What to do when a M&T Bank account holder dies
Contact M&T Bank's Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust — 6-step process, 7 required documents, and m&t does not publish a processing time for deposit accounts. it commits to assigning a personal representative to the estate after notification. mortgage successor in interest confirmation is the long pole; plan around the state probate timeline for any individual account with no pod beneficiary and no surviving joint owner.
Customer Service
Phone1-800-724-2440
Toll-Free1-800-724-2440
Fax(716) 274-1087
Mailing Address
PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust
Phone1-800-982-4620
Toll-Free1-855-350-7272 (Option 2)
Fax(716) 274-1087
Mailing Address
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Services
Toll-Free1-800-724-2440
Fax(716) 274-1087
Mailing Address
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
What happens to M&T 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 M&T Bank's Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust (1-855-350-7272 (Option 2)) to claim the funds.
Death claims at M&T Bank can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what M&T Bank requires:
Filing a claim
1
Notify M&T Estate Services at 1-855-350-7272 (Option 2), email EstateServices@mtb.com, fax 716-274-1087, or visit a local branch (https://locations.mtb.com/). The general 24/7 line is 1-800-724-2440
2
Provide initial identification for the deceased account holder:
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
3
Submit a legible copy of the death certificate with a visible seal, plus a copy of the letters of testamentary/administration or similar document(s) appointing an executor
4
Upon receipt, M&T will update the account name to "Estate of..." and restrict account activity
5
Claim process varies by account type:
- POD accounts: named beneficiary provides government-issued ID to claim funds directly, outside probate
- Joint accounts with right of survivorship: surviving owner retains full account access
- Non-POD individual accounts: provide Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or a state small estate affidavit as applicable
6
M&T assigns a personal representative who communicates with the appointed estate representative to identify options and assist with disbursements
Required Documents
- Legible copy of the death certificate with a visible seal
- Copy of the letters testamentary/administration or similar document(s) appointing an executor of the estate, if applicable
- Government-issued ID for the beneficiary or estate representative
- Small estate affidavit, order of summary administration, or statement of administration where the estate qualifies under state law. M&T names all three as documents it accepts, and states that court and probate documents vary by state and by the size of the estate
- Will and/or trust documents, if applicable
- Proof of familial relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificate, or legal adoption papers) — M&T requires this for mortgage accounts in certain situations
- Customer Information Form and IRS Form W-9, if you are assuming a mortgage after being confirmed as Successor in Interest
What to know at this institution
M&T runs a genuine dedicated estate channel, which is unusual for a bank this size: Estate Services at 1-855-350-7272 (Option 2), EstateServices@mtb.com, fax 716-274-1087, mail to M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240. After notification M&T assigns the estate a personal representative who provides account balances and documentation to the executor or the estate attorney, updates the accounts to note who is authorized to speak for the estate, and works with the executor to open estate accounts or disburse funds. M&T publishes a free two-page checklist, "What to do after losing a loved one" (https://www.mtb.com/content/dam/mtb-web/pdfs/what-to-do-after-losing-loved-one-checklist.pdf), covering the documents to gather and the organizations to contact. TWO STATE-SPECIFIC TITLING RULES change who inherits, both from M&T's account-opening form BR-1009: an account opened in PENNSYLVANIA by two individuals married to each other is a Tenancy By the Entireties Account With Right of Survivorship (not an ordinary joint account), while the same account opened in any other state is a Joint Account With Right of Survivorship; and WEST VIRGINIA joint account holders must initial a notice stating that any one owner may withdraw the entire balance or pledge it as security, and that M&T may pay the entire balance to a creditor or other legal claimant pursuant to legal process. Separately, note that M&T does NOT publish its General Deposit Account Agreement on the public web — it is delivered at account opening and only referenced by BR-1009 — so the post-death check-honoring window, any right of set-off against the account, and any indemnification M&T can require of a claimant are not publicly documented and must be confirmed with Estate Services. Legal (as opposed to estate-notification) documents go to M&T Bank Legal Document Processing, P.O. Box 844, Buffalo, NY 14240-0844 (USPS) or 626 Commerce Drive, Amherst, NY 14228 (overnight/in-person).
Mortgage and home lending
Mortgages and home equity loans are liabilities, not assets. They do not have beneficiaries and cannot be retitled to a trust. When a borrower dies, the loan obligation transfers with the property to whoever inherits it. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act, the lender cannot accelerate the loan or call it due when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or the borrower’s revocable trust.
1
Notify M&T Bank of the borrower's death by calling the Mortgage Department at 1-800-724-2224 or visiting a local branch
2
Submit required documentation to M&T Bank:
- Send a legible copy of the death certificate with a visible seal
- Submit letters or legal documents appointing the representative(s) of the estate
- If the deceased left a will, provide a copy of the probated will reflecting the named beneficiary(ies) of the property with any necessary seals visible
- If property was held in a trust, provide the trust document identifying the entitled party(ies)
- Documentation proving familial relationship to the deceased may be required (marriage or birth certificate)
3
Upon receipt, M&T will update the account name to "Estate of..." and restrict account activity
4
M&T will review documentation to confirm your status as a Successor in Interest
5
Once confirmed as Successor in Interest, discuss available options:
- Continue making payments on the existing loan
- Apply for loss mitigation or repayment assistance
- Assume the loan (complete and return the Customer Information Form and W-9 form)
- Refinance the mortgage
- Pay off the remaining balance
6
Continue making monthly mortgage payments during the review process to avoid default
Required Documents
- Legible copy of the death certificate with visible seal
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if applicable)
- Copy of the probated will reflecting named beneficiary(ies) of the property
- Trust document identifying entitled party(ies) (if property held in trust)
- Copy of the deed showing transfer of property to the beneficiary(ies) (if applicable)
- Marriage certificate or birth certificate (to prove familial relationship)
- Customer Information Form and W-9 (if assuming the loan)
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), M&T Bank cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, relative upon death, or the borrower's revocable living trust. Confirmed Successors in Interest are treated as borrowers under CFPB mortgage servicing rules and are entitled to account information, loss mitigation options, and assumption rights. Legal Document Processing (overnight/in-person): 626 Commerce Drive, Amherst, NY 14228. Legal Document Processing (USPS): P.O. Box 844, Buffalo, NY 14240-0844. Estate Services email: EstateServices@mtb.com.
