Estate planning at Heartland
How to protect 18 Heartland accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through Heartland's Trust Administration and Estate Planning (German American Bank wealth management)
Brand change
Heartland BancCorp was acquired by German American Bancorp, Inc. on February 1, 2025. Heartland Bank continues to operate under its own brand as a division of German American Bank in the Columbus, Ohio and Greater Cincinnati markets, with its own Customer Care line at (800) 697-0049 and its own branches. Integration has progressed: heartland.bank now publishes German American Bank routing number 083904563, and trust administration and estate planning services are delivered under the German American Bank wealth management group. Effective February 2025.
The procedures below reflect Heartland's accounts. Account servicing may transfer as the change takes effect.
Customer Care Center
430 North Hamilton Road, Whitehall, OH 43213
Trust Administration and Estate Planning (German American Bank wealth management)
Customer Care Center / branch banking (estate settlement)
430 North Hamilton Road, Whitehall, OH 43213
Heartland offers 18 consumer accounts that interact with estate planning in distinct ways. Of those, 15 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.
Heartland lets account holders update beneficiary designations in branch and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes in branch. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
There are two sides to estate planning at Heartland: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 18 account types at Heartland.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Heartland's Trust Administration and Estate Planning (German American Bank wealth management) to file a claim. 7-step process, 9 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →For questions about any of these procedures, contact Heartland's Trust Administration and Estate Planning (German American Bank wealth management) at 800-697-0049.
Because Heartland serves a limited number of states, procedures for trust funding and beneficiary changes may differ depending on your location. Verify availability before starting.
Frequently asked questions
Not under its own name any longer. Heartland's wealth management page now lists Heartland Planning Associates (securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial) and the Wealth Advisory group — asset management, retirement plan services, and wealth advisory online services. The trust administration and estate planning service pages that Heartland used to publish are gone, and those services are now delivered by German American Bank's wealth management group (germanamerican.com/wealth-management/trust-administration). If you want a corporate trustee rather than a family member serving as trustee, call the Customer Care Center at (800) 697-0049 and ask for a referral to the German American Bank trust department.
Sources
Data sourced from Heartland primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Care Center
430 North Hamilton Road, Whitehall, OH 43213
Trust Administration and Estate Planning (German American Bank wealth management)
Customer Care Center / branch banking (estate settlement)
430 North Hamilton Road, Whitehall, OH 43213
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Heartland accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
