
There are two ways to keep your First Interstate accounts out of probate: adding beneficiary designations and retitling eligible accounts into a revocable living trust. Which approach works best depends on the account type and your overall estate plan.
Across 14 product types, First Interstate accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Payable on Death (POD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
Beneficiary form at First Interstate
POD beneficiary designation form.
- Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Primary and contingent beneficiary allocations with percentages
- Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Primary and contingent beneficiary allocations with percentages
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Primary and contingent beneficiary allocations, with percentages
- Full trust name, date established and tax ID number (for a trust beneficiary)
- Valid government-issued ID (at a branch)
- Certification of Trust or full trust agreement
- Valid government-issued ID for all trustees
- Trust name, tax identification number, and trustee information
- Copy of the Certification of Trust or required trust agreement pages
- Copies of government-issued ID for all trustees
Required Documents
- Certification of Trust or full trust agreement. A Certification of Trust is also called a Trust Abstract or Affidavit of Trust. Without one, the full trust agreement or its relevant pages (trust name, grantors, trustees, powers) are taken
- Signature and notary pages from the trust agreement
- Any amendments to the trust agreement
- Government-issued photo ID (for each trustee). By mail, copies of each trustee's ID are enclosed
- Social Security number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the trust
- Death certificates (if a grantor or trustee is deceased)
- Completed trust account application with the trust name and trustee information (by mail)
- Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Primary and contingent beneficiary allocations with percentages
- Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Primary and contingent beneficiary allocations with percentages
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Primary and contingent beneficiary allocations, with percentages
- Full trust name, date established and tax ID number (for a trust beneficiary)
- Valid government-issued ID (at a branch)
What First Interstate says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is First Interstate's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary5
- Account in one name
An individual account with no beneficiary designation is a Single-Party Account. With a POD designation, it becomes a Single-Party Account with POD.1
- Joint account with survivorship
A joint account with no beneficiary is a Multi-Party Account with Right of Survivorship. Adding a POD beneficiary makes it a Multi-Party Account with Right of Survivorship and POD, and the POD beneficiaries take only after every owner has died.1
- Joint account without survivorship
A Multi-Party Account without Right of Survivorship cannot be set up as an online designation. It is set up with a banker.1
- IRA
An IRA beneficiary designation may require a separate beneficiary form.2
- Trust account
A change to the beneficiary designation on a trust account may require updated trust documentation.2
Who can be named1
- A trust
A trust can be named as a beneficiary. The designation may require a branch visit or a call to the Client Contact Center.2
- A trust, IRAs
An IRA can name a trust as its beneficiary.2
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- Payable-on-death account
Multiple surviving POD beneficiaries take the account in equal shares, with right of survivorship.3
Beneficiary forms First Interstate issues1
- POD beneficiary designation form
Completed by the account owner, signed in the presence of a bank representative. Provided at a branch.2
What First Interstate's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- A beneficiary who dies first
A POD beneficiary can withdraw only after everyone who created the account has died, and only if that beneficiary is then living.3
- What the owner keeps while living
The people who created a Pay on Death or revocable trust account may change beneficiaries, change the account type and withdraw all or part of the funds at any time.3
- Joint accounts
On a joint account the bank may disburse funds at the request of any co-owner regardless of contributions, "even if a co-owner is incapacitated, deceased, or whether the account is designated as having a right of survivorship."3
State requirements First Interstate statesIdaho, Washington
- Idaho
The deposit booklet states that when one spouse dies, ownership of community property does not automatically pass to the survivor, and the deceased spouse can pass that interest by will.3
- Washington
The deposit booklet states that when one spouse dies, ownership of community property does not automatically pass to the survivor, and the deceased spouse can pass that interest by will.3
Which accounts a trust can hold2
- Trust account
Both revocable and irrevocable trusts are accepted.2
A banker reviews the trust documents and opens the account in the trust name, as checking, savings, a CD or a money market account.2
- IRA
An IRA cannot be titled to a trust.2
Trust account forms First Interstate issues1
- Trust account application
Completed by the trustees, mailed with the enclosures to the nearest branch. Sent by the institution on request.2
What First Interstate says about trust accounts1
- Whether a new account is opened
Existing personal accounts can typically be retitled to a trust by visiting a branch with the required trust documentation.2
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- First Interstate Wealth Management
Corporate trustee services, trust administration, estate settlement and other wealth management trust services4
- HealthEquity
Administers First Interstate health savings accounts2
Not in First Interstate's published guidance1
- A beneficiary form to download
Sources4
- 1.Beneficiary Designation disclosure
- 2.First Interstate Bank guidance
- 3.Your Deposit Account Booklet (Terms and Conditions)
- 4.First Interstate Wealth Management
Sources
Data sourced from First Interstate primary sources (18 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these First Interstate instructions
A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details, verified against First Interstate primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
First Interstate estate support
Trust and Estates (First Interstate Wealth Management)
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