How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at PlainsCapital
Covers 8 deposit, 4 retirement, and 2 lending accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
PlainsCapital Bank Customer Service
Phone866-762-8392
Mailing Address
PlainsCapital Bank, 325 N. Saint Paul St., Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75201
Debit Card Activation/PIN (24/7)
Fraud Department
PrimeLending (main)
PrimeLending Loan Servicing
HilltopSecurities (wealth management / HQ)
WebsiteLearn more→
The Private Bank - Trust & Estate Services (Estate Administration; Living & Testamentary Trusts)
Phone214-252-4030
Austin
Dallas
Fort Worth
Houston & Coastal Bend
Lubbock
McAllen
WebsiteLearn more→
PlainsCapital Bank Customer Service (deposit death claims are settled through the branch network; no separate claims desk is published)
Phone866-762-8392
Mailing Address
PlainsCapital Bank, 325 N. Saint Paul St., Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75201
PrimeLending Loan Servicing (mortgage death claims)
HilltopSecurities (brokerage death claims)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
The key to protecting your PlainsCapital accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.
Across 14 product types, PlainsCapital accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Payable on Death (POD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
BasicAccess CheckingTotalAccess CheckingPremierAccess CheckingLegacyAccess CheckingProtect and Serve CheckingPersonal Savings AccountMoney Market AccountCertificate of Deposit (CD)
1
Visit a PlainsCapital Bank branch with government-issued photo ID (branch locator: https://www.plainscapital.com/locations/)
2
Tell the banker you want to designate P.O.D. payees. At PlainsCapital the account type and its death disposition are set by the Signature Card you sign, not by a separate standalone beneficiary form -- so the banker will have you sign a new or amended Signature Card
3
Choose the ownership type deliberately, because the Consumer Deposit Account Agreement warns in capital letters that the account type you select may determine how the property passes and that your will may not control it:
- Single-Party Account with P.O.D. designation -- you own it during life; at death it passes to the surviving P.O.D. payees
- Multiple-Party Account WITH right of survivorship -- passes to the surviving parties, not through your will
- Multiple-Party Account WITHOUT right of survivorship -- the deceased party's share passes through the estate
- Community Property Account with or without right of survivorship (Texas, married couples only, and only if noted on the Signature Card)
- Trust Account (an informal "in trust for" account) -- on the death of the last surviving trustee, ownership passes to the beneficiary and the account is not part of the trustee's estate
4
Provide each payee's details:
- Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Primary and contingent designations, with distribution percentages if there are several
5
Do not rely on a convenience signer as an inheritance plan. The agreement is explicit: a designated convenience signer may transact for you during your lifetime but does NOT own the account during your life, and owns it at your death ONLY if that person is also named as a P.O.D. payee or Trust Account beneficiary
6
Review and sign the Signature Card with the banker and keep a copy with your estate documents
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- THE SIGNATURE CARD CONTROLS. The Consumer Deposit Account Agreement states that the type of account you select may determine how property passes at your death and that your will may not control the disposition of funds in some account types.
- A convenience signer is not an heir. The signer owns the account at your death only if also named a P.O.D. payee or Trust Account beneficiary.
- Community property accounts are available only to a married couple and only if noted on the Signature Card; if the spouses later divorce, the bank will treat them as joint owners with right of survivorship.
- For IRA accounts, use the IRA beneficiary designation form, not a P.O.D. designation.
- Review designations after marriage, divorce, birth, or a death in the family, and coordinate them with your will and trust -- a P.O.D. payee takes ahead of your will.
Sources
Data sourced from PlainsCapital primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these PlainsCapital instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against PlainsCapital primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
PlainsCapital Bank Customer Service
Phone866-762-8392
Mailing Address
PlainsCapital Bank, 325 N. Saint Paul St., Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75201
Debit Card Activation/PIN (24/7)
Fraud Department
PrimeLending (main)
PrimeLending Loan Servicing
HilltopSecurities (wealth management / HQ)
WebsiteLearn more→
The Private Bank - Trust & Estate Services (Estate Administration; Living & Testamentary Trusts)
Phone214-252-4030
Austin
Dallas
Fort Worth
Houston & Coastal Bend
Lubbock
McAllen
WebsiteLearn more→
PlainsCapital Bank Customer Service (deposit death claims are settled through the branch network; no separate claims desk is published)
Phone866-762-8392
Mailing Address
PlainsCapital Bank, 325 N. Saint Paul St., Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75201
PrimeLending Loan Servicing (mortgage death claims)
HilltopSecurities (brokerage death claims)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your PlainsCapital accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