Prepare your letter of instruction to M&T Bank
M&T Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to M&T 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 M&T Bank →Expected timelines at M&T Bank: M&T does not publish a processing time for deposit accounts. It commits to assigning a personal representative to the estate after notification. Mortgage Successor in Interest confirmation is the long pole; plan around the state probate timeline for any individual account with no POD beneficiary and no surviving joint owner. 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 M&T Bank includes Legible copy of the death certificate with a visible seal, Copy of the letters testamentary/administration or similar document(s) appointing an executor of the estate, if applicable, and Government-issued ID for the beneficiary or estate representative, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
It can. M&T's account-opening form BR-1009 sets the default titling by the state where the account was OPENED, not where the owners live now. If the account was opened in Pennsylvania in the names of two or more individuals, and the only individuals named are married to each other, it is a Tenancy By the Entireties Account With Right of Survivorship unless it is a fiduciary or custodial account. Opened in any other M&T state, the same account is an ordinary Joint Account With Right of Survivorship. Either way the surviving spouse takes the account outside probate on the first death, so the practical inheritance result is the same — but tenancy by the entireties is the stronger form, because in Pennsylvania entireties property is generally beyond the reach of a creditor of only one spouse. Tell the M&T banker where the account was opened when you present the death certificate, and consult a licensed attorney for questions about how entireties treatment applies to a particular creditor claim.
No to both, and this is the main friction in an M&T estate. M&T offers no self-service POD designation online and publishes no downloadable POD form for checking, savings, money market, or CD accounts — beneficiaries are added on the account documents at a branch, or by calling 1-800-724-2440 to be routed to the right paperwork. The one beneficiary form M&T does publish is the HSA Designation of Beneficiary, and it covers only a Health Savings Account. M&T also does not publish its General Deposit Account Agreement on the public web; it is delivered at account opening and only referenced by the account-opening form. So the questions most banks answer in writing — how long the bank keeps honoring checks after death, whether it can set off a debt you owe it against the account before paying a beneficiary, and what indemnification it can require of a claimant — are not publicly documented for M&T. Ask Estate Services at 1-855-350-7272 (Option 2) and request the agreement in writing rather than assuming another bank's terms apply.
M&T runs a dedicated estate channel rather than routing survivors through general customer service, which is unusual for a bank this size. Reach it at 1-855-350-7272 (Option 2), EstateServices@mtb.com, fax 716-274-1087, or by mail to M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240. To open the file, send a legible copy of the death certificate with a visible seal plus a copy of the letters testamentary/administration or similar documents appointing an executor. M&T then assigns the estate a personal representative who stays with the file: they provide the executor or the estate attorney with account balances and the documentation needed to administer the estate, update the accounts to note who is authorized to speak for the estate, and help open estate accounts or disburse funds. M&T also publishes a free checklist, "What to do after losing a loved one." Note that court-issued legal documents go to a different address than estate notifications: M&T Bank Legal Document Processing, P.O. Box 844, Buffalo, NY 14240-0844, or 626 Commerce Drive, Amherst, NY 14228 for overnight or in-person delivery.
A Successor in Interest is someone who gained an ownership interest in the property through a transfer from the original borrower — a joint tenant on the deed, a surviving heir, or a beneficiary of a living trust that held the home. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), M&T cannot call the loan due when the property passes at death to a spouse, child, or relative, or into the borrower's revocable trust. Once M&T confirms you as Successor in Interest you get access to billing statements, escrow statements, and loss mitigation options, and you can choose to keep paying, assume the loan, refinance, or pay it off. Assuming the loan requires two specific forms: M&T's Customer Information Form and IRS Form W-9. Two cautions M&T states plainly: the estate remains obligated on the payments until someone assumes the debt, and if payments stop, M&T can foreclose — so keep paying during the review. Start with the Mortgage line at 1-800-724-2224 or Estate Services at 1-855-350-7272 (Option 2).
M&T Bank's Estate Services can be reached by phone at 1-800-724-2440, email at EstateServices@mtb.com, and fax at (716) 274-1087 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple M&T Bank accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from M&T Bank primary sources (18 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service
Phone1-800-724-2440
Toll-Free1-800-724-2440
Fax(716) 274-1087
Mailing Address
PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
Estate Administration Services / Wilmington Trust
Phone1-800-982-4620
Toll-Free1-855-350-7272 (Option 2)
Fax(716) 274-1087
Mailing Address
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Services
Toll-Free1-800-724-2440
Fax(716) 274-1087
Mailing Address
M&T Bank Estate Services, PO Box 1850, Buffalo, NY 14240
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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