Estate planning at Granite State CU
How to protect 15 Granite State CU accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and file death claims
Member Services
Granite State Credit Union, P.O. Box 6420, Manchester, NH 03108-6420
Member Services
Granite State Credit Union, P.O. Box 6420, Manchester, NH 03108-6420
Member Services (deceased member accounts)
Granite State Credit Union, P.O. Box 6420, Manchester, NH 03108-6420
How your Granite State CU accounts transfer at death depends on how each one is set up. As a membership-based credit union, Granite State CU gSCU states on https://www.gscu.org/accounts/open-an-account.html that anyone who lives or works in New Hampshire can become a member ($10 pledge deposit opens the savings account). Eligibility for residents of bordering Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont counties is not published on gscu.org; confirm with GSCU at 1-800-645-4728 before assuming out-of-state eligibility. Eight branches -- Amherst, Candia, Concord, Derry, Manchester, Nashua, Rochester, Tilton -- plus a Raymond branch listed as coming early 2027 (https://www.gscu.org/visit.html). Per https://www.gscu.org/shared-branches-and-atms.html, all GSCU locations except the Rochester branch participate in the Co-Op Shared Branch Network, though a deceased-member claim is handled by GSCU itself, not at a shared branch. With 15 account types, the transfer rules vary—getting the right designations in place now prevents delays and court involvement later.
Granite State CU lets account holders update beneficiary designations online, in branch, by mail, and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
Granite State CU has documented procedures for both preparing accounts during your lifetime and handling claims when an account holder passes away.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and review 15 account types at Granite State CU.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
6-step process, 6 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Granite State CU is not available nationwide. Estate planning procedures may vary by state, so confirm that your location is served before making account changes.
Frequently asked questions
No. GSCU's own FAQ says the percentage of funds is simply split among all beneficiaries named, and that GSCU "will split funds as evenly as possible among beneficiaries." You can name as many beneficiaries as you like (though the online account-opening flow accepts only two), but the credit union does not administer custom percentage allocations on a POD designation. If your plan calls for unequal shares -- a larger share to one child, a share held for a minor, a share conditioned on something -- the working answer at GSCU is to title the account in the name of a revocable trust, or to name the trust as the beneficiary, and let the trust document control the split.
No. New Hampshire repealed its small-estate statute (RSA 553:31, repealed by 2005, 252:9, III, effective January 1, 2006), so there is no NH small-estate affidavit to hand a credit union. Qualifying estates instead use the Waiver of Administration under RSA 553:32, a simplified NH Circuit Court Probate Division proceeding in which the administrator files an affidavit of administration between six months and one year after appointment, with no inventory, bond, or accounting. GSCU accepts the court order appointing the administrator for accounts that have no POD beneficiary, no joint owner, and no trust titling. Common qualifying situations include a surviving spouse or sole heir serving as administrator, all beneficiaries serving as co-administrators, or a trust named as sole beneficiary. New Hampshire also offers Summary Administration under RSA 553:33. See the NH Judicial Branch pamphlet at https://www.courts.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt471/files/documents/2021-07/pamphlet-e-waiverofadministrationinfo.pdf.
Sources
Data sourced from Granite State CU primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Services
Granite State Credit Union, P.O. Box 6420, Manchester, NH 03108-6420
Member Services
Granite State Credit Union, P.O. Box 6420, Manchester, NH 03108-6420
Member Services (deceased member accounts)
Granite State Credit Union, P.O. Box 6420, Manchester, NH 03108-6420
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Granite State CU accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
