How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at FourLeaf FCU
Beneficiaries are managed in branch, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken in branch or by mail
Preparing your FourLeaf FCU accounts for estate transfer involves two key steps: designating beneficiaries on each account and, where appropriate, retitling accounts into a trust. Because FourLeaf FCU is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership bypass probate entirely.
Across 10 product types, FourLeaf FCU 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.
- In Section 1, check "Change to an existing account" so the card updates the account already open
- In Section 4, enter each beneficiary's name and address, date of birth, Social Security or Tax ID number, and Share %
- Sign in Section 5; on a joint account every joint owner must consent to the change
- Ask for the Membership Account Signature Card for a beneficiary change
- FourLeaf mails the card, or it can be downloaded from fourleaffcu.com/forms/
- Complete, sign, and return the card by mail or bring it to a branch
- Fill in beneficiary name and address, date of birth, Social Security or Tax ID number, and Share % in Section 4; the Share % boxes must total 100%
- Leaving the Share % boxes blank divides the account equally among the surviving designated beneficiaries
- For more than four beneficiaries, complete additional Membership Account Signature Cards and mark the bottom of page one of each card accordingly
- Mail the completed card to: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Attn: Operations, P.O. Box 2069, Glen Burnie, MD 21060
Required Documents
- Government-issued photo ID (at a branch)
- Beneficiary's name and address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security or Tax ID number
- Share % for each beneficiary. The Share % boxes must total 100%
- Membership Account Signature Card (FLFCU-305), completed and signed (returned by mail or brought to a branch)
- Complete the Fiduciary Account Signature Card (FLFCU-400)
- Check "Trust Account" in Section 1 and the product types in Section 2 (savings, checking, money market, certificate)
- Complete the Trustee Affidavit and have all trustees swear it before a notary
- Review the Fiduciary Account Documentation Requirements checklist for the supporting documents
- Complete the Fiduciary Account Signature Card (FLFCU-400), signed by all trustees in Section 5
- Complete and notarize the Trustee Affidavit
- Include the trust document or a Certificate of Trust that names the successor trustees
- Include the trust Tax ID Number, or the Social Security Number of the individual the trust will be reported under
- Include a copy of valid photo identification for the grantor and all trustees
- Include a death certificate if the trust has become irrevocable on a grantor's death
Required Documents
- Fiduciary Account Signature Card (FLFCU-400). Signed by all trustees in Section 5
- Trustee Affidavit. Sworn before a notary by all trustees. It states that the trustees may transfer property into and out of the trust and indemnify FourLeaf against loss for acts done in reliance on it
- Trust document or Certificate of Trust naming the successor trustees. The forms page accepts a Certificate of Trust in place of the full instrument. The documentation checklist still lists "Complete trust document," so a branch may ask for the full instrument
- Trust Tax ID Number or Social Security Number. The Social Security Number is that of the individual the trust will be reported under
- Valid photo identification (for the grantor and all trustees). The signature card lists a driver's license, state ID, U.S. or foreign passport, or U.S. military ID as acceptable
- Death certificate (if the trust has become irrevocable on a grantor's death)
- In Section 1, check "Change to an existing account" so the card updates the account already open
- In Section 4, enter each beneficiary's name and address, date of birth, Social Security or Tax ID number, and Share %
- Sign in Section 5; on a joint account every joint owner must consent to the change
- Ask for the Membership Account Signature Card for a beneficiary change
- FourLeaf mails the card, or it can be downloaded from fourleaffcu.com/forms/
- Complete, sign, and return the card by mail or bring it to a branch
- Fill in beneficiary name and address, date of birth, Social Security or Tax ID number, and Share % in Section 4; the Share % boxes must total 100%
- Leaving the Share % boxes blank divides the account equally among the surviving designated beneficiaries
- For more than four beneficiaries, complete additional Membership Account Signature Cards and mark the bottom of page one of each card accordingly
- Mail the completed card to: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Attn: Operations, P.O. Box 2069, Glen Burnie, MD 21060
Required Documents
- Government-issued photo ID (at a branch)
- Beneficiary's name and address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security or Tax ID number
- Share % for each beneficiary. The Share % boxes must total 100%
- Membership Account Signature Card (FLFCU-305), completed and signed (returned by mail or brought to a branch)
- Complete the Fiduciary Account Signature Card (FLFCU-400)
- Check "Trust Account" in Section 1 and the product types in Section 2 (savings, checking, money market, certificate)
- Complete the Trustee Affidavit and have all trustees swear it before a notary
- Review the Fiduciary Account Documentation Requirements checklist for the supporting documents
- Complete the Fiduciary Account Signature Card (FLFCU-400), signed by all trustees in Section 5
- Complete and notarize the Trustee Affidavit
- Include the trust document or a Certificate of Trust that names the successor trustees
- Include the trust Tax ID Number, or the Social Security Number of the individual the trust will be reported under
- Include a copy of valid photo identification for the grantor and all trustees
- Include a death certificate if the trust has become irrevocable on a grantor's death
Required Documents
- Fiduciary Account Signature Card (FLFCU-400). Signed by all trustees in Section 5
