Honda Financial Services
Subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda Motor Co., Ltd.)
hondafinancialservices.comWhat to do when a Honda Financial Services account holder dies
Report the death to Honda Financial Services at 1-800-445-1358
Notifying Honda Financial Services of a death is not a claim for money — it is the step that stops the account, fixes the balance owed as of the date of death, and puts Honda Financial Services on notice as a creditor of the estate. Honda Financial Services (1-800-445-1358) handles it.
Claims can be filed by phone (1-800-445-1358) or by emailing documentation to Honda@vitu.com (Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information submissions only). Before reaching out, gather the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Honda Financial Services requires:
Filing a claim
- AHFC has no single national customer-service line; the page returns the regional branch's number and hours
- California returns (800) 445-1358 and Texas (800) 448-9307. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. in the branch time zone, with automated lines 24 hours a day
- AHFC asks you to have the account number ready, and says it is on the monthly statement, in the online account, or on any Honda Financial Services correspondence
- 1-800-708-6555 is the Lease Maturity Center, not the servicing desk. Use it (Acura: 1-866-777-6495) only for a lease return or buyout
- The Letters, not the decedent's old Third Party Authorization form, give the executor standing to get account information and act
- Confirm the address on file: AHFC mails the title or lien release there. AHFC tells customers to check it under Finance Account Details in the online account
- P.O. Box 6070, Cypress, CA 90630-6070: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT and WA
- P.O. Box 1027, Alpharetta, GA 30009-1027: AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, MA, ME, MS, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI and VT
- P.O. Box 168008, Irving, TX 75016-8008: AR, CO, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV and WY
- The Contact Us page's "Payment Addresses" tab shows the right correspondence address once you pick the product and the state of original acquisition
- Do not send estate paperwork to P.O. Box 165007, Irving, TX 75016. That box is for mailed principal payments on a retail account
- Regular payments: P.O. Box 60001, City of Industry, CA 91716-0001, or P.O. Box 7829, Philadelphia, PA 19101-7829, depending on the branch
- Mailed principal payments on a retail account: a check payable to American Honda Finance Corporation, with the account number and "principal payment" on it, to P.O. Box 165007, Irving, TX 75016
- Overnight retail payoff: American Honda Finance Corporation, Lockbox #7829, 400 White Clay Center Drive, Newark, DE 19711-5468
- A vehicle that is not purchased is returned to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer. Keep the signed Leased Vehicle Return Receipt and Odometer Disclosure Statement the dealer completes
- Schedule the end-of-lease inspection through a licensed inspection company, online or at 1-800-340-4080, with the finance account number and VIN. AHFC issues a Vehicle Inspection Report afterward
- After the return, call the Lease Maturity Center again to report it. If all payments have been made, the call starts the completion process for the lease account and monthly billing stops
- Ask AHFC to quote the total lease-termination liability in writing before choosing between returning and buying out
- Complete the highlighted fields only up to the "Lessor Information" section; AHFC completes that part
- Check exactly one odometer box: "Selecting 2 or 3 will invalidate the odometer form."
- Use the Title Release Information section to say where the Certificate of Title should be sent, including to a financial institution funding the buyout
- If the payoff is made online, email the form to Honda@vitu.com or fax it to 937-481-5307, Attn: Captive Client
- By mail with a check: Honda Finance Exchange Inc., P.O. Box 70252, Philadelphia, PA 19176-0252
- Overnight with a check: American Honda Finance Corporation, Lockbox 70252, 2005 Market Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-7042
- Without a check: American Honda Finance Corp, Attn: Title Processing, 9750 Goethe Rd., Sacramento, CA 95827
- An account paid in full for more than 90 days can also order a duplicate title or lien release online through Vehicle Title My Way
Required Documents
- AHFC account number and the vehicle VINAHFC says the account number is on the monthly statement, in the online account, or on any Honda Financial Services correspondence.
- The state where the vehicle was originally acquiredIt determines which AHFC servicing branch, phone number and correspondence address apply.
- Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information form, for a lease buyoutOhio has its own version, and the standard form states it does not apply in Ohio.
- Leased Vehicle Return Receipt and Odometer Disclosure Statement, for a lease returnCompleted at the authorized Honda or Acura dealer.
- Vehicle Inspection Report, for a lease returnAHFC issues it after the end-of-lease inspection.
- The original finance or lease contract, to see whether Honda Care GAP or credit life coverage was purchasedCredit life coverage, if it was purchased at the dealership, is the only optional product that pays on death.
