How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Global CU
Covers 7 deposit, and 4 retirement accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
Brand change
Alaska USA Federal Credit Union is the surviving legal entity of the merger legally completed August 1, 2022 with Global Credit Union (Spokane); it began operating under the Global Credit Union name on April 3, 2023 (its fifth name since 1948). The legal entity is Global Federal Credit Union. Same credit union, same member numbers and accounts -- a name change, not a new institution. Existing POD beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and trust titling carried over. Legacy Support (LegacySupport@globalcu.org, 800-525-9094) handles estate settlement for accounts opened under either former name. Effective April 2023.
The procedures below reflect Global CU's accounts. Account servicing may transfer as the change takes effect.
Member Service Center
Global Credit Union, P.O. Box 196613, Anchorage, AK 99519-6613 (express deliveries: 4000 Credit Union Drive, Anchorage, AK 99503)
Member Service Center
Global Credit Union, P.O. Box 196613, Anchorage, AK 99519-6613 (express deliveries: 4000 Credit Union Drive, Anchorage, AK 99503)
Legacy Support / Operations Support
Global Credit Union, Operations Support, PO Box 196613, Anchorage, AK 99519-6613 (express deliveries: 4000 Credit Union Drive, Anchorage, AK 99503)
There are two ways to keep your Global CU accounts out of probate: adding Payable on Death designations and retitling accounts into a trust. Because Global CU is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Both methods ensure your accounts transfer directly to the people you choose, without court involvement.
With 11 product types, Global CU 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.
- Check the beneficiary type -- Individual Person, or Entity (trust, estate, charity, and similar)
- Enter the name, mailing address, and tax identification number (SSN, ITIN, or EIN) for each beneficiary; date of birth is entered only for an individual
- The printed form has four beneficiary slots; ask a member service representative to add more if you need them
- Do NOT look for a percentage column -- there is none. The form states that where there is more than one beneficiary, the funds are distributed in EQUAL SHARES
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- ONLY THE PRIMARY MEMBER may designate POD beneficiaries -- the Master Account Agreement says so in terms. A joint owner can open subaccounts and transact, but cannot add or change a beneficiary
- DEPOSIT POD BENEFICIARIES SHARE EQUALLY. The Payable On Death Beneficiary Designation carries no percentage column: "If there is more than one beneficiary, the funds will be distributed in equal shares among the beneficiaries." If you need unequal shares, that has to be done through a trust or your will, not through the POD form
- IRA beneficiary designations are the opposite: the Roth IRA Beneficiary Designation/Change (Form 2403R) and its traditional-IRA counterpart use primary, secondary, and tertiary tiers, each of which must total 100 percent
- IRA forms include a spousal consent section -- a married IRA owner in a community or marital property state who names a primary beneficiary other than the spouse must have the spouse sign
- A trust, estate, or charity can be named as a POD beneficiary -- the form has an explicit "Entity (trust, estate, charity, etc.)" beneficiary type, and an EIN is accepted in place of an SSN
- Global offers no online or mobile POD designation and takes no verbal designation; a signed paper form is required
- POD designations are not available on business, organization, association, or public unit accounts (per the Business Share Account Disclosure Statement)
- POD accounts are NCUA-insured separately up to $250,000 per beneficiary
Sources
Data sourced from Global CU primary sources (22 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Global CU instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Global CU primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Member Service Center
Global Credit Union, P.O. Box 196613, Anchorage, AK 99519-6613 (express deliveries: 4000 Credit Union Drive, Anchorage, AK 99503)
Member Service Center
Global Credit Union, P.O. Box 196613, Anchorage, AK 99519-6613 (express deliveries: 4000 Credit Union Drive, Anchorage, AK 99503)
Legacy Support / Operations Support
Global Credit Union, Operations Support, PO Box 196613, Anchorage, AK 99519-6613 (express deliveries: 4000 Credit Union Drive, Anchorage, AK 99503)
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