How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Glacier Bank
Beneficiaries are managed in branch. Trust paperwork is taken in branch
Preparing your Glacier Bank accounts for estate transfer involves two primary strategies: designating beneficiaries on individual accounts and, where supported, retitling accounts into a revocable living trust. Both approaches bypass probate, but they work differently depending on the account type.
The transfer rules at Glacier Bank vary across 14 accounts. Below is a breakdown of beneficiary options, trust funding, and which products support each method.
Beneficiary form at Glacier Bank
Pay-on-Death designation on the deposit account signature card (for payable-on-death accounts) and IRA Beneficiary Designation form (for IRAs).
- Single-Party Account
- Single-Party Account With Pay-on-Death Designation
- Multiple-Party Account With Right of Survivorship
- Multiple-Party Account With Right of Survivorship and Pay-on-Death Designation
- Multiple-Party Account Without Right of Survivorship
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Primary or contingent designation
- Percentage allocation if naming multiple beneficiaries
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name (for each person named)
- Beneficiary's date of birth (for each person named)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number (for each person named)
- Certification of Trust or the full trust agreement
- Government-issued identification for every trustee who will sign
- A new signature card in the name of the trust, replacing the individual registration
- IRS Form W-9 carrying the trust EIN, or the grantor's Social Security number for a revocable living trust
Required Documents
- Certification of Trust or full trust agreement. Either is accepted
- Government-issued ID (for all trustees)
- Trust tax identification number (EIN). Or the grantor's SSN for a revocable trust
- Completed IRS Form W-9
- New account signature card in the trust name (completed at the branch)
- Single-Party Account
- Single-Party Account With Pay-on-Death Designation
- Multiple-Party Account With Right of Survivorship
- Multiple-Party Account With Right of Survivorship and Pay-on-Death Designation
- Multiple-Party Account Without Right of Survivorship
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Primary or contingent designation
- Percentage allocation if naming multiple beneficiaries
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name (for each person named)
- Beneficiary's date of birth (for each person named)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number (for each person named)
What Glacier Bank says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Glacier Bank's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary5
- Account in one name
In a single-party account, ownership passes as part of the party's estate at the party's death.1
- Payable-on-death account
In a single-party account with a pay-on-death designation, ownership passes to the designated POD beneficiaries and is not part of the party's estate.1
In a multiple-party account with right of survivorship and a pay-on-death designation, ownership passes to the POD beneficiaries at the death of the last surviving party, and the account is not part of that party's estate.1
- Joint account with survivorship
In a multiple-party account with right of survivorship, ownership passes to the surviving parties at a party's death.1
- Joint account without survivorship
In a multiple-party account without right of survivorship, the deceased party's share passes as part of that party's estate.1
- IRA
The IRA beneficiary form is separate from the deposit-account POD designation. Updating one does not update the other.2
Who can be named1
- A trust, IRAs
A trust can be named as beneficiary of an IRA.2
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
The owner names primary and contingent beneficiaries, with a percentage allocation when naming more than one.2
Beneficiary forms Glacier Bank issues2
What Glacier Bank's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- A designation and a will
The account registration, not the owner's will, controls who receives the balance.1
- Joint accounts
Under the Montana section of the deposit agreement, parties to a multiple-party account "own the account in proportion to their net contributions unless there is clear and convincing evidence of a different intent. However, any one party may withdraw the entire amount on deposit in the account."1
A joint owner can empty the account before you die. Naming a POD beneficiary behind a joint owner does not restrain that owner.1
- Online access
Beneficiary designations are not displayed in online banking.2
Which accounts a trust can hold4
- Fiduciary account
The deposit agreement provides that an account identified as a fiduciary account "is not subject to our right of setoff and is not subject to execution, levy, or garnishment against the fiduciary."1
- Trust account
Deposit accounts (checking, savings, money market and CDs) can be retitled into a revocable living trust at any branch.2
- IRA
An IRA cannot be retitled into a trust, though a trust can be named as beneficiary.2
- Coverdell education savings account
A Coverdell education savings account cannot be retitled into a trust.2
What Glacier Bank says about trust accounts1
- Certificates moved into a trust
A CD reopened at current rates can change the yield. The ten-calendar-day grace period after maturity is the cheapest window to move one.2
Not in Glacier Bank's published guidance3
- A beneficiary form to download
- An online way to name a beneficiary
- A trust certification form to download
Sources2
Sources
(1)·
Data sourced from Glacier Bank primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Glacier Bank instructions
A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details, verified against Glacier Bank primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Glacier Bank estate support
Customer Service
Phone
Toll-free
Telephone Banking
After-Hours Debit Card and Online Banking Support
Mailing address
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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