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Contact Northwest's Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management) — 10-step process, and 6 required documents
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
When a Northwest account holder 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 Northwest's Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management) (1-877-672-5678) to access and distribute the funds.
Gather the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any known account or policy numbers before contacting Northwest. A certified death certificate is the primary document required to start any claim.
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Northwest:
Northwest Bank does not publish a dedicated death claim portal or estate-specific online forms. Contact the main customer service line at 1-877-672-5678 or visit a local financial center to initiate the process. For complex estate situations, the Wealth Management Trust & Estate Planning department at 1-814-452-1000 provides trust administration, estate settlement, and fiduciary services. Northwest Bank can serve as executor or agent of an estate.
Northwest requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate is 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.
A Totten Trust account (also called an "In Trust For" or ITF account) is an informal trust account without a written trust agreement. The account is owned by the depositor/trustee, the beneficiaries have no rights during the trustee's lifetime, and when the trustee dies, the account is owned by the named beneficiary or beneficiaries in equal shares. This is how Northwest Bank implements POD (Payable on Death) designations on deposit accounts.
It depends on how the account is titled. If the account has a named POD (Totten Trust) beneficiary, the beneficiary claims the funds by presenting a death certificate and ID. If the account is titled in a trust, the successor trustee takes control. If jointly held with right of survivorship, the surviving account holder inherits the balance. If none of these, the account goes through probate and requires Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the court.
Call Northwest Bank at 1-877-672-5678 (Monday-Friday 8:00am-8:00pm, Saturday 9:00am-1:00pm) or visit any local financial center. You will need the death certificate, your ID, and the deceased's account information. For trust and estate administration questions, contact the Wealth Management Trust & Estate Planning department at 1-814-452-1000.
The mortgage obligation does not disappear at death. Heirs who inherit the property also inherit the mortgage. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), the lender cannot call the loan due or accelerate payments when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or the borrower's revocable trust. Heirs should contact Northwest Bank at 1-888-884-4626 to discuss options including loan assumption, continued payments, refinancing, or payoff.
Northwest's Death Claims / Estate Settlement can be reached by phone at 1-877-672-5678 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Northwest accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Trust & Estate Planning (Wealth Management) can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
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
Calculators and checklists to help navigate estate settlement after a Northwest account holder passes away.
Get a personalized checklist for settling an estate after someone passes away. Covers trust administration, probate, and intestate estates.
Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.
Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need based on the assets and accounts you need to close. See state-specific ordering information.
Answer a few questions to find out if an estate needs full probate, qualifies for simplified probate, or can avoid probate entirely with a small estate affidavit.
Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will. Based on your state's intestate succession laws.