What to do when an Oriental account holder dies
Report the death to Oriental's Customer Service at 1-787-620-0000
When an account holder at Oriental 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 Oriental's Customer Service (1-787-620-0000) to access and distribute the funds.
Before contacting Oriental, have the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any available account numbers ready.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Oriental:
Filing a claim
- Present the death certificate and the funeral home invoice.
- Oriental issues the check to the funeral home, up to $15,000 or 25% of the funds on deposit, whichever is greater, which Oriental states is the maximum allowed by law.
Required Documents
- Death certificate
- Will, with a Certification from the Registry of Powers and Wills dated after the death, if there is a will
- Resolution of Declaration of Heirs (Declaratoria de Herederos), in place of the will and its certification
- Notarized authorization, for any heir, surviving spouse or co-owner who is not present in personIt names a third party to represent them.
- Relevo de Hacienda, if the funds on deposit exceed $15,000The document titled "Certificación de Cancelación de Gravamen Contributivo (Relevo de Herencia)". It must state the approximate amount the deceased held on deposit.
- Funeral home invoice, to request the funeral-expense advance
State requirements Oriental statesPR
What Oriental provides to the estate1
- Statement copies
Copies of e-statements or loan documents go to an heir or the surviving spouse who presents the death certificate and a current ID; an heir with no ID may provide a copy of a birth certificate. Printing may carry a charge, which the branch states.3
What Oriental's agreement and guidance say2
- What it does when notified
When notified of the death, Oriental freezes the deceased customer's accounts, and only the designated persons (executors, heirs, the surviving spouse or the account co-owners) can access them.3
- Wills, probate and small estates
Where the will names an executor (albacea) with authority to take possession of and administer the assets, the executor can claim the deceased customer's funds.4
Not in Oriental's published guidance1
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
Sources4
- 1.Personal Banking Service Agreement, Rev. 8/2025
- 2.Personal banking service agreement (Spanish contract), Rev. 07/2025
- 3.Customer Service
- 4.Una guia para familiares de clientes fallecidos, 10/15/2021
Oriental's Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-787-620-0000 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Oriental primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
Oriental death claims support
Customer Service
Phone
Hours
Website
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