What to do when a MVB Bank account holder dies
Contact MVB Bank — 6-step process, 7 required documents, and pod ("in trust for") beneficiaries and surviving joint owners can typically access funds once a certified death certificate and photo id are verified at a banking center. trust-owned accounts release once the successor trustee provides the trust documents and death certificate. two things can stall a claim regardless of paperwork: the deposit account agreement's 10-day window during which mvb may still pay checks drawn on or before the date of death (section 46), and mvb's right to refuse payment entirely while a dispute among claimants is unresolved (section 8). probate-dependent accounts follow the county timeline — in west virginia the county commission, not a probate court, has jurisdiction, so the filing goes to the clerk of the county commission.
MVB Bank Account Support (Client Support)
MVB Bank, 301 Virginia Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554
MVB Bank Account Support (Client Support)
MVB Bank, 301 Virginia Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554
MVB Client Support (decedent accounts) — MVB has no separate bereavement department
MVB Bank, 301 Virginia Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554 (the Fairmont - Virginia Avenue banking center; MVB does not publish a separate estate-claims PO box)
When an account holder at MVB 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 MVB Bank's MVB Client Support (decedent accounts) — MVB has no separate bereavement department (844-682-2265) to access and distribute the funds.
MVB Bank offers an online claims portal that makes the initial filing process more straightforward. Survivors can also initiate claims by phone or by mailing documentation directly.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at MVB Bank:
Filing a claim
- POD ("In Trust For") accounts: the named beneficiary can withdraw only after all account owners have died and the beneficiary is then living, and only for the balance remaining after MVB has paid the owner's outstanding debits and items. If two or more beneficiaries survive, they take equal shares without right of survivorship unless the account indicates otherwise. The beneficiary presents a certified death certificate and government-issued photo ID
- Joint accounts with right of survivorship: the deceased owner's interest vests immediately in the surviving owner(s) as their separate property; the survivor provides a certified death certificate
- Joint accounts without right of survivorship: on written notice of an owner's death MVB may freeze the account until it receives satisfactory evidence as to the disposition of the funds
- Trust-owned accounts: the successor trustee provides the trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, a certified death certificate, and government-issued photo ID
- Accounts with no POD, joint, or trust designation: the estate representative provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (or a qualifying WV/VA small-estate affidavit)
- IRA accounts: the named beneficiary completes IRA distribution paperwork and provides a certified death certificate
- Set-off and security interest (Section 3): if the decedent owed MVB money as a borrower or guarantor and it is due, MVB can use the account funds to pay that debt. On a JOINT account MVB may offset for the debt of any ONE of the joint owners, and it may also reach into an individual account of a joint owner to satisfy an obligation on the joint account
- In Trust For payout (Section 11): a POD beneficiary is entitled only to the balance remaining after MVB has paid the owner's outstanding debits and items
- Expenses (Section 5): the account is liable to MVB for any loss, cost, or expense it incurs from a dispute involving the account, including reasonable attorneys' fees, and MVB may deduct that from the account WITHOUT prior notice. This is triggered by disputes among joint owners, authorized signers, or third parties claiming an interest — exactly the situations that arise in a contested estate
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate required)
- West Virginia Small Estate Affidavit, filed with the Clerk of the County Commission, if the estate qualifies (W. Va. Code § 44-1A-2)
- Virginia small estate affidavit, if the estate qualifies (Va. Code § 64.2-601)
- Trust agreement or Certificate of Trust and successor trustee identification (if trust-owned account)
- IRA distribution/beneficiary claim paperwork (for retirement accounts)
What to know at this institution
Report the death through MVB Client Support at 844-682-2265 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST), through the online contact form at https://www.mvbbanking.com/contact-us, or at any of the seven banking centers in WV and VA (https://www.mvbbanking.com/locations-hours). MVB is small enough that there is no separate bereavement department — Client Support is the channel. Every deposit-agreement provision cited here was read from the MVB Deposit Account Agreement (https://www.mvbank.com/userfiles/Deposit_Account_Agreement_2012.pdf): Section 3 (set-off and security interest), Section 5 (expenses and attorneys' fees deducted from the account without prior notice), Section 8 (individual accounts; MVB may refuse payment during a dispute), Section 9 (joint account freeze on written notice), Section 10 (survivorship), Section 11 (In Trust For / POD), Section 13 (an authorized signer has NO ownership or rights at death unless separately named as an In Trust For beneficiary, and the death of the sole or last surviving owner terminates the agent's authority), Section 20 (notice of death is not effective until MVB has received it and had a reasonable opportunity to act), Section 27 (the agreement is governed by the law of the state where the account was OPENED — WV or VA here, which decides which small estate procedure applies), and Section 46 (Death or Incompetency). CRITICAL SCOPE POINT: accounts held for fintech partners under MVB's banking-as-a-service program — Credit Karma Money is the one MVB names on its own contact page — are serviced by the partner, not by MVB. MVB states plainly that its Client Support representatives are unable to access a Credit Karma account. Credit Karma support is (888) 236-5798.