Forms Honda Financial Services issues3
- Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information
Completed by the estate, up to the "Lessor Information" section, which AHFC completes. Available to download.1
- Ohio Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information
Completed by the estate, for a vehicle garaged in Ohio. Available to download.2
- Leased Vehicle Return Receipt and Odometer Disclosure Statement
Completed by the authorized Honda or Acura dealer. Available to download.3
What happens to each kind of account3
- Loan
After the final payment clears, AHFC releases the lien and usually mails the title or lien release within 2-3 weeks.4
On a retail account the document is usually a lien release, which AHFC says is taken to the state titling agency to remove the lien. If a credit union, bank or dealership pays the account off, the title goes to whoever paid it off, not to the estate.5
- Debt protection, GAP or service contract
AHFC's GAP brochure describes Honda Care GAP as a deficiency waiver, not insurance, that applies only when the vehicle is declared a total loss from accident, theft or natural disaster. It does not pay the loan off because the borrower died.6
- Vehicle lease
"We are unable to conduct third-party sales. In accordance with the HFS and AFS lease agreement, lease purchases are only available to the lessee or authorized Honda and Acura dealers." An heir who is not the lessee cannot buy the car out in their own name.7
On a lease buyout, AHFC states the usual time to receive the title is 2-3 weeks, depending on the state and how the title is held, once there is no outstanding balance and final payment clearance is verified.8
The lease includes an Excessive Wear-and-Use or Damage Waiver. Wear or use beyond the waiver, excess mileage, outstanding payments and any other obligations the lease specifies survive the lessee and are claims against the estate.5
Payments stay due while the estate is settled. End-of-term lease liabilities are billed later, after the vehicle is returned, not at return. The lessor named on the title is Honda Lease Trust or HVT, Inc., Trustee for Honda Lease Trust, 1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90501.5
AHFC's return receipt states it "DOES NOT establish the accurate condition of the vehicle, amount required to complete repairs, any further lease termination liability that may be owed by the lessee and any release from terms and conditions of the original lease agreement."3
The return receipt has a checkbox for "Vehicle inspection was not performed. Vehicle condition pending final inspection by AHFC", which leaves the estate's exposure open-ended instead of documented.3
State requirements Honda Financial Services statesOhio, New York, Virginia
- Ohio
In Ohio, the title or lien release after a loan payoff can take 4-6 weeks.4
In Ohio, the title after a lease buyout can take 4-6 weeks.8
The standard Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information form "does not apply for the state of Ohio"; an Ohio-garaged vehicle uses the Ohio version.1
- New York
For New York residents, the Trust designation on a lease is HVT, Inc. as Trustee for Honda Lease Trust.5
- Virginia
For Virginia residents, the Trust designation on a lease is HVT, Inc. as Trustee for Honda Lease Trust.5
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Honda Finance Exchange, Inc.
Lease purchases: Honda Lease Trust has assigned its rights (but not obligations) to purchase or sell the vehicle to it5
Mailing address: Honda Finance Exchange Inc., P.O. Box 70252, Philadelphia, PA 19176-0252
- Safe-Guard Products International, LLC
Administration of the Honda Care GAP deficiency waiver6
Phone: 1-877-734-8612
What Honda Financial Services's agreement and guidance say1
- Who can get account information
AHFC's Third Party Authorization ("Authorization to Release Account Information") authorizes disclosure to a named person for the duration of the loan and is not a grant of settlement authority. After the death, the Letters give the executor standing to get account information.9
Not in Honda Financial Services's published guidance5
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form
- A mailing address for claim documents
- How long a claim takes
- Loan-assumption program
Sources9
- 1.Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information
- 2.Ohio Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information
- 3.Leased Vehicle Return Receipt and Odometer Disclosure Statement
- 4.When will I receive my title or lien release?
- 5.Contact Us
- 6.Honda Care Guaranteed Auto Protection (GAP) brochure
- 7.Third-party lease purchase
- 8.When will I receive my title (lease)?
- 9.Third Party Authorization (Authorization to Release Account Information)
Honda Financial Services can be reached by phone at 1-800-445-1358 and email at Honda@vitu.com (Odometer Disclosure Statement and Title Release Information submissions only) for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Honda Financial Services primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Honda Financial Services death claims support
Phone
Title release paperwork only
Honda Auto - AK AZ CA HI ID NV OR UT WA
Honda Auto - AL CT DE FL GA MA ME MS NH NJ NY PA RI VT
Honda Auto - AR CO KS LA MO MT ND NE NM OK SD TX WY
Honda Auto - IA IL IN KY MI MN OH WI
Honda Auto - DC MD NC SC TN VA WV
Acura Auto - regional lines
Lease Maturity Center - Honda
Lease Maturity Center - Acura
Honda Care GAP administrator
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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