What to do when a Granite State CU account holder dies
Report the death to Granite State CU's Member Services at 1-800-645-4728
After a member of Granite State CU dies, the Member Services manages the transfer of accounts. POD-designated and trust-owned accounts pass directly to beneficiaries. Accounts held solely in the member's name may require probate court documents—Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration—before funds can be released.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Granite State CU requires:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID of the claimantGSCU verifies each beneficiary's identity before it disburses anything.
- Trust document or Certificate of Trust, and the successor trustee's ID, for a trust-titled account
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, for an account with no payable-on-death beneficiary, no surviving joint owner and no trust titlingFrom the NH Circuit Court Probate Division.
- Court order appointing the administrator under a Waiver of Administration, in place of Letters, where the estate qualifies for that simplified New Hampshire proceeding
- IRA distribution election paperwork, for an IRA beneficiaryObtained from GSCU.
What happens to each kind of account6
- Payable-on-death account
GSCU contacts the named beneficiaries, coordinates the account closure, and splits the funds "as evenly as possible" among them; it does not administer custom percentage shares. A beneficiary who already knows about the designation is paid faster, because GSCU does not have to locate them.1
A beneficiary has no rights to the account until every account holder has died, so a surviving joint owner is paid in full at the first death. Deposit accounts carry no contingent beneficiary, so if the only named beneficiary died first, the balance goes to the estate and needs court appointment papers.1
- Joint account with survivorship
The surviving owner keeps the account and the deceased owner is removed.1
- Trust account
The successor trustee presents the trust document or Certificate of Trust and photo ID to take over the account.1
- IRA
The IRA beneficiary designation controls, not any payable-on-death designation on deposit accounts. A GSCU IRA is the only GSCU account that can carry a contingent beneficiary.1
- Account in one name
For an account with no payable-on-death beneficiary, no joint owner and no trust titling, GSCU needs court appointment papers: Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or the order appointing an administrator under a Waiver of Administration.1
- Investment account
Investment accounts referred by GSCU are provided by Northeast Planning Associates, a separate firm, and are not settled by GSCU member services.2
State law on paying a balance without lettersMaine
- Maine
9-B M.R.S. § 427(8)(A)
Maine law permits a credit union to pay from a deceased member's balance on proof the institution accepts, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.9-B M.R.S. § 427(8)(A)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $1,000 per account
Paid to: the surviving spouse; next of kin; funeral director or other preferred creditor or creditors who may appear to be entitled to the deposit or account
The section permits the payment. It does not require the credit union to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- Northeast Planning Associates
Investment and retirement accounts held through GSCU's referral (representative John Castelot)2
Phone: 1-800-279-8083
What Granite State CU's agreement and guidance say3
- Wills, probate and small estates
GSCU does not accept or interpret a will.1
- Online access
GSCU's DocuSign service is scoped to consumer loan (vehicle or personal) remote closings, so nothing in the deceased-member process is e-signed.1
- Fees
GSCU's Consumer Schedule of Fees and Charges sets an Account Research Fee of $25 per hour, a Copy Fee of $5 per copy, and a Liens/Levies Fee of $50 per lien or levy. It lists no estate or death-claim fee.3
A request for the deceased member's historical statements is billed under the research and copy fees.3
Not in Granite State CU's published guidance3
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A claim form
- Terms in its agreements for a customer's death
Granite State CU's Member Services can be reached by phone at 1-800-645-4728, email at members@gscu.org, and fax at 1-603-965-1082 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Granite State CU primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Granite State CU death claims support
Member Services (deceased member accounts)
Phone
Toll-free
Mortgage servicing (existing mortgage or home equity)
Consumer lending (loan balances, Loan Protection)
Credit Resolution
Secure Message Center
Retirement & Investment Services
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate planning articles
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