What to do when a Mascoma Bank account holder dies
Contact Mascoma Bank's Fiduciary & Trust Services / Mascoma Wealth Management — 5-step process, 6 required documents, and mascoma publishes no processing time. in practice the titling decides the wait: a pod beneficiary or surviving joint owner is typically paid once the branch has the certified death certificate and id, a successor trustee once the trust document is accepted, and an individually owned account with no pod not until the probate court issues letters — which in new hampshire and vermont is measured in weeks to months, not days.
Customer Service
Mascoma Bank, PO Box 4399, White River Junction, VT 05001
Fiduciary & Trust Services / Mascoma Wealth Management
Mascoma Bank, PO Box 4399, White River Junction, VT 05001
Customer Service (deceased account holders; handled at the branch — no separate bereavement department)
Mascoma Bank, PO Box 4399, White River Junction, VT 05001
What happens to Mascoma Bank accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with Mascoma Bank's Customer Service (deceased account holders; handled at the branch — no separate bereavement department) (1-603-448-3650) to claim the funds.
Death claims at Mascoma Bank can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Mascoma Bank requires:
Filing a claim
- POD account: the named beneficiary claims the funds directly with ID and the death certificate — no probate, no Letters
- Joint account with right of survivorship: the surviving owner keeps the account
- Trust-titled account: the successor trustee takes over on the trust agreement or Certificate of Trust
- Individually owned with no POD: the account is a probate asset, and Mascoma needs Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court
- IRA or IRA certificate: the beneficiary completes IRA distribution paperwork; the deposit POD designation does not apply
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the person claiming
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (probate assets — NH Circuit Court Probate Division or VT Probate Division)
- Vermont Small Estate Administration paperwork, where the VT estate is personal property of $45,000 or less (14 V.S.A. § 1901)
- Trust agreement or Certificate of Trust (successor trustee)
- IRA beneficiary claim paperwork (IRA and IRA certificate beneficiaries)
What to know at this institution
Mascoma runs death claims through its branches and its main customer service line (888-627-2662 / 603-448-3650, Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET, Saturday 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET), not through a bereavement unit or a claims portal. Three things are specific to this bank. First, Mascoma publishes no deposit account agreement, terms-and-conditions, or claim form anywhere on its website — there is no "Death or Incapacity" clause to read in advance, so the terms that govern post-death checks, set-off against a loan the decedent owed the bank, and written notice are the ones handed over at account opening, and the branch is the only place to get them. Second, the bank notarizes documents free of charge at most branches, for customers and non-customers, with valid ID — an executor working through NH or VT probate paperwork can get affidavits sworn at the same visit. Third, loans are serviced separately from deposits: a payoff figure on a decedent's mortgage, home equity, auto, or personal loan comes from Loan Servicing at 888-627-2662 extension 5943, and that is also the line that releases a vehicle title once the loan is paid. For any account run by Mascoma Wealth Management, Private Banking, or Fiduciary & Trust Services, call 603-676-8813 instead of the branch line.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Mascoma Bank
Mascoma Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Mascoma Bank's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionOpening an account for the estate itself
Checks made out to the estate deposit into an account titled to the estate, opened by the appointed executor or administrator under the estate's EIN.
How to open an estate account at Mascoma Bank →How long the process takes at Mascoma Bank: Mascoma publishes no processing time. In practice the titling decides the wait: a POD beneficiary or surviving joint owner is typically paid once the branch has the certified death certificate and ID, a successor trustee once the trust document is accepted, and an individually owned account with no POD not until the probate court issues Letters — which in New Hampshire and Vermont is measured in weeks to months, not days. 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 Mascoma Bank includes Certified death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the person claiming, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (probate assets — NH Circuit Court Probate Division or VT Probate Division), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
On May 11, 2026 Mascoma Bank and Androscoggin Bank (Lewiston, Maine) announced a plan to combine their parent companies into a single mutual holding company, ClearNorth Financial Mutual Holding Company. Mascoma describes it explicitly as NOT an acquisition: under the announced structure both banks continue to operate with their own names, brands, charters, and boards of directors, and the plan remains subject to regulatory approvals. What that means for an estate is that your account stays a Mascoma Bank account — the bank name on the POD designation, on the trust-titled account, and on the certified death certificate you hand a branch does not change, and there is no successor institution to redirect a claim to. Mascoma's CEO, Clay Adams, is to serve as CEO of the holding company while remaining CEO of Mascoma Bank. Executors and trustees settling a Mascoma account continue to work with the same branches and the same 888-627-2662 line.
Yes, and at no charge. Mascoma provides notary services at most branches to customers and non-customers alike; the only requirement it publishes is valid identification. Availability varies by branch, so it calls for a phone call to the specific location first ([mascoma.bank/locations](https://mascoma.bank/locations/)). This matters more than it sounds for an executor or trustee: the documents that move an estate — a Vermont small estate filing, a trustee certification, an affidavit filed with the NH Circuit Court Probate Division — routinely need to be sworn in front of a notary, and the same trip that delivers the certified death certificate to the branch can get them notarized. Mascoma does not charge for the service.
Loan Servicing, not the branch teller line: 888-627-2662 (888-MASCOMA), extension 5943. That is the department Mascoma publishes for payoff figures, for copies of the documents provided when the loan was made, and for the release of a vehicle title once an auto loan is paid off. Deposit accounts and loans are handled by different parts of the bank, so reporting the death to a branch does not by itself get you a payoff figure on the decedent's mortgage, home equity line, auto loan, or personal loan. The estate representative provides the certified death certificate and, where the estate is in probate, the Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. A secured loan (mortgage, HELOC, auto) stays attached to the property; an unsecured personal loan balance becomes a claim against the estate.
Mascoma Bank's Customer Service (deceased account holders; handled at the branch — no separate bereavement department) can be reached by phone at 1-888-627-2662 and email at msbinfo@mascomabank.com for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Mascoma Bank accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Customer Service (deceased account holders; handled at the branch — no separate bereavement department) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from Mascoma Bank primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
Mascoma Bank, PO Box 4399, White River Junction, VT 05001
Fiduciary & Trust Services / Mascoma Wealth Management
Mascoma Bank, PO Box 4399, White River Junction, VT 05001
Customer Service (deceased account holders; handled at the branch — no separate bereavement department)
Mascoma Bank, PO Box 4399, White River Junction, VT 05001
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