How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Northwest
Covers 10 deposit, 2 retirement, 1 investment, and 4 lending accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
Northwest Direct / Customer Contact Center
Phone1-814-728-7818
Toll-Free1-877-672-5678
Emailinfo@northwest.com
Mailing Address
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Bankline / Telephone Banking (24/7)
Online Banking Customer Service
Customer Contact Center
Trust Department / Trust Support
Mortgage Helpline
Loss Mitigation
Northwest Investment Services (LPL Financial)
International Calls
Debit/ATM Card Lost or Stolen (after hours)
Credit Card Lost or Stolen
Credit Card (International)
Fraud Detection (SMS)
Fraud Detection (Call Center)
Shareholder Relations
WebsiteLearn more→
Northwest Bank Trust Department (Wealth Management)
Phone1-814-452-1000
Toll-Free1-877-672-5678
Emailinfo@northwest.com
Mailing Address
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
WebsiteLearn more→
Northwest Direct / Customer Contact Center (Northwest publishes no dedicated death-claim department or form; estate claims are handled at a financial center or through Northwest Direct, with the Trust Department available for full estate settlement)
Phone1-814-452-1000
Toll-Free1-877-672-5678
Emailinfo@northwest.com
Mailing Address
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Trust Department (estate settlement, trust administration)
Mortgage Helpline (deceased borrower)
Loss Mitigation
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Preparing your Northwest accounts for estate transfer involves two primary strategies: designating beneficiaries on individual accounts and, where supported, retitling accounts into a revocable living trust. Both approaches bypass probate, but they work differently depending on the account type.
Northwest has 17 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support Payable on Death (POD) designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others will require probate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
Affinity CheckingAffinity Plus CheckingAffinity Premier CheckingStatement SavingsHigh-Yield SavingsAffinity Money MarketAffinity Plus Money MarketAffinity Premier Money MarketCertificate of Deposit (CD)Health Savings Account (HSA)
1
Bring a government-issued photo ID to a Northwest financial center and ask to add or update a beneficiary on your deposit account.
2
Northwest publishes no downloadable beneficiary or POD form -- the designation is made on the bank's own account record. Ask specifically for one of the two structures its Deposit Account Agreement defines:
- Totten trust (also called an "in trust for" or ITF account): an informal trust reflected on the bank's records, with no written trust agreement. You remain the owner; the beneficiary has no right to the funds during your lifetime; on your death the account is owned by the named beneficiary or beneficiaries in equal shares.
- Payable-on-death (P.O.D.) account: payable to you during your lifetime, then to the P.O.D. payee(s). With multiple surviving payees each takes an equal share unless the bank's deposit records say otherwise.
3
Give the banker each beneficiary's full legal name and relationship.
4
Review and sign the designation, and keep a copy. You can change the beneficiary later, but only by written direction to the bank -- a phone call is not enough.
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- Beneficiary designations on consumer deposit accounts are implemented as Totten trust (in trust for) or payable-on-death accounts under the Deposit Account Agreement & Disclosure (revised 08/12/2024).
- The beneficiary can be changed only by written direction to the bank during the owner's lifetime.
- A beneficiary has no right to the funds while the owner is alive.
- A named beneficiary overrides the will for that account.
- If no beneficiary survives the last owner or trustee, state law -- not the bank -- determines who owns the funds.
- Northwest expressly makes no representation about the transfer of assets at death, and flags that a P.O.D. account remains subject to inheritance tax liability.
- New York only: the Deposit Account Agreement also recognizes a Convenience Account, where the convenience signer gets NO survivorship right and the funds belong solely to the account holder. If a New York relative added you to an account "for convenience," you may not inherit it.
Sources
Data sourced from Northwest primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Northwest instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Northwest primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Northwest Direct / Customer Contact Center
Phone1-814-728-7818
Toll-Free1-877-672-5678
Emailinfo@northwest.com
Mailing Address
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Bankline / Telephone Banking (24/7)
Online Banking Customer Service
Customer Contact Center
Trust Department / Trust Support
Mortgage Helpline
Loss Mitigation
Northwest Investment Services (LPL Financial)
International Calls
Debit/ATM Card Lost or Stolen (after hours)
Credit Card Lost or Stolen
Credit Card (International)
Fraud Detection (SMS)
Fraud Detection (Call Center)
Shareholder Relations
WebsiteLearn more→
Northwest Bank Trust Department (Wealth Management)
Phone1-814-452-1000
Toll-Free1-877-672-5678
Emailinfo@northwest.com
Mailing Address
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
WebsiteLearn more→
Northwest Direct / Customer Contact Center (Northwest publishes no dedicated death-claim department or form; estate claims are handled at a financial center or through Northwest Direct, with the Trust Department available for full estate settlement)
Phone1-814-452-1000
Toll-Free1-877-672-5678
Emailinfo@northwest.com
Mailing Address
Northwest Bank, P.O. Box 128, Warren, PA 16365
Trust Department (estate settlement, trust administration)
Mortgage Helpline (deceased borrower)
Loss Mitigation
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Northwest accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
