How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Fulton Bank
Beneficiaries are managed in branch or by phone. Trust paperwork is taken in branch or by phone
There are two ways to keep your Fulton Bank 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.
Fulton Bank has 19 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support Payable on Death (POD) designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others pass through the estate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
Beneficiary form at Fulton Bank
Deposit account signature card (for payable-on-death accounts) and IRA beneficiary designation (for IRAs).
- A payable-on-death designation on the deposit account signature card for checking, savings, money market, and CD accounts
- An IRA beneficiary designation for retirement accounts, naming primary beneficiaries first and contingent beneficiaries after
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name (for an individual beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's date of birth (for an individual beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number (for an individual beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's relationship to you (for an individual beneficiary)
- Trust name, date of the trust and taxpayer identification number (where a trust is the beneficiary)
- Government-issued photo ID (at a financial center)
- Account number (by phone)
- A government-issued photo ID for every trustee
- A Certification of Trust, or the trust agreement itself
- The trust's taxpayer identification number
Required Documents
- Certification of Trust, or the trust agreement. Fulton accepts a Certification of Trust (trust abstract or affidavit of trust) or the complete trust agreement
- Trust agreement pages identifying the trust name, date, grantors and trustees (if no Certification of Trust is available)
- Provisions covering trustee powers and the successor trustee designation
- Signature and notary pages of the trust agreement
- Any amendments to the trust
- Government-issued photo ID (for every trustee)
- Each trustee's name, address, date of birth and Social Security number
- The trust's taxpayer identification number (EIN)
- A payable-on-death designation on the deposit account signature card for checking, savings, money market, and CD accounts
- An IRA beneficiary designation for retirement accounts, naming primary beneficiaries first and contingent beneficiaries after
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name (for an individual beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's date of birth (for an individual beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number (for an individual beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's relationship to you (for an individual beneficiary)
- Trust name, date of the trust and taxpayer identification number (where a trust is the beneficiary)
- Government-issued photo ID (at a financial center)
- Account number (by phone)
What Fulton Bank says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Fulton Bank's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary3
- Payable-on-death account
A payable-on-death designation on checking, savings, money market and CD accounts is made on the deposit account signature card.1
- IRA
A deposit-account payable-on-death designation does not carry across to an IRA, so each retirement account takes its own IRA beneficiary designation.1
- Trust account
Under the deposit agreement, a trust account under a testamentary trust, a declaration of trust or a trust agreement with significance apart from the account is not a multiple-party account, so the payable-on-death rules do not govern it.2
Who can be named1
- A trust
A trust can be named as beneficiary, by giving the trust name, the date of the trust and its taxpayer identification number.1
Beneficiary forms Fulton Bank issues2
- Deposit account signature card
For payable-on-death accounts. Completed by the account owner, on the paperwork the banker provides. Provided at a branch.1
- IRA beneficiary designation
For IRAs. Completed by the account owner, on the paperwork the banker provides. Provided at a branch.1
What Fulton Bank's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- When a designation takes effect
Fulton's deposit agreement makes the designation on the account agreement or signature card controlling: an account is a joint, payable-on-death or trust account only if it is designated that way there.2
- What the owner keeps while living
A payable-on-death payee or trust beneficiary is not a party to the account, and gains no right to the funds, until they survive the original owners.2
- Joint accounts
Under Fulton's deposit agreement, where several payable-on-death payees or trust beneficiaries survive, they have no right of survivorship among themselves, so each share stands alone.2
State requirements Fulton Bank statesNew Jersey
- New Jersey
For New Jersey accounts, a separate clause of Fulton's deposit agreement overrides the general terms.2
Which accounts a trust can hold3
- Trust account
Checking, savings, money market and CD accounts can be titled to a revocable or irrevocable trust.1
- IRA
An IRA cannot be titled to a trust, because it is an individually owned custodial account.1
- Health savings account
The HSA cannot be titled to a trust, because it is an individually owned custodial account.1
What Fulton Bank says about trust accounts3
- Claims against the account
The deposit agreement excludes a trust account under a testamentary trust or a trust agreement with significance apart from the account from the bank's lien and right of set-off, so trust funds are not available to offset a grantor's personal debts to the bank.2
- Review of the trust document
Fulton requires a trustee, agent, custodian, guardian or personal representative to be designated as such on the bank's records, and may review and keep a copy of the document that established the relationship.2
- Who signs for the trust
The minimum age for an agent to open a UTMA, guardian or trust account is 18.1
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- Fulton Private Bank Trust and Estate Services
Larger or more complex trusts3
Phone: 1-800-385-8664
Not in Fulton Bank's published guidance2
- A beneficiary form to download
- An online way to name a beneficiary
Sources3
- 1.Fulton Bank (document not named)
- 2.Rules and Regulations for Deposit Accounts, effective March 2, 2026
- 3.Fulton Private Bank Trust and Estate Services
Sources
(1)·
Data sourced from Fulton Bank primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Fulton Bank instructions
A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details, verified against Fulton Bank primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Fulton Bank estate support
Fulton Private Bank Trust and Estate Services
Phone
Fulton Financial Advisors - Personal Investment Planning
Fulton Financial Advisors - general questions
Corporate and Nonprofit Retirement Plan Services
Transfer agent (Fulton Bank stock)
Mailing address
Website
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