What to do when a Grow Financial account holder dies
Report the death to Grow Financial's Deposit Servicing at 1-800-839-6328
After a member of Grow Financial dies, the Deposit Servicing 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.
Begin by calling Grow Financial at 1-800-839-6328. You will need the deceased's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate to get the process started.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Grow Financial:
Filing a claim
- Fax: 813-832-2088 (the "Deposit Servicing (Death Certificates)" line)
- Mail: Grow Financial FCU, P.O. Box 89669, Tampa, FL 33689-0411
- Or hand it in at any store
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificateFax it to Deposit Servicing at 813-832-2088, or mail it to P.O. Box 89669, Tampa, FL 33689-0411.
- Government-issued photo ID, for the claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, for an account with no payable-on-death beneficiary, joint owner or trust title
- Florida family-member affidavit, for a small account in the member's sole name with no payable-on-death or other survivor designation, under Florida's affidavit procedureA Grow account with a payable-on-death beneficiary or a joint owner is outside this route and pays the survivor.
- Florida summary administration or disposition-without-administration order, where the estate qualifies for one of Florida's court-supervised small-estate routes
- South Carolina small estate affidavit, for a small estateIt must be approved and countersigned by the probate judge of the member's county before Grow will act on it.
- Trust document with amendments, and the successor trustee's ID, for a trust-titled account
- Indemnification, if Grow requires it of the claiming party
What happens to each kind of account6
- Payable-on-death account
The balance is paid to the named beneficiary on ID and the claim paperwork, once the certified death certificate is with Deposit Servicing. A predeceased beneficiary's share is split among the surviving beneficiaries.1
- Joint account with survivorship
All sums pass to the surviving owner, whose interest is still subject to Grow's lien and set-off for what the member owed. Grow may close the account within a reasonable time and remove the deceased owner.1
- Account in one name
With no payable-on-death beneficiary, joint owner or trust title, the personal representative presents Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary, and the claim waits on the court.1
If there is no beneficiary, no probate and no estate, Grow may pay the funds to an heir, who is then solely responsible for distributing them, or hold the funds until a court order is presented. It is not required to pay an heir.1
- IRA
An IRA or IRA certificate is claimed under its own beneficiary designation, never under the payable-on-death form.1
- Health savings account
An HSA is claimed under its own beneficiary designation, never under the payable-on-death form.1
- Certificate of deposit
Under section 7 of the Certificate Account Disclosures, Grow "may grant a premature withdrawal request without penalty, or with a reduced penalty" where "an account owner dies or is determined to be legally incompetent by a court." The waiver is discretionary.2
Without the waiver, the penalty is 90 days' dividends for an original maturity of one year or less, or 180 days' dividends for a longer term, and it can come out of principal.2
State law on paying a balance without lettersFlorida
- Florida
Fla. Stat. § 735.303
Florida law permits a credit union to pay from a deceased member's balance on an affidavit made under oath, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Fla. Stat. § 735.303Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: family member (surviving spouse; else adult child; else adult descendant; else parent)
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution and $2,000 in total from every holder
When: not earlier than 6 months after the date of the decedent’s death
The section permits the payment. It does not require the credit union to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- LPL Financial
Investment and retirement accounts held through LPL; the claim is filed with the LPL advisor, not with Grow3
What Grow Financial's agreement and guidance say11
- Telling the institution
Grow may honor transactions until it is notified of the death and given satisfactory evidence, such as a certified death certificate or a court order.1
- Payments after the death
Even after proper notice, Grow may pay checks and other transfer orders the member authorized for 10 days after the date of death, unless a person claiming an interest in the account tells it to stop payment.1
- Deposits after the death
Grow may debit the account and return deposits of salary, pension, Social Security or SSI made after the death that were payable to the member.1
Deposits made payable to, or in the name of, a deceased member "will not be accepted" and "must be negotiated through an estate account at another financial institution." A final paycheck, refund or insurance check made out to the member needs an estate account elsewhere.1
- What it does when notified
Dividends may stop accruing as of the date of death, and dividends paid after that date may be reversed.1
- How proceeds are paid
Under section 28, funds are transferred into the primary savings account before being paid to the joint owner, payable-on-death beneficiary or estate.1
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
Grow "may require anyone claiming the owner's account funds to indemnify us for any losses resulting from our honoring that claim," and may require documentary evidence satisfactory to it before releasing anything.1
- Debts owed to the institution
Any payment of funds on a member's death is subject to Grow's lien and security interest, and Grow may place an administrative freeze on share accounts. A loan, credit card or overdraft balance is settled out of a payable-on-death, joint or estate deposit balance before anyone is paid.1
Under section 15, the statutory lien and pledge "do not apply to any Individual Retirement Account or any other account that would lose special tax treatment," so an inherited IRA, IRA certificate or HSA is not used for the member's Grow debt.1
- Arbitration
Section 32 binds disputes brought by "a joint account holder, account beneficiary, ... heir, assignee, or trustee in bankruptcy," with a class action waiver. The 45-day opt-out runs from account opening, and arbitration does not apply while the member is an active duty Service Member or a covered dependent.1
- Membership
The Basic Savings share account is the membership account, and every other balance is transferred into it on death. Closing it ends the membership, so it is the last account to close.3
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
The fee schedule charges Dormant Account Maintenance of $15.00 a month beginning at 15 months of inactivity, and $25.00 for Abandoned Property Processing when a balance is escheated. Checkless Checking and accounts of members under 18 are exempt from the dormancy fee.4
- Fees
Account Research/Reconciliation, for historical statements, is $25.00 an hour, and Legal Processing is $55.00 for garnishments, levies and court orders.4
Not in Grow Financial's published guidance1
- A procedure for reporting a death
Sources4
- 1.Universal Account Agreement and Disclosures
- 2.Certificate Account Disclosures, Rev 9-2025
- 3.Contact Information
- 4.Consumer Account Fee Schedule, effective 2025-08-19
Grow Financial's Deposit Servicing can be reached by phone at 1-800-839-6328 and fax at 1-813-832-2088 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(1)·
Data sourced from Grow Financial primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Grow Financial death claims support
Deposit Servicing (Death Certificates)
Phone
Toll-free
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
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