What to do when a New Mexico Bank & Trust account holder dies
Report the death to New Mexico Bank & Trust's UMB Consumer Banking Service Center at 1-800-860-4862
New Mexico Bank & Trust merged into UMB BankMerged, effective October 2025
The New Mexico Bank & Trust brand no longer exists. UMB Financial Corporation closed its acquisition of Heartland Financial USA (HTLF) on January 31, 2025, and announced on October 16, 2025 that all former HTLF divisional banks, including New Mexico Bank & Trust, operate on UMB platforms and under the UMB brand. Accounts are UMB Bank, N.A. accounts: UMB lists 800-860-4862 (800.860.4UMB) for checking, savings and CD questions, and New Mexico UMB branches operate in 14 cities.
When an account holder at New Mexico Bank & Trust 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 New Mexico Bank & Trust's UMB Consumer Banking Service Center (1-800-860-4862) to access and distribute the funds.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what New Mexico Bank & Trust requires:
Filing a claim
What happens to each kind of account3
- Joint account with survivorship
"After the death of a joint accountholder, all of the rights of the deceased account owner automatically pass to the surviving individual(s) who own the account."1
- Payable-on-death account
A payable-on-death direction "is a procedure to transfer an owner's interest in an account upon the owner's death to his or her designated beneficiaries."1
- Fiduciary account
On a fiduciary account, each fiduciary may act individually to the extent the law allows.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersNew Mexico
- New Mexico
NMSA 1978 § 58-1-8
New Mexico law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on proof the institution accepts, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.NMSA 1978 § 58-1-8Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution
Paid to: the surviving spouse; the surviving next of kin, of the closest degree of lineal consanguinity (in that order)
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- UMB Private Wealth Management, Albuquerque Private Wealth Management Center
Estates and trusts in which UMB is named executor, personal representative or trustee2, 3
Phone: 1-800-545-6101
Mailing address: 320 Gold Avenue Southwest, Suite 200, Albuquerque, NM 87102
What New Mexico Bank & Trust's agreement and guidance say4
- Powers of attorney
"Unless state law provides otherwise, the Bank will assume all powers of attorney terminate upon the principal's death." A person acting under a power of attorney "has no right of survivorship in the account by virtue of that capacity."1
- Debts owed to the institution
UMB may "apply funds in any account you maintain with us to any debt that you owe the Bank or its affiliates" without prior notice, and may set off a joint account "to pay the debts of any joint owner." This does not apply to funds in IRAs or health savings accounts.1
- Deposits after the death
If UMB must return federal or state benefits deposited after the recipient was no longer eligible, it may set off against any of the accounts to recover them.1
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
A checking, savings or money market account is "dormant" after 24 months with no customer-initiated activity or customer contact, and "access to your account will be restricted until you re-establish contact with us."1
UMB's consumer fee schedule lists a Dormant Account Charge of "$5.00 per month, unless prohibited by state law."4
Not in New Mexico Bank & Trust's published guidance5
- A claim form
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A mailing address for claim documents
- A list of required documents
- How long a claim takes
New Mexico Bank & Trust's UMB Consumer Banking Service Center can be reached by phone at 1-800-860-4862 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(6)·
Data sourced from New Mexico Bank & Trust primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
New Mexico Bank & Trust death claims support
UMB Consumer Banking Service Center
Phone
Albuquerque Main Branch
UMB Private Wealth Management, Albuquerque
Hours
Website
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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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A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
