What to do when a Great Plains FCU account holder dies
Report the death to Great Plains FCU's Member Services at 1-800-388-1318
After a member of Great Plains FCU 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
The death claim process at Great Plains FCU works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Missouri: the Joplin home office (2306 S. Range Line Rd.) or Carthage (120 South Garrison)
- Kansas: Abilene, Columbus, Hillsboro, Independence, McPherson, Montezuma, Salina or Wichita
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- Your own government-issued photo ID
- The deceased member's account number
- The trust agreement or Certificate of Trust and trustee ID, if you are the successor trustee
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, or the Kansas or Missouri small estate paperwork, if there is no beneficiary or joint owner
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- The deceased member's account number
- Kansas Judicial Council "Small Estates Affidavit (02-2024)", for a Kansas account in a small estate with no beneficiary or joint ownerIt is furnished directly to the credit union. It is sworn before a notary, with a certified copy of the death certificate attached.
- Missouri probate form PR 16 or PR 17 with the clerk's certificate, for a Missouri account in a small estate with no beneficiary or joint ownerPR 16 is the intestate affidavit and PR 17 the testate one. It is filed with the probate division first; the credit union is shown the affidavit with the clerk's certificate annexed, not the affidavit alone.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, when neither small estate route is available
- Trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, and the successor trustee's photo ID, for trust-titled accounts
- IRA distribution-election paperwork, for IRA passbook and IRA certificate accountsCompleted with the credit union.
What happens to each kind of account5
- Payable-on-death account
The named beneficiary provides a certified death certificate and government-issued photo ID and claims the funds directly, without probate.1
- Joint account with survivorship
The surviving owner provides a certified death certificate, and the account passes to that owner.1
- Trust account
The successor trustee provides the trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, a certified death certificate and trustee photo ID. A successor trustee who is not already in the field of membership should expect a membership-eligibility question.1
- IRA
IRA passbook and IRA certificate accounts pass by designation: the designated beneficiary provides a certified death certificate and photo ID and completes the distribution-election paperwork.1
- Account in one name
An account with no payable-on-death beneficiary, no joint owner and no trust titling goes through probate or a small estate affidavit. Kansas and Missouri accounts use different small estate affidavits.1
Not in Great Plains FCU's published guidance1
- A claim form
Sources1
POD, joint and trust accounts are typically settled within days of the credit union verifying a certified death certificate and the claimant's ID.
Great Plains FCU's Member Services can be reached by phone at 1-800-388-1318, email at gpfcu@greatplainsfcu.com, and fax at 1-417-626-8114 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(6)·
Data sourced from Great Plains FCU primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Great Plains FCU death claims support
Member Services
Phone
Toll-free
Carthage, MO branch
Wichita, KS branch
Salina, KS branch
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
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