- Trustee Affidavit. Sworn before a notary by all trustees. It states that the trustees may transfer property into and out of the trust and indemnify FourLeaf against loss for acts done in reliance on it
- Trust document or Certificate of Trust naming the successor trustees. The forms page accepts a Certificate of Trust in place of the full instrument. The documentation checklist still lists "Complete trust document," so a branch may ask for the full instrument
- Trust Tax ID Number or Social Security Number. The Social Security Number is that of the individual the trust will be reported under
- Valid photo identification (for the grantor and all trustees). The signature card lists a driver's license, state ID, U.S. or foreign passport, or U.S. military ID as acceptable
- Death certificate (if the trust has become irrevocable on a grantor's death)
- In Section 1, check "Change to an existing account" so the card updates the account already open
- In Section 4, enter each beneficiary's name and address, date of birth, Social Security or Tax ID number, and Share %
- Sign in Section 5; on a joint account every joint owner must consent to the change
- Ask for the Membership Account Signature Card for a beneficiary change
- FourLeaf mails the card, or it can be downloaded from fourleaffcu.com/forms/
- Complete, sign, and return the card by mail or bring it to a branch
- Fill in beneficiary name and address, date of birth, Social Security or Tax ID number, and Share % in Section 4; the Share % boxes must total 100%
- Leaving the Share % boxes blank divides the account equally among the surviving designated beneficiaries
- For more than four beneficiaries, complete additional Membership Account Signature Cards and mark the bottom of page one of each card accordingly
- Mail the completed card to: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Attn: Operations, P.O. Box 2069, Glen Burnie, MD 21060
Required Documents
- Government-issued photo ID (at a branch)
- Beneficiary's name and address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security or Tax ID number
- Share % for each beneficiary. The Share % boxes must total 100%
- Membership Account Signature Card (FLFCU-305), completed and signed (returned by mail or brought to a branch)
What FourLeaf FCU says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is FourLeaf FCU's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary2
- Payable-on-death account
The Consumer Member Account Agreement calls a POD designation a "Revocable Trust Account," also known as Payable on Death or Totten Trust.1
Naming a single beneficiary allows an "In-Trust-For" (ITF) designation in the account title, by checking the box on the card.2
- IRA
An IRA beneficiary designation is updated by calling FourLeaf or by booking a video, phone or in-person appointment.3
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
Share percentages must total 100%. Leaving the Share % boxes blank divides the account equally among the surviving designated beneficiaries.2
Up to four beneficiaries fit on one Membership Account Signature Card. Beyond that, additional cards are used, each marked at the bottom of page one.2
The agreement states that where two or more beneficiaries survive, they own the account in equal shares without right of survivorship unless otherwise designated.1
What a designation takes to be effective
- All accounts
The card is signed in Section 5. It states that no joint account holder may add, delete or otherwise amend the designated beneficiaries without the consent of all other joint account holders.2
Beneficiary forms FourLeaf FCU issues1
- Membership Account Signature Card (FLFCU-305)
Available to download.2
Return to
Mailing address: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Attn: Operations, P.O. Box 2069, Glen Burnie, MD 21060
What FourLeaf FCU's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- A beneficiary who dies first
The card states that if a beneficiary dies before the last surviving account holder, that beneficiary's interest and the interest of their heirs terminate completely, and the remaining beneficiaries' shares increase pro rata. A share does not pass to a deceased beneficiary's children on this form.2
- What the owner keeps while living
Beneficiaries cannot withdraw until every person who created the account has died and the beneficiary is then living.2
- Changing or revoking a designation
A designation made on the card supersedes all previous beneficiary designations on the account.2
Trust account forms FourLeaf FCU issues2
- Fiduciary Account Signature Card (FLFCU-400)
Completed by all trustees. Available to download.5
Return to
Mailing address: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Attn: Operations, P.O. Box 2069, Glen Burnie, MD 21060
- Trustee Affidavit
Completed by all trustees. Available to download. Must be notarized.6
Return to
Mailing address: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Attn: Operations, P.O. Box 2069, Glen Burnie, MD 21060
What FourLeaf FCU says about trust accounts1
- Review of the trust document
Trust accounts may be subject to review and approval by the FourLeaf Legal Department.3
FourLeaf reserves the right to require whatever documents and authorizations it deems necessary to satisfy itself that the person directing a withdrawal has authority, at account opening and at all times afterward.1
Opening a fiduciary account does not make FourLeaf a trustee or give it any duty to monitor or enforce the trust.1
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- FourLeaf Financial Group / LPL Financial
Investment accounts through FourLeaf Financial Group, including retitling them to a trust3
Phone: 1-516-349-6940
Not in FourLeaf FCU's published guidance1
- An online way to name a beneficiary
Sources
Data sourced from FourLeaf FCU primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these FourLeaf FCU instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against FourLeaf FCU primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
FourLeaf FCU estate support
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Estate requests go through general customer service.
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