What to do when a Independent Bank account holder dies

Section 13 of the Independent Bank Deposit Account Agreement sets the defaults. Two or more beneficiaries who survive the last owner own the account in EQUAL SHARES and WITHOUT right of survivorship, unless the account record indicates otherwise — so if the owner wanted unequal percentages, that had to be written into the account designation while they were alive. A beneficiary who is not living when the last owner dies simply takes nothing; there is no automatic pass-through to that person's own children under the account agreement. And if every named beneficiary predeceases the owner, the POD arrangement terminates and the money vests back in the owner, which means it falls into the probate estate. A beneficiary is also assumed to be primary unless the account shows them as contingent. Whatever the split, each beneficiary can only be paid out of what is left after the deceased owner's outstanding checks and debits have cleared. Call the Customer Connection Hub at 800-355-0641 or visit the branch that holds the account to confirm how the designation actually reads.

Through Highpoint, not Independent Bank, until the core banking conversion. Independent Bank Corporation closed its acquisition of HCB Financial Corp. and Highpoint Community Bank on July 1, 2026, but the two banks are still running on separate core systems. Independent Bank states on its merger FAQ page (https://www.independentbank.com/highpoint) that its branches cannot yet process transactions for Highpoint customers and that Highpoint customers should keep using Highpoint branches, checks, debit cards, and online banking until the core conversion, expected in early November 2026. So an executor or POD beneficiary settling a Highpoint account should present the death certificate and Letters at a Highpoint branch for now. Highpoint routing numbers stay the same and most account numbers carry over, so the account will still be identifiable after conversion. The one thing that changed on July 1, 2026 is ATM access: Highpoint customers can use Independent Bank ATMs, with any applicable service fee refunded the next business day.

Up to 10 days after the date of death. Section 55 (Death or Incompetency) of the Independent Bank Deposit Account Agreement says the account holder's death does not revoke the bank's authority to accept, pay, or collect items until the bank actually knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on it, and that even once it knows, the bank may for 10 days after the date of death continue to pay checks drawn on or before the date of death unless a person claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment. Section 26 (Notices) adds that a notice you send is not effective until the bank has received it and had a reasonable opportunity to act. Practical effect for an executor: get written notice of the death to the bank promptly, and if you do not want outstanding checks paid out of the estate's funds, place a stop payment as a person claiming an interest in the account rather than relying on the death itself to freeze the account.

No. IB Wealth Management is a marketing name of Cetera Investment Services, LLC and is not affiliated with Independent Bank for estate-settlement purposes. Cetera, not Independent Bank, holds the investment assets and processes beneficiary or estate claims for brokerage and advisory accounts. For deposit accounts (checking, savings, money market, CD, IRA) call the Customer Connection Hub at 800-355-0641. For IB Wealth Management investment accounts, call 800-300-0459 (Ionia, MI office) or email ibwealth@ibcp.com to start the beneficiary claim through Cetera.