What to do when a Great Plains Bank account holder dies
Contact Great Plains Bank — 7-step process, 7 required documents, and pod, joint, and trust accounts are typically settled within a few business days of the branch receiving a certified death certificate and claimant id. accounts that require letters testamentary or letters of administration wait on the south dakota circuit court. a small estate affidavit under 29a-3-1201 cannot be presented until 30 days after the date of death.
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
When a Great Plains Bank account holder passes away, the next step depends on how the accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with Great Plains Bank's 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. ((605) 725-9400) to access and distribute the funds.
The claim process begins with a phone call to (605) 725-9400. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate available when making initial contact.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Great Plains Bank requires:
Filing a claim
1
Call the branch that holds the account -- Aberdeen (605) 725-9400, Eden (605) 486-4831, or Eureka (605) 284-2633 -- to report the death. Great Plains Bank has no toll-free line and no central estate department; https://www.greatplainsbank.com/phone-banking/ directs all callers to their local branch, and the Aberdeen main office is the fallback if you do not know which branch holds the account.
2
Ask for the Customer Service Manager at the Aberdeen office (Susan Schaible-Heiser, listed at https://www.greatplainsbank.com/contact-us/), who is the named staff contact for customer service matters.
3
Provide the deceased account holder's full legal name, account number, and date of death, and ask the bank to flag the accounts so that debit card, ACH, and check activity is stopped.
4
Deliver a certified copy of the death certificate to the branch in person or by U.S. mail. Do not send the death certificate, account numbers, or Social Security numbers through the website contact form -- the bank states at https://www.greatplainsbank.com/contact-us/ that email is not necessarily secure against interception and asks that sensitive material be phoned in or mailed.
5
Settle each account according to how it is titled:
- POD accounts: the named beneficiary presents a certified death certificate and government-issued photo ID at the branch and the funds are paid out directly, without probate.
- Joint accounts with right of survivorship: the surviving owner presents a certified death certificate and photo ID to have the decedent removed from the title.
- Trust-titled accounts: the successor trustee presents the trust agreement or Certification of Trust, a certified death certificate, and trustee photo ID.
- Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and Coverdell ESA: the named beneficiary presents a certified death certificate and photo ID and completes the bank's IRA beneficiary claim and distribution-election paperwork at the branch. These accounts pass by designation only and are never governed by the will.
- Accounts with no POD beneficiary, no joint owner, and no trust titling: use either a South Dakota small estate affidavit (see below) or Letters Testamentary / Letters of Administration issued by the South Dakota circuit court.
6
If the decedent rented a safe deposit box (offered at the branches per https://www.greatplainsbank.com/personal/other-services/), arrange access separately -- a POD or joint designation on a deposit account does not give a claimant access to the box, and the box contents are handled apart from the account funds.
7
The branch reviews the documentation and releases the funds. Bring more certified death certificates than you think you need; each institution generally keeps a copy.
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary, surviving joint owner, executor, or successor trustee
- The decedent's account or certificate number
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the South Dakota circuit court (for accounts with no POD beneficiary, joint owner, or trust titling)
- South Dakota small estate affidavit under S.D. Codified Laws 29A-3-1201 (the probate-free alternative when the entire estate is $100,000 or less)
- Trust agreement or Certification of Trust plus successor trustee photo ID (for trust-titled accounts)
- IRA beneficiary claim and distribution-election forms, completed at the branch (for Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and Coverdell ESA)
Claims Contact
Phone: (605) 725-9400
Fax: (605) 725-9405
Great Plains Bank, P.O. Box 2140, Aberdeen, SD 57402
What to know at this institution
Great Plains Bank publishes no deposit account agreement, no estate or death-claim page, and no downloadable claim form -- the only PDF on greatplainsbank.com is an employment application. Estate settlement therefore runs through the branch that holds the account, and the specifics that matter are the branch-level contacts rather than a central claims unit: each of the three deposit branches has its own P.O. box and fax, and the Gettysburg office is a loan production office (by appointment only) that cannot take an estate claim. SOUTH DAKOTA SMALL ESTATE AFFIDAVIT: under S.D. Codified Laws 29A-3-1201, a bank must pay the decedent's account to a claiming successor 30 days after death on presentation of an affidavit swearing that (1) the entire estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $100,000, (2) 30 days have elapsed since the death, (3) no petition for appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted anywhere, (4) the decedent incurred no indebtedness to the South Dakota Department of Social Services for medical assistance for nursing home or other medical institutional care, and (5) the claiming successor is entitled to the property. Point (4) is a South Dakota-specific trap: if the decedent received Medicaid-funded nursing home care, the affidavit route is closed and the account must go through probate. The affidavit can be notarized at the branch, which offers Notary Public service.
