What to do when a Machias Savings Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Machias Savings Bank's Customer Service at 1-866-416-9302
When an account holder at Machias Savings Bank passes away, the next step depends on how the accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with Machias Savings Bank's Customer Service (1-866-416-9302) to access and distribute the funds.
To start, call Machias Savings Bank at 1-866-416-9302. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate ready before you call.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Machias Savings Bank:
Filing a claim
What happens to each kind of account1
State law on paying a balance without lettersMaine
- Maine
9-B M.R.S. § 427(8)(A)
Maine law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on proof the institution accepts, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.9-B M.R.S. § 427(8)(A)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $1,000 per account
Paid to: the surviving spouse; next of kin; funeral director or other preferred creditor or creditors who may appear to be entitled to the deposit or account
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
What Machias Savings Bank's agreement and guidance say3
- Debts owed to the institution
The online banking terms let the bank take money from an account to cover a due debt owed to it, and on a joint account to cover any one owner's debt. The bank says it will tell the customer when it does this.3
- Fees
Account research costs $30 at minimum and account reconciliation $30 an hour. Photocopies and check images are $2 a page, a medallion signature stamp is $25, and processing a tax levy or garnishment is $150.4
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
A dormant account is charged $5 a month, and the bank charges $50 when an account is turned over to the state as unclaimed property.4
Not in Machias Savings Bank's published guidance13
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form
- A list of required documents
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
- A fax number for claim documents
- An email address for claim documents
- An online way to report a death
- How long a claim takes
- A small-estate procedure
- Which court appointment document it accepts
- Terms in its agreements for a customer's death
- Deposit account agreement
Sources4
- 1.My MSB Certificate of Deposit
- 2.Consumer Deposit Rates
- 3.Online Banking Terms and Conditions
- 4.General Service Fee Schedule, As of October 1, 2026
Machias Savings Bank's Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-866-416-9302 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(2)·
Data sourced from Machias Savings Bank primary sources (34 pages reviewed). How we research.
Machias Savings Bank death claims support
Customer Service
Phone
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Machias Savings Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: probate petition, small estate affidavit, creditor notice and closing forms. Prepare each form for your state.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for your state.
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Do I Need Probate?
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What Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies?
See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
