What to do when a FirstBank Puerto Rico account holder dies
Report the death to FirstBank Puerto Rico's FirstLine Solutions Center at 1-866-695-2511
When an account holder at FirstBank Puerto Rico passes away, the next step depends on how the accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with FirstBank Puerto Rico's FirstLine Solutions Center (1-787-725-2511) to access and distribute the funds.
Before contacting FirstBank Puerto Rico, have the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any available account numbers ready.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at FirstBank Puerto Rico:
Filing a claim
What happens to each kind of account1
- Payable-on-death account
Section 6 of the Deposit Accounts Agreement says an account opened on behalf of another person does not constitute a trust under Puerto Rico law.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersFlorida
- Florida
Fla. Stat. § 735.303
Florida law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit made under oath, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Fla. Stat. § 735.303Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: family member (surviving spouse; else adult child; else adult descendant; else parent)
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution and $2,000 in total from every holder
When: not earlier than 6 months after the date of the decedent’s death
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- First Commercial Service Center
Business accounts2
Phone: 1-787-729-8290
Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-5:30 PM
What FirstBank Puerto Rico's agreement and guidance say7
- Telling the institution
Under Section 34 of the Deposit Accounts Agreement, neither death nor incapacity revokes the bank's authority to accept, pay or collect an item until it knows of the death and has a reasonable opportunity to act.1
A surviving joint-account holder must notify the bank immediately.1
- Payments after the death
Even after it knows of the death, the bank may pay checks or withdrawal orders the deceased depositor issued for ten calendar days after the death, unless a person claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment.1
- What it does when notified
Section 34 says the bank will not make any determination on the ownership of the funds.1
- Debts owed to the institution
Section 4 makes the bank's right of set-off enforceable when an account holder dies, for obligations from auto financing, personal loans, commercial loans, mortgage loans and credit lines.1
The set-off reaches any account of the deceased person at the bank, so a balance an heir expects to receive can be reduced by the deceased person's debts to FirstBank.1
- Holds and legal process
Under Section 35, on an order or seizure requirement from a court or competent authority, including the Puerto Rico Treasury Department and the IRS, the bank freezes or delivers the available funds. Proof that the underlying debt was paid does not lift the freeze; only a release or a court resolution does.1
- Wills, probate and small estates
Section 6 says each account is subject to the laws regulating succession and inheritance tax, regardless of the names appearing on it.1
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
The annual unclaimed-funds notice lists accounts with balances over $100 that were unclaimed as of June 30, 2026. The full report, including balances under $100, is open to the public at every Puerto Rico branch until November 30, 2026.3
Between December 1 and December 10, 2026 the unclaimed amounts are remitted to the Oficina del Comisionado de Instituciones Financieras, and are then claimed from that office instead of from the bank. Publication costs are charged proportionally against the amount claimed.3
Not in FirstBank Puerto Rico's published guidance2
- How long a claim takes
- A list of required documents
FirstBank Puerto Rico's FirstLine Solutions Center can be reached by phone at 1-866-695-2511 and email at apoyoalcliente@firstbankpr.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from FirstBank Puerto Rico primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
FirstBank Puerto Rico death claims support
FirstLine Solutions Center
Phone
Toll-free
Preferente clients
Platinum clients
Business accounts (First Commercial Service Center)
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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