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How to protect 17 Northwest accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through Northwest's Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management)
Customer Contact Center
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management)
Death Claims / Estate Settlement
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Northwest offers 17 consumer accounts that interact with estate planning in distinct ways. Of those, 13 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Understanding the transfer methods available for each account type helps families keep assets out of probate and ensure they pass to the right people.
Beneficiary designations at Northwest 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.
Northwest provides specific procedures for both proactive estate planning and filing claims after a death.
Preparing your estate
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 17 account types at Northwest.
View details →When someone dies
Contact Northwest's Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management) to file a claim. 10-step process, 6 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →For questions about any of these procedures, contact Northwest's Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management) at 1-877-672-5678.
Northwest operates in select states, so estate planning procedures may vary by location. Confirm availability in your state before initiating trust funding or account changes.
Visit a Northwest Bank financial center with your government-issued ID and provide the beneficiary's name and relationship. Northwest Bank refers to this as a Totten Trust (In Trust For) designation in the Deposit Account Agreement. The beneficiary has no rights to the funds during your lifetime, and you can change the beneficiary at any time by written direction to the bank.
Visit a Northwest Bank financial center with your trust agreement or Certification of Trust, government-issued photo ID, and the trust's tax identification number. A banker will complete the paperwork to retitle the account in the name of your trust. Trustees must supply a copy of the trust agreement upon the bank's request.
IRAs cannot be titled to a trust. However, you can name your trust as the beneficiary of your IRA CD. Consult a tax advisor before doing so, as there are significant tax implications for distributions to trust beneficiaries.
Yes. Northwest Bank's Wealth Management division offers trust and estate planning services, including establishing and administering living trusts, irrevocable trusts, revocable trusts, and testamentary trusts. Services include professional investment management of trust assets, tax filing, insurance policy management, benefit disbursement to beneficiaries, and IRA management. Northwest Bank can also serve as executor or agent of an estate. Contact the Trust & Estate Planning department at 1-814-452-1000.
Northwest Bank operates over 130 financial centers across Pennsylvania (central and western), New York (western), Ohio (eastern), and Indiana. Online banking is available to customers within these service areas.
Customer Contact Center
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management)
Death Claims / Estate Settlement
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Tools and documents to help protect your Northwest accounts.
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