What to do when a LMCU account holder dies
Contact LMCU's Special Accounts (trust, estate, conservatorship, guardianship, POA) — 6-step process, 8 required documents, and pod and joint-survivorship payouts move quickly once the original death certificate and claimant id are in hand — typically days, not weeks. estate memberships are gated by the probate court: lmcu cannot act on estate funds until letters (michigan) or letters of testamentary (florida) and the estate ein exist, which is usually several weeks after death.
Contact Center
Phone(800) 242-9790
Toll-Free1-800-242-9790
Mailing Address
Lake Michigan Credit Union, 4027 Lake Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
WebsiteLearn more→
Special Accounts (trust, estate, conservatorship, guardianship, POA)
Phone(616) 265-3130
Toll-Free1-800-242-9790
Mailing Address
Lake Michigan Credit Union, Attn: Special Accounts, PO Box 2848, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2848
Special Accounts - IRA / HSA / Deferred Compensation
Contact Center
WebsiteLearn more→
Special Accounts - Decedent Estate
Phone(616) 265-3130
Toll-Free1-800-242-9790
Mailing Address
Lake Michigan Credit Union, Attn: Special Accounts, PO Box 2848, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2848
IRA / HSA death claims
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
The Special Accounts (trust, estate, conservatorship, guardianship, POA) at LMCU coordinates account transitions after a member's death. How each account is handled depends on its setup: POD and trust accounts transfer automatically, while solely-owned accounts typically require court authorization through Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
LMCU provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what LMCU requires:
Filing a claim
1
Notify LMCU. Which line you call depends on the account:
- Trust, estate, conservatorship, guardianship, and other special accounts: 616-265-3130
- IRA, HSA, or deferred compensation: 616-234-6335
- General member accounts / Contact Center: 800-242-9790 (Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-1 p.m.)
- Or use the secure contact form at https://www.lmcu.org/contact-us/
2
Give the deceased member's name, membership number, and date of death. LMCU only settles accounts for people who were LMCU members before death — its Special Accounts checklist states the deceased individual must have been a member with LMCU prior to death.
3
Deliver an ORIGINAL death certificate (LMCU's checklist says "Original Death Certification" — not a photocopy) plus your own valid photo ID.
4
Then supply what your role requires, per https://cdn.lmcu.org/Docs/Scheduling-Special_Account_Documentation.pdf:
- POD beneficiary: photo ID; LMCU pays the beneficiaries named on the Account Card in their designated percentages
- Surviving joint owner: photo ID and the death certificate; the account passes by survivorship
- Successor trustee: Certificate of Trust Existence and Authority, the grantor's original death certificate, trustee ID, and Tax ID verification (IRS EIN letter) for the trust
- Personal representative of a MICHIGAN decedent: Letters of Personal Representative plus Tax ID verification for the estate
- Personal representative of a FLORIDA decedent: Letters of Testamentary plus Tax ID verification for the estate
5
A decedent-estate membership is opened in the estate's name using the estate EIN, and the decedent's funds are moved into it.
6
Special Accounts reviews the package, applies any LMCU debt against the shares (see notes), and pays out per the POD designation, survivorship, trust terms, or the personal representative's direction.
Required Documents
- ORIGINAL death certificate (LMCU's Special Accounts checklist specifies an original, not a copy)
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant — required for every special account type
- Letters of Personal Representative — MICHIGAN residents only
- Letters of Testamentary — FLORIDA residents only
- Tax ID verification (IRS EIN letter) for the decedent-estate membership or the now-irrevocable trust
- Certificate of Trust Existence and Authority plus trustee ID, where a trust owns or is beneficiary of the account
- Proof that the deceased was an LMCU member before death (LMCU will not open a decedent-estate membership otherwise)
- Michigan small estates: an Affidavit of Decedent's Successor (form PC 598) under MCL 700.3983 is Michigan's statutory substitute for Letters where the estate is at or below the 2026 adjusted threshold of $53,000 and 28 days have passed since death. LMCU's own checklist names only Letters of Personal Representative, so confirm acceptance with Special Accounts at 616-265-3130 before relying on the affidavit.
