Estate planning at M&T Bank
How to protect 12 M&T Bank accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through M&T Bank's Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust
Customer Service
PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
Estate Services
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
M&T Bank has 12 accounts, each with different rules for what happens when the account holder dies. Of those, 10 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. The right combination of beneficiary designations and trust ownership can keep the entire portfolio out of probate.
Beneficiary designations at M&T Bank can be managed in branch and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes in branch. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
M&T Bank provides specific procedures for both proactive estate planning and filing claims after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 12 account types at M&T Bank.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact M&T Bank's Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust to file a claim. 6-step process, 7 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach M&T Bank's Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust at 1-855-350-7272 (Option 2) for help with any of these procedures. Email inquiries can be sent to EstateServices@mtb.com.
M&T Bank is not available nationwide. Estate planning procedures may vary by state, so confirm that your location is served before making account changes.
Frequently asked questions
No — they are different services at different prices. Retitling an M&T deposit account into your own revocable living trust is branch paperwork: bring the trust agreement or a Certificate of Trust, ID for all trustees, and the trust EIN if it has one. You remain trustee and run the account. Engaging Wilmington Trust, M&T's Delaware-based wealth affiliate and one of the largest corporate trustees in the United States, as corporate trustee or co-trustee is a fiduciary engagement with its own asset minimum and ongoing trustee fees — confirm the current threshold and fee schedule at 1-800-982-4620. The substantive reason people use Wilmington Trust is situs: it administers trusts under DELAWARE law regardless of where you live, and Delaware permits directed trusts that split the investment role from the distribution role, long-term dynasty trusts, and asset protection trusts, with favorable trust income tax treatment. That is a real estate-planning decision, not a banking one. Consult a licensed attorney about whether Delaware situs fits your plan.
Sources
Data sourced from M&T Bank primary sources (18 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
Estate Services
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your M&T Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
