Estate planning at Great Plains Bank
How to protect 13 Great Plains Bank accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file death claims
Customer Service (Aberdeen main office)
Phone(605) 725-9400
Fax(605) 725-9405
Mailing Address
Great Plains Bank, P.O. Box 2140, Aberdeen, SD 57402
Eden branch
Eureka branch
Gettysburg loan production office (loans only, by appointment)
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Service (Aberdeen main office)
Phone(605) 725-9400
Fax(605) 725-9405
Mailing Address
Great Plains Bank, P.O. Box 2140, Aberdeen, SD 57402
Eden branch
Eureka branch
Gettysburg loan production office (loans only, by appointment)
WebsiteLearn more→
Branch Customer Service -- there is no central estate or claims unit; the branch holding the account settles it. Aberdeen main office contact: Susan Schaible-Heiser, Customer Service Manager.
Phone(605) 725-9400
Fax(605) 725-9405
Mailing Address
Great Plains Bank, P.O. Box 2140, Aberdeen, SD 57402
Eden branch (fax (605) 486-4833; P.O. Box 7, Eden, SD 57232)
Eureka branch (fax (605) 284-2807; P.O. Box 8, Eureka, SD 57437)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Great Plains Bank offers 13 consumer accounts that interact with estate planning in distinct ways. Of those, 10 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Understanding the transfer methods available for each account type helps families keep assets out of probate and ensure they pass to the right people.
Great Plains Bank handles beneficiary designations in branch and by phone. Accounts can also be retitled into a trust to keep them out of probate entirely.
Great Plains Bank 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 update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 13 account types at Great Plains Bank.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
7-step process, 7 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Great Plains Bank operates in select states, so estate planning procedures may vary by location. Confirm availability in your state before initiating trust funding or account changes.
Frequently asked questions
Checking, savings, and CD accounts (Freedom, Freedom Plus, Century, Personal Savings, Money Maker, and both certificate types) can be retitled to a trust, but only in person at the Aberdeen, Eden, or Eureka branch -- there is no online account opening and no mailed trust packet. Bring the trust agreement or a Certification of Trust, photo ID for every trustee, and the trust's tax identification number (for a revocable living trust that is normally the grantor's own Social Security number, not a separate EIN). Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, and Coverdell education savings accounts cannot be retitled to a trust; a trust can only be named as their beneficiary. A safe deposit box rented at the branch is a separate rental contract: retitling your deposit accounts does not retitle the box, so ask the banker to re-rent the box in the name of the trust during the same visit.
Sources
Data sourced from Great Plains Bank primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service (Aberdeen main office)
Phone(605) 725-9400
Fax(605) 725-9405
Mailing Address
Great Plains Bank, P.O. Box 2140, Aberdeen, SD 57402
Eden branch
Eureka branch
Gettysburg loan production office (loans only, by appointment)
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Service (Aberdeen main office)
Phone(605) 725-9400
Fax(605) 725-9405
Mailing Address
Great Plains Bank, P.O. Box 2140, Aberdeen, SD 57402
Eden branch
Eureka branch
Gettysburg loan production office (loans only, by appointment)
WebsiteLearn more→
Branch Customer Service -- there is no central estate or claims unit; the branch holding the account settles it. Aberdeen main office contact: Susan Schaible-Heiser, Customer Service Manager.
Phone(605) 725-9400
Fax(605) 725-9405
Mailing Address
Great Plains Bank, P.O. Box 2140, Aberdeen, SD 57402
Eden branch (fax (605) 486-4833; P.O. Box 7, Eden, SD 57232)
Eureka branch (fax (605) 284-2807; P.O. Box 8, Eureka, SD 57437)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Great Plains Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
