What to do when a LGE Community CU account holder dies
Contact LGE Community CU — 7-step process, 7 required documents, and pod and joint accounts typically processed upon verification of documents; intestate deposits of $10,000 or less may settle by o.c.g.a. section 7-1-239 affidavit without administration; larger estate accounts vary based on georgia probate requirements
Member Services
LGE Community Credit Union, P.O. Box 1188, Marietta, GA 30061-9974
Member Services
LGE Community Credit Union, P.O. Box 1188, Marietta, GA 30061-9974
Member Services (deceased-member accounts; legal documents intake)
LGE Community Credit Union, Attn: Member Services, P.O. Box 1188, Marietta, GA 30061-9974
After a member of LGE Community CU dies, the Member Services (deceased-member accounts; legal documents intake) manages the transfer of accounts. POD-designated and trust-owned accounts pass directly to beneficiaries. Accounts held solely in the member's name may require probate court documents—Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration—before funds can be released.
Claims can be filed by phone (770-424-0060) or by emailing documentation to LegalDocs@LGEccu.org. Before reaching out, gather the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with LGE Community CU:
Filing a claim
- LGE may freeze the account until it receives documents verifying the death and instructions on the remaining funds
- LGE may pay, without inquiring, any item the owner authorized before death -- so checks the decedent wrote can still clear after the date of death
- LGE may return or reverse deposits (this is how post-death Social Security or pension credits get pulled back)
- LGE may apply the funds to any debt the owner owed LGE -- an auto loan, Visa balance, or HELOC -- BEFORE recognizing the rights of a surviving joint owner, POD beneficiary, or estate. LGE holds a statutory and consensual lien on all shares in every individual and joint account of the member, regardless of who deposited the money
- If LGE releases funds after the death and later has to pay a tax or reclamation claim to a government agency, the decedent's estate must reimburse LGE
- For POD accounts: beneficiary provides certified death certificate and government-issued photo ID to claim funds. If every named beneficiary predeceased the member, the MAA pays the funds to the estate of the last surviving owner instead, and the account goes through Georgia probate
- For joint accounts with right of survivorship: surviving owner provides certified death certificate to remove deceased from account
- For accounts without POD or joint ownership: executor or administrator provides estate documents (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
- For smaller intestate estates with no POD or joint owner: Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Section 7-1-239) authorizes a financial institution to pay a deposit of not more than $10,000 directly to the surviving spouse (or, if none, to the children, then parents, then siblings pro rata) upon a signed affidavit, without administration; ask LegalDocs@LGEccu.org whether LGE can settle the account this way
- For IRA accounts: designated beneficiary provides certified death certificate and government-issued photo ID; distribution options depend on beneficiary type and relationship
- For investment accounts through LGE Investment Group / LPL Financial: contact LGE Investment Group at 770-421-2586 for separate claims procedures
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD/joint account)
- Georgia deceased-depositor affidavit under O.C.G.A. Section 7-1-239 (for intestate deposits of $10,000 or less claimed by next of kin without administration)
- Order Declaring No Administration Necessary under O.C.G.A. Section 53-2-40 (Georgia alternative when heirs agree and the estate owes no unpaid debts)
- Trust documents (if trust is named as beneficiary)
- Marriage certificate or proof of relationship (may be required)
What to know at this institution
LGE does not publish a dedicated death claim or estate settlement page and has no claims portal or named claim form; estate and legal documents are directed to LegalDocs@LGEccu.org per the LGE Contact Us page, and the governing terms are in the Membership and Account Agreement at https://www.lgeccu.org/membership-and-account-agreement.html (effective January 1, 2026). The MAA is the operative document on death: LGE may freeze the account pending verifying documents, may keep paying items the member authorized before death without inquiring, may return or reverse deposits, and may apply the balance to any debt the member owed LGE before recognizing a surviving joint owner, POD beneficiary, or the estate -- LGE holds a statutory and consensual lien (cross-collateralization) on all shares in every individual and joint account of the member regardless of who contributed them. A joint owner's survivorship interest is likewise subject to that set-off. If LGE releases funds after death and later has to pay a government tax or reclamation claim, the estate must reimburse LGE. Contact Member Services at 770-424-0060 (toll-free 1-800-541-8921) for guidance on the specific process. Georgia does not use a general small-estate affidavit: for a deposit of $10,000 or less held by an intestate member with no POD or surviving joint owner, O.C.G.A. Section 7-1-239 lets the credit union pay next of kin on affidavit without administration, and larger no-debt estates can use an Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (O.C.G.A. Section 53-2-40) instead of full probate. Investment accounts held through LGE Investment Group / LPL Financial may require a separate claims process through LPL.
