How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Granite State CU
Beneficiaries are managed online, in branch, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken in branch
Preparing your Granite State CU accounts for estate transfer involves two key steps: designating beneficiaries on each account and, where appropriate, retitling accounts into a trust. Because Granite State CU is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership bypass probate entirely.
Across 15 product types, Granite State CU accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Payable on Death (POD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
Beneficiary form at Granite State CU
Membership Application (updated to add or change beneficiaries).
- Full legal name
- Address
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Phone number and/or email address, which GSCU asks for so it can reach the beneficiary when the need arises
- Give each beneficiary's name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Every accountholder must sign
- Return it by email, by fax to (603) 965-1082, or by US mail; the phone call alone does not complete the designation
- Give each beneficiary's name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Every accountholder must sign
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Beneficiary's phone number and/or email address. GSCU asks for these so it can reach the beneficiary when the need arises
- Updated Membership Application, signed by every accountholder (when returned by email, fax or mail)
- The trust document pages showing the trust name, trust date, establishing signatures, and trustee designations, or a Certificate of Trust in their place
- The trust's SSN or EIN
- An unexpired government-issued photo ID for each trustee; GSCU may request a second ID and proof of current address
Required Documents
- Trust document pages or a Certificate of Trust. The pages show the trust name, trust date, establishing signatures and trustee designations. A Certificate of Trust or the full trust document is accepted in their place
- SSN or EIN for the trust
- Unexpired government-issued photo ID (for every trustee). GSCU asks for a photo ID on every account opening. A second ID and proof of current address may be requested
- Full legal name
- Address
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Phone number and/or email address, which GSCU asks for so it can reach the beneficiary when the need arises
- Give each beneficiary's name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Every accountholder must sign
- Return it by email, by fax to (603) 965-1082, or by US mail; the phone call alone does not complete the designation
- Give each beneficiary's name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Every accountholder must sign
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Beneficiary's phone number and/or email address. GSCU asks for these so it can reach the beneficiary when the need arises
- Updated Membership Application, signed by every accountholder (when returned by email, fax or mail)
- The trust document pages showing the trust name, trust date, establishing signatures, and trustee designations, or a Certificate of Trust in their place
- The trust's SSN or EIN
- An unexpired government-issued photo ID for each trustee; GSCU may request a second ID and proof of current address
Required Documents
- Trust document pages or a Certificate of Trust. The pages show the trust name, trust date, establishing signatures and trustee designations. A Certificate of Trust or the full trust document is accepted in their place
- SSN or EIN for the trust
- Unexpired government-issued photo ID (for every trustee). GSCU asks for a photo ID on every account opening. A second ID and proof of current address may be requested
- Full legal name
- Address
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Phone number and/or email address, which GSCU asks for so it can reach the beneficiary when the need arises
- Give each beneficiary's name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Every accountholder must sign
- Return it by email, by fax to (603) 965-1082, or by US mail; the phone call alone does not complete the designation
- Give each beneficiary's name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Every accountholder must sign
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Beneficiary's phone number and/or email address. GSCU asks for these so it can reach the beneficiary when the need arises
- Updated Membership Application, signed by every accountholder (when returned by email, fax or mail)
What Granite State CU says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Granite State CU's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary2
- Payable-on-death account
Beneficiaries are recorded account by account, so a designation on one account does not carry to another.1
Who can be named4
- A person
A person can be named as a beneficiary. GSCU says "beneficiaries must be a person or a trust."2
- A trust
A trust can be named as a beneficiary.2
- A trust, payable-on-death accounts
A trust can be named as the payable-on-death beneficiary on the Membership Application on any deposit account.1
- A charity or nonprofit
A charity or an educational institution cannot be named, because a GSCU beneficiary must be a person or a trust.2
- A business
A business cannot be named, because a GSCU beneficiary must be a person or a trust.2
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
There is no limit on the number of beneficiaries per account. GSCU splits funds as evenly as possible among the named beneficiaries and does not administer custom percentage allocations.1
- Payable-on-death account
Checking, savings, money market and term-share certificate designations carry primary beneficiaries only.2
What a designation takes to be effective
- All accounts
Every accountholder must sign to add or update beneficiaries; one owner of a joint account cannot change beneficiaries alone.1
Beneficiaries do not sign anything and need not be present. A member can name someone without their knowing; GSCU says it is the member's responsibility to tell them.1
Beneficiary forms Granite State CU issues1
- Membership Application (updated to add or change beneficiaries)
Completed by every accountholder. Sent by the institution on request.1
Return to
Email: members@gscu.org
Fax: 1-603-965-1082
Mailing address: Granite State Credit Union, P.O. Box 6420, Manchester, NH 03108
What Granite State CU's agreement says about beneficiaries4
- What the owner keeps while living
Beneficiaries get no rights to the account until every accountholder has passed away.1
- A beneficiary who dies first
On a checking, savings, money market or term-share certificate account there is no backup if a named beneficiary dies before the member.2
- Membership
Beneficiaries do not have to be GSCU members.1
- Who can see the designation
GSCU does not display beneficiaries in online banking. To find out who is currently named, call or email member services, or ask at a branch.1
Which accounts a trust can hold1
- Trust account
Savings, checking, money market and term-share certificate accounts can be titled to a trust. Trust and fiduciary accounts are opened at a branch, not through the online application platform.3
Money market accounts and term-share certificates over $10,000 also have to be opened in person, so a trust-titled money market or larger certificate is a branch transaction either way.3
What Granite State CU says about trust accounts2
- Who signs for the trust
The account is titled in the name of the trust and the trustees are the authorized signers. GSCU does not act as trustee and does not administer the trust.4
- Review of the trust document
GSCU does not monitor or enforce the terms of a trust; it only titles deposit accounts in the trust's name.4
Not in Granite State CU's published guidance1
- A beneficiary form to download
Sources
Data sourced from Granite State CU primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Granite State CU instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Granite State CU primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Granite State CU estate support
Member Services
Phone
Toll-free
Lost/Stolen Card (Card Processing Center, after hours)
Retirement & Investment Services
General inquiries email
Credit Resolution email (delinquent loan or card)
Secure Message Center
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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