What to know at this institution
LMCU keeps decedent handling in one place: Special Accounts. The non-IRA Special Accounts line is 616-265-3130 (the 616-234-6335 line is the IRA/HSA/deferred-compensation desk), a split most callers get wrong. Three things shape what actually reaches heirs. First, LMCU's statutory and consensual lien (member agreement sec. 21) lets it apply the shares in ANY joint or individual account to a debt the member owed it, without notice to any owner, and it states the lien has priority over all other claims; sec. 22 preserves a common-law right of set-off. An unpaid LMCU loan, credit card, or negative balance is taken out of the shares before beneficiaries or the estate see them. Second, LMCU will not release funds to a survivor until all required legal documents are delivered (member agreement, rights-of-survivorship clause), and it may refuse to honor an instruction based on a power of attorney, court order, or trust until it is satisfied of the document's legality and authenticity. Third, Michigan's Credit Union Multiple-Party Accounts Act (Act 41 of 1968) governs the payout mechanics: on a survivorship account the credit union may pay a surviving party on demand and may NOT pay the personal representative or heirs of a deceased party unless proof of death shows the decedent was the LAST surviving party (MCL 490.61); on a POD/trust-form account it may pay the beneficiary on demand upon proof of death that the beneficiary survived all owners (MCL 490.62); payment discharges the credit union (MCL 490.63); and the survivorship presumption cannot be overridden by the decedent's will (MCL 490.58). Certificates cannot carry a POD beneficiary at LMCU, but sec. 8 of the member agreement lets LMCU waive or reduce the early-withdrawal penalty when a certificate is closed because of the owner's death. MaxWealth Management (LPL Financial) accounts are claimed through the LPL advisor, not Special Accounts.
Prepare your letter of instruction to LMCU
LMCU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to LMCU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at LMCU: POD and joint-survivorship payouts move quickly once the original death certificate and claimant ID are in hand — typically days, not weeks. Estate memberships are gated by the probate court: LMCU cannot act on estate funds until Letters (Michigan) or Letters of Testamentary (Florida) and the estate EIN exist, which is usually several weeks after death. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by LMCU includes ORIGINAL death certificate (LMCU's Special Accounts checklist specifies an original, not a copy), Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant — required for every special account type, and Letters of Personal Representative — MICHIGAN residents only, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
LMCU's Beneficiary Designation Form covers "all shares except CDs, IRAs and HSAs." Certificates are simply outside the POD system, so the only ways to keep an LMCU CD out of probate are joint ownership with survivorship or retitling the certificate into a revocable trust (certificates can be trust-titled). IRAs and HSAs are not left unprotected — their beneficiaries are named on the IRA or HSA paperwork itself, handled by the Special Accounts IRA/HSA desk at 616-234-6335, a separate designation system from the share POD form. The practical failure at LMCU is a member who completes the POD form, assumes it covers everything, and leaves a certificate with no survivor and no trust title.
They do differ, and LMCU's Special Accounts checklist spells it out. Every decedent file needs an ORIGINAL death certificate (not a copy), valid photo ID, and Tax ID verification for the estate. For the court appointment, LMCU asks Michigan residents for Letters of Personal Representative and Florida residents for Letters of Testamentary. The checklist also states the deceased individual must have been an LMCU member prior to death. For a trust, LMCU asks for the Certificate of Trust Existence and Authority; if the grantor has died, add the original death certificate and the trust's IRS EIN letter. Start at Special Accounts on 616-265-3130 — not the 616-234-6335 line, which is the IRA/HSA desk.
Yes. Section 21 of the LMCU Membership Agreement gives the credit union a statutory and consensual lien on all funds in every joint and individual share account, regardless of who contributed them; it authorizes LMCU to apply those shares to any obligation the member owes it without notice to any account owner, and states the lien has priority over all other claims. Section 22 preserves a common-law right of set-off. Michigan law backs this up for credit unions: MCL 490.64 lets a credit union set off against the entire amount of a multiple-party account when a party to it is indebted to the credit union. So an outstanding LMCU auto loan, credit card, or overdraft balance comes out of the shares before a POD beneficiary or the estate is paid.
No. Michigan's Credit Union Multiple-Party Accounts Act (Act 41 of 1968) governs LMCU's accounts, and MCL 490.58 says the survivorship presumptions "are not subject to change by will" — they can only be rebutted by a signed written order that the credit union receives during the party's lifetime. In practice, the Account Card on file wins over conflicting language in your will. If your estate plan changes, file a new LMCU Beneficiary Designation Form; do not assume a new will fixes an out-of-date POD.
LMCU's Special Accounts - Decedent Estate can be reached by phone at 1-800-242-9790 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple LMCU accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Special Accounts (trust, estate, conservatorship, guardianship, POA) to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from LMCU primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Contact Center
Phone(800) 242-9790
Toll-Free1-800-242-9790
Mailing Address
Lake Michigan Credit Union, 4027 Lake Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
WebsiteLearn more→
Special Accounts (trust, estate, conservatorship, guardianship, POA)
Phone(616) 265-3130
Toll-Free1-800-242-9790
Mailing Address
Lake Michigan Credit Union, Attn: Special Accounts, PO Box 2848, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2848
Special Accounts - IRA / HSA / Deferred Compensation
Contact Center
WebsiteLearn more→
Special Accounts - Decedent Estate
Phone(616) 265-3130
Toll-Free1-800-242-9790
Mailing Address
Lake Michigan Credit Union, Attn: Special Accounts, PO Box 2848, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2848
IRA / HSA death claims
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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