Mortgage and home lending
Mortgages and home equity loans are liabilities, not assets. They do not have beneficiaries and cannot be retitled to a trust. When a borrower dies, the loan obligation transfers with the property to whoever inherits it. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act, the lender cannot accelerate the loan or call it due when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or the borrower’s revocable trust.
1
Notify Great Plains Bank of the borrower's death:
- Call (605) 725-9400 or visit a branch location
- Provide the deceased borrower's full legal name, loan number, and property address
- Submit a certified copy of the death certificate
2
Complete the Successor in Interest process:
- Request the Successor in Interest application from your branch
- Complete and return documentation with proof of ownership interest in the property (e.g., probated will, court order, deed, or trust document)
- The bank will review documentation and confirm Successor in Interest status
3
Once confirmed, discuss resolution options:
- Continue making payments on the existing loan
- Assume the loan
- Refinance the mortgage
- Pay off the remaining balance
4
Continue making monthly mortgage payments during the review process to avoid default
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Documentation proving ownership interest in the property (probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate)
- Marriage certificate (if surviving spouse)
Claims Contact
Phone: (605) 725-9400
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Great Plains Bank cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, relative upon death, or the borrower's revocable living trust.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Great Plains Bank
Great Plains Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Great Plains Bank's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Great Plains Bank: POD, joint, and trust accounts are typically settled within a few business days of the branch receiving a certified death certificate and claimant ID. Accounts that require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration wait on the South Dakota circuit court. A small estate affidavit under 29A-3-1201 cannot be presented until 30 days after the date of death. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by Great Plains Bank includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Valid government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary, surviving joint owner, executor, or successor trustee, and The decedent's account or certificate number, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Take it to the branch that holds the account: Aberdeen (3915 6th Ave SE), Eden (402 Broadway), or Eureka (702 7th St), Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM CT. The Gettysburg office is a loan production office open by appointment only and does not service deposit accounts, so it cannot take a death claim, a beneficiary designation, or a trust retitling. There is no online path: Great Plains Bank publishes no toll-free number (https://www.greatplainsbank.com/phone-banking/ sends every caller to their local branch), no downloadable beneficiary or claim form, and no estate page, and its Internet Banking platform cannot add or change beneficiaries. The bank also states at https://www.greatplainsbank.com/contact-us/ that email is not necessarily secure against interception and asks that anything containing an account number or Social Security number be phoned in or sent by U.S. mail instead of through the website contact form. Each branch has its own P.O. box and fax for mailed estate documents.
Usually, but South Dakota attaches a condition that catches families off guard. Under S.D. Codified Laws 29A-3-1201, 30 days after the death a bank must pay a deceased person's account to a claiming successor who presents an affidavit swearing to five things: the entire estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $100,000; 30 days have elapsed since the death; no petition to appoint a personal representative is pending or has been granted anywhere; the claiming successor is entitled to the property; and -- the trap -- that the decedent incurred no indebtedness to the South Dakota Department of Social Services for medical assistance for nursing home or other medical institutional care. If the decedent had Medicaid-funded nursing home care, that affidavit cannot truthfully be signed and the account must be settled through probate with Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration instead. The affidavit can be notarized at the branch, which offers Notary Public service.
No to both. Great Plains Bank is a roughly $151 million community bank with three deposit branches, and it will hold accounts titled in the name of a trust, but it does not act as trustee, administer trusts, or manage investments -- a corporate trustee has to come from an outside trust company or attorney. There is likewise no central estate or death-claim department and no 800 number routing to one. The branch that holds the account settles it, and the named customer service contact at the Aberdeen main office is the Customer Service Manager, Susan Schaible-Heiser (listed at https://www.greatplainsbank.com/contact-us/). In practice that means an executor deals with one banker at one small office rather than a claims call center, and should call that branch first to learn exactly which documents it wants before mailing anything.
They pass by beneficiary designation only. Great Plains Bank's Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and Coverdell Education Savings Account are all CD-based and each carries its own beneficiary form, separate from any POD designation on a checking or savings account. Whatever is on that form controls -- a will or a trust does not override it, and the funds do not become part of the probate estate. The named beneficiary brings a certified death certificate and photo ID to the branch and completes the IRA claim and distribution-election paperwork there; the bank does not publish those forms for download. A trust can be named as an IRA beneficiary, though naming one can compress the payout timetable for the people behind the trust, so the designation is worth reviewing with a tax advisor before it is filed.
Great Plains Bank's 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. can be reached by phone at (605) 725-9400 and fax at (605) 725-9405 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Great Plains Bank accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The 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. can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
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
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