Prepare your letter of instruction to MVB Bank
MVB Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to MVB 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 MVB Bank →Processing timelines at MVB Bank: POD ("In Trust For") beneficiaries and surviving joint owners can typically access funds once a certified death certificate and photo ID are verified at a banking center. Trust-owned accounts release once the successor trustee provides the trust documents and death certificate. Two things can stall a claim regardless of paperwork: the Deposit Account Agreement's 10-day window during which MVB may still pay checks drawn on or before the date of death (Section 46), and MVB's right to refuse payment entirely while a dispute among claimants is unresolved (Section 8). Probate-dependent accounts follow the county timeline — in West Virginia the COUNTY COMMISSION, not a probate court, has jurisdiction, so the filing goes to the Clerk of the County Commission. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
MVB Bank requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate required), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Not MVB. MVB runs a banking-as-a-service program that holds deposits for fintech partners, and Credit Karma Money is the partner MVB names on its own contact page. MVB states plainly that its Client Support representatives are unable to access a Credit Karma account and cannot provide member service for it — you cannot even log in to MVB to see the balance. Estate, beneficiary, and death-claim handling for those funds runs through the fintech, not the bank: Credit Karma support is (888) 236-5798. Only accounts opened directly with MVB Bank under the MVB name and serviced through mvbbanking.com go through the MVB estate process at 844-682-2265. This is the single most common wrong turn in an MVB estate — the FDIC signage and the routing number point at MVB, so survivors call MVB, and MVB cannot help them. Check where the account was actually opened before you gather documents.
The money falls back into your estate and goes through probate — which is the opposite of why you set up the POD in the first place. Section 11 of MVB's Deposit Account Agreement states that if all of the beneficiaries predecease the owner, the beneficiaries' death terminates the arrangement and title to the money vests back in the owner. Two related rules in the same section are worth acting on. First, MVB DOES support contingent beneficiaries, but a named beneficiary is assumed to be PRIMARY unless it is explicitly marked as contingent — so naming a backup only works if you say on the form that it is a backup. Second, when two or more beneficiaries survive you, they take in equal shares WITHOUT right of survivorship unless the account says otherwise, so if one of them later dies their share does not roll to the others. Naming an explicit contingent beneficiary is what closes both gaps. You can change beneficiaries at any time by written direction to MVB.
No. Section 13 of MVB's Deposit Account Agreement states that the death of the sole party or the last surviving party terminates the authority of the agent, and that a named agent (authorized signer) has NO ownership or rights at death unless they were separately named as an In Trust For beneficiary. So being on the account as an authorized signer or attorney-in-fact gives you nothing as an heir — it is an access right during life, not an inheritance. Section 20 adds the practical hazard on the other side: notice of the death is not effective until MVB has received it and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on it, and under Section 46 MVB may for 10 days after the date of death still pay checks drawn on or before the date of death unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment. If you were the agent, the clean sequence is to stop transacting immediately, notify MVB Client Support at 844-682-2265, and claim in whatever capacity you actually hold — beneficiary, surviving joint owner, successor trustee, or appointed personal representative.
MVB Bank's MVB Client Support (decedent accounts) — MVB has no separate bereavement department can be reached by phone at 1-844-682-2265 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple MVB Bank accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The MVB Client Support (decedent accounts) — MVB has no separate bereavement department can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from MVB Bank primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
MVB Bank Account Support (Client Support)
MVB Bank, 301 Virginia Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554
MVB Bank Account Support (Client Support)
MVB Bank, 301 Virginia Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554
MVB Client Support (decedent accounts) — MVB has no separate bereavement department
MVB Bank, 301 Virginia Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554 (the Fairmont - Virginia Avenue banking center; MVB does not publish a separate estate-claims PO box)
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