Prepare your letter of instruction to LGE Community CU
LGE Community CU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to LGE Community CU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at LGE Community CU: POD and joint accounts typically processed upon verification of documents; intestate deposits of $10,000 or less may settle by O.C.G.A. Section 7-1-239 affidavit without administration; larger estate accounts vary based on Georgia probate requirements. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Documentation required by LGE Community CU includes Certified death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD/joint account), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
LGE opens trust accounts on its Trust Membership Application (https://www.lgeccu.org/content/docs/TrustMembershipApp.pdf). The form recognizes three trust types only -- Revocable, Irrevocable, and Qualified Income Trust (QIT) -- and takes the trust name, established date, and trust EIN (or the grantor SSN, which LGE uses for all IRS reporting). Two conditions are specific to LGE. First, by signing, the trustees certify that all Trustees, Successor Trustees, and Beneficiaries of the trust are within LGE's field of membership, which is limited to 15 northwest Georgia counties, partner-group employees, and family of eligible members -- so an out-of-state successor trustee or beneficiary is worth raising with LGE before you retitle. Second, the trustees warrant their authority to bind the trust and agree to fully indemnify and hold LGE harmless for any claim arising from LGE relying on that authority. LGE states on the form that it gives no advice on the EIN-versus-SSN choice or its estate and probate consequences.
Report the death to LGE Member Services at 770-424-0060 (toll-free 1-800-541-8921), by email to LegalDocs@LGEccu.org, or at any branch. For POD accounts, the beneficiary presents a certified death certificate and photo ID. For joint accounts with right of survivorship, the surviving owner presents a certified death certificate. Otherwise the executor or administrator presents Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the Georgia probate court. Georgia has no general small-estate affidavit statute. Two Georgia-specific routes replace it: O.C.G.A. Section 7-1-239 lets a financial institution pay a deposit of not more than $10,000 belonging to an intestate depositor directly to the surviving spouse (or, if none, children, then parents, then siblings, pro rata) on a signed affidavit without any administration; and O.C.G.A. Section 53-2-40 provides an Order Declaring No Administration Necessary for a no-debt estate where the heirs agree. Ask LegalDocs@LGEccu.org which route LGE will accept for the balance you are claiming.
No. LGE's Membership and Account Agreement (effective January 1, 2026) gives it a statutory and consensual lien on all funds in every individual and joint share account of a member, regardless of who deposited them, and states that on notice of death LGE may apply the funds to any debt the member owed it before recognizing the rights of a surviving joint owner or any other person. The Beneficiary Account clause says the same thing from the other direction: the funds are payable to the designated beneficiary "unless subject to our right of set-off or a pledge of the funds," in which case they belong to LGE up to the amount owed. So an unpaid LGE auto loan, Visa balance, or HELOC is collected out of the deposit accounts first, and only the remainder reaches the POD beneficiary or the estate. A pledged share certificate securing an LGE loan is affected the same way.
Your estate, and it goes through Georgia probate. LGE beneficiary (POD) accounts carry no rights of survivorship among the beneficiaries: the Membership and Account Agreement states that if all named beneficiaries predecease the owners, the funds are paid to the estate of the last surviving owner. There is no automatic pass-through to a deceased beneficiary's own children. Naming contingent beneficiaries -- and reviewing them after a death in the family -- is what keeps the account out of probate. Any owner can change a beneficiary during their lifetime by written direction to LGE; there is no standalone POD form PDF, so this is done at a branch or by calling 770-424-0060.
LGE Community CU's Member Services (deceased-member accounts; legal documents intake) can be reached by phone at 1-800-541-8921, email at LegalDocs@LGEccu.org, and fax at 678-290-2863 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple LGE Community CU accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Member Services (deceased-member accounts; legal documents intake) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from LGE Community CU primary sources (30 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Services
LGE Community Credit Union, P.O. Box 1188, Marietta, GA 30061-9974
Member Services
LGE Community Credit Union, P.O. Box 1188, Marietta, GA 30061-9974
Member Services (deceased-member accounts; legal documents intake)
LGE Community Credit Union, Attn: Member Services, P.O. Box 1188, Marietta, GA 30061-9974
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