How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at FNBO
Beneficiaries are managed online, in branch, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken in branch or by mail
The key to protecting your FNBO accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.
With 16 product types, FNBO offers a range of transfer options. Some accounts support Payable on Death (POD) designations, others can be retitled into a trust, and some require probate if no beneficiary is designated. The sections below break down each step.
Beneficiary form at FNBO
POD (Payable on Death) Beneficiary Designation (for payable-on-death accounts) and IRA beneficiary designation form (for IRAs).
- Go to the "Contact Us" section of the site and select the "Online Message Center" link
- Choose "Send a Message", then the "Online BillPay/Online Savings" option
- Select "Add POD Beneficiary to my account" from the drop-down menu
- Select the account number being updated, then give the beneficiary's name, Social Security number, date of birth and address in the "Questions and Comments" section and submit
- Name, Social Security number, date of birth and address for each beneficiary
- Percentage allocations where more than one beneficiary is named; FNBO's Deposit Agreement pays beneficiaries in equal shares unless its records say otherwise
- Sign the POD designation with the banker
- Have the beneficiary's name, Social Security number, date of birth and address ready
- Ask whether the designation can be completed on the call or whether a signed form has to follow; the Deposit Agreement says some account changes require a written request
- Fill in the beneficiary name, Social Security number, date of birth and address, and sign
- For an IRA, request and complete the IRA beneficiary designation form instead
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's name (for each beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number (for each beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's date of birth (for each beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's address (for each beneficiary)
- Percentage allocation for each beneficiary (where more than one beneficiary is named)
- Government-issued photo ID (at a branch)
- Certificate of Trust, with a letter asking FNBO to add the trust as POD (to name a trust as POD beneficiary on an FNBO Direct account)
- IRA beneficiary designation form, completed (for an IRA)
- Give the trust's Tax Identification Number
- Complete the paperwork changing ownership from the individual to the trust
- The banker verifies the trust documentation and the trustees' authority
- The completed FNBO paperwork, with the trust name, the date it was established, and the trustee information
- The trust agreement or a certificate of trust
- Copies of government-issued photo ID for every trustee
- The trust's Tax Identification Number
Required Documents
- Trust agreement or certificate of trust. Either the full trust agreement or a certificate of trust is accepted
- Government-issued photo ID (for every trustee). Copies are sent with a mailed package
- The trust's Tax Identification Number
- The account paperwork FNBO provides. FNBO says: "You must complete the paperwork we provide."
- Trust name, date established and trustee information (by mail, on the completed FNBO paperwork)
- Go to the "Contact Us" section of the site and select the "Online Message Center" link
- Choose "Send a Message", then the "Online BillPay/Online Savings" option
- Select "Add POD Beneficiary to my account" from the drop-down menu
- Select the account number being updated, then give the beneficiary's name, Social Security number, date of birth and address in the "Questions and Comments" section and submit
- Name, Social Security number, date of birth and address for each beneficiary
- Percentage allocations where more than one beneficiary is named; FNBO's Deposit Agreement pays beneficiaries in equal shares unless its records say otherwise
- Sign the POD designation with the banker
- Have the beneficiary's name, Social Security number, date of birth and address ready
- Ask whether the designation can be completed on the call or whether a signed form has to follow; the Deposit Agreement says some account changes require a written request
- Fill in the beneficiary name, Social Security number, date of birth and address, and sign
- For an IRA, request and complete the IRA beneficiary designation form instead
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's name (for each beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number (for each beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's date of birth (for each beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's address (for each beneficiary)
- Percentage allocation for each beneficiary (where more than one beneficiary is named)
- Government-issued photo ID (at a branch)
- Certificate of Trust, with a letter asking FNBO to add the trust as POD (to name a trust as POD beneficiary on an FNBO Direct account)
- IRA beneficiary designation form, completed (for an IRA)
What FNBO says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is FNBO's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary2
- Payable-on-death account
A POD designation is available on checking, savings, money market, Flex Savings and CD accounts.1
On an FNBO Direct online savings account, a POD designation is made only through the secure Online Message Center, and a trust named as POD beneficiary needs a mailed or faxed Certificate of Trust.2
- IRA
A Traditional or Roth IRA takes the separate IRA beneficiary designation form, not the POD form.1
Who can be named1
- A trust, payable-on-death accounts
A trust can be named as POD beneficiary on an FNBO Direct online savings account, by sending a Certificate of Trust with a letter asking FNBO Direct to add it.2
- A trust, IRAs
A trust can be named as beneficiary of an IRA.3
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
FNBO's Deposit Agreement pays multiple beneficiaries in equal shares unless its records say otherwise, so an unequal split is recorded as percentage allocations when the designation is made.4
Beneficiary forms FNBO issues2
- POD (Payable on Death) Beneficiary Designation
For payable-on-death accounts. Sent by the institution on request.1
- IRA beneficiary designation form
For IRAs. Sent by the institution on request.1
What FNBO's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- What the owner keeps while living
A POD beneficiary is not an owner and has no access during the owner's lifetime. The funds belong to the owners while they are alive and are payable to the named beneficiaries when the last owner dies.4
- A designation and a will
A POD designation controls over a will: FNBO states that on the owner's death the sums on deposit pass to the named beneficiary and "may not pass on to your heirs or be controlled by your Will."1
- When a designation takes effect
FNBO's Deposit Agreement says some account changes require a written request and that changes may not take effect immediately.4
Which accounts a trust can hold2
- IRA
An IRA cannot be retitled into a trust at either branch banking or FNBO Direct.3
- Health savings account
The Health Savings Account cannot be retitled into a trust at either branch banking or FNBO Direct.3
What FNBO says about trust accounts1
- Review of the trust document
FNBO's Deposit Agreement states it may require specific documents before opening a trust account, and is not obligated to treat an account as a trust account unless its records say so.4
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- FNN Trust Company
Professional administration of revocable and irrevocable trusts, estate settlement and related trust services5
Phone: 1-800-994-2445
Not in FNBO's published guidance3
- A beneficiary form to download
- Turnaround for mailed or messaged designation requests
- Processing time for a trust retitling
Sources5
- 1.FNBO guidance on POD beneficiaries
- 2.FNBO Direct product FAQs
- 3.FNBO guidance on trust accounts
- 4.Deposit Agreement
- 5.FNN Trust Company
Sources
Data sourced from FNBO primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these FNBO instructions
A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details, verified against FNBO primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
FNBO estate support
FNBO Wealth - Trust & Estate Services
Phone
FNBO Wealth Customer Service
FNN Trust Company
Private Banking dedicated service line
Website
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