What to do when a Pelican State CU account holder dies
Contact Pelican State CU — 7-step process, 7 required documents, and pod and ira-beneficiary claims are released on verification of the death certificate and claimant id. estate accounts wait on the louisiana succession: the la. r.s. 9:1513 surviving-spouse affidavit (up to $20,000) is the fastest path, an affidavit of small succession (gross estate $125,000 or less) is next, and a full judgment of possession is the slowest.
Pelican State Credit Union, PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
Pelican State Credit Union, PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
Member Services
Pelican State Credit Union, PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
After a member of Pelican State CU dies, the Member Services manages the transfer of accounts. POD-designated and trust-owned accounts pass directly to beneficiaries. Accounts held solely in the member's name may require probate court documents—Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration—before funds can be released.
The claim process begins with a phone call to 1-800-351-4877. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Pelican State CU requires:
Filing a claim
- Payable on Death (POD) deposit accounts pass to the surviving named beneficiaries. When more than one beneficiary survives, they take the funds jointly in equal shares WITHOUT rights of survivorship unless Pelican has documented different shares (Section 4, POD/Trust Account Designations). A POD designation does not apply to IRA accounts.
- Joint accounts are the trap. Section 3.a of Pelican's agreement states that "Louisiana law does not authorize Joint Tenancy with Rights of Survivorship accounts." What Louisiana authorizes is a joint account with ACCESS after death: the surviving owner may keep using the account and withdrawing from it, but the deceased owner's share is not transferred to the survivor by survivorship — it still belongs to the succession, and the heirs can claim it. A surviving owner's interest is also subject to Pelican's statutory lien for the deceased owner's debts and to any pledge the deceased owner granted, even without the survivor's consent.
- IRA accounts pass to the named IRA beneficiary; distribution options depend on the beneficiary's relationship to the deceased and are handled separately from any deposit-account POD designation.
- An individual deposit account with no POD beneficiary passes to the member's estate (Section 2), meaning it is released through the Louisiana succession to the person shown on a Judgment of Possession or Letters of Independent Administration.
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant (POD beneficiary, surviving joint owner, IRA beneficiary, or succession representative)
- Affidavit of Small Succession (Louisiana estates with gross value of $125,000 or less; La. C.C.P. art. 3421, executed per art. 3432)
- Surviving-spouse affidavit stating that total funds withdrawn from all depositories do not exceed $20,000 (La. R.S. 9:1513 path only)
- Judgment of Possession or Letters of Independent Administration (larger Louisiana successions with no POD or IRA designation)
- Trust document or Certificate of Trust plus trustee ID (if a trust is the named POD beneficiary or the account is titled in the trust)
- Signed Account Change Card or Member Services Request, if Pelican requires one under Section 28
What to know at this institution
Louisiana settles estates through succession, not common-law probate, and it is not a survivorship state: Section 3.a of Pelican's Membership and Account Agreement states that "Louisiana law does not authorize Joint Tenancy with Rights of Survivorship accounts." A surviving joint owner keeps ACCESS to the account after death but does not take the deceased owner's share by survivorship — that share still belongs to the succession, and the surviving owner's interest is subject to Pelican's statutory lien for the deceased owner's debts. So the paths that actually keep a Pelican account out of the succession are a POD designation, an IRA beneficiary designation, or titling the account in a trust. Where none of those exist, funds release on the La. R.S. 9:1513 surviving-spouse affidavit (up to $20,000, no court), an Affidavit of Small Succession (gross estate of $125,000 or less, La. C.C.P. art. 3421), or a Judgment of Possession / Letters of Independent Administration. Section 31 also lets Pelican keep paying checks or drafts for ten days after the death unless a claimant instructs it to stop, and lets it require a claimant to indemnify it against loss. Member-services mail goes to PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835 (the San Antonio PO Box on the contact page is the loan and insurance lockbox). Text support 844-916-1956; video banking at https://meeting.pelicanstatecu.com.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Pelican State CU
Pelican State CU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Pelican State CU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Pelican State CU: POD and IRA-beneficiary claims are released on verification of the death certificate and claimant ID. Estate accounts wait on the Louisiana succession: the La. R.S. 9:1513 surviving-spouse affidavit (up to $20,000) is the fastest path, an Affidavit of Small Succession (gross estate $125,000 or less) is next, and a full Judgment of Possession is the slowest. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by Pelican State CU includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the claimant (POD beneficiary, surviving joint owner, IRA beneficiary, or succession representative), and Affidavit of Small Succession (Louisiana estates with gross value of $125,000 or less; La. C.C.P. art. 3421, executed per art. 3432), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Section 31 (Death or Incompetence) of Pelican's Membership and Account Agreement lets the credit union honor transactions until it learns of the member's death, and even after it knows, it may continue paying checks or drafts drawn on the deceased member's account for up to ten days unless someone claiming an interest in the account instructs it to stop payment. Notifying Pelican promptly at 800-351-4877 and requesting a stop is how survivors freeze a deceased member's outgoing checks. Pelican may also require a claimant to indemnify it against loss before releasing funds.
Not by survivorship. Section 3.a of Pelican's Membership and Account Agreement says it directly: "Louisiana law does not authorize Joint Tenancy with Rights of Survivorship accounts." What Louisiana authorizes is a joint account with access after death, so the surviving owner may keep using the account and withdrawing from it, but the deceased owner's share is not transferred to the survivor - it belongs to the succession and the heirs can claim it. The surviving owner's interest is also subject to Pelican's statutory lien for the deceased owner's debts and to any pledge the deceased owner granted, even if the survivor never consented. If you are relying on a joint owner to inherit a Pelican account, add a POD beneficiary or title the account in a trust instead.
Louisiana settles estates through succession rather than common-law probate. A Pelican deposit account with no POD beneficiary is released to the succession representative or heirs named in a Judgment of Possession or Letters of Independent Administration. For a small estate, heirs can instead present an Affidavit of Small Succession when the gross estate is $125,000 or less as of the date of death (La. C.C.P. art. 3421); the affidavit is executed by at least two people, including the surviving spouse (if any) and one or more heirs (La. C.C.P. art. 3432). Assets that pass by POD or IRA beneficiary designation are outside the succession. Pelican can release deposit funds on that affidavit without a full court judgment.
Yes, up to a point. Under La. R.S. 9:1513 a federally insured depository institution such as Pelican may pay a surviving spouse up to $20,000 out of the deceased spouse's deposits with no court proceeding, order, or judgment, provided the surviving spouse gives the institution an affidavit that the total funds withdrawn do not exceed $20,000 from all depositories combined. The institution's payment on that receipt is a full release and discharge for it. That is the fastest way to reach a modest Pelican balance while a succession is pending; ask Member Services at 800-351-4877 for the affidavit requirements before you file anything with the court.
Pelican State CU's Member Services can be reached by phone at 1-800-351-4877 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Pelican State CU accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Member Services can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from Pelican State CU primary sources (13 pages reviewed). How we research.
Pelican State Credit Union, PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
Pelican State Credit Union, PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
Member Services
Pelican State Credit Union, PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
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