How to designate beneficiaries at Premier America CU
Beneficiaries are managed online
The goal with your Premier America CU accounts is to make sure every account has a transfer mechanism in place—either a POD beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Because Premier America CU is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Accounts without either one pass through the estate, by probate or the state's small-estate procedure.
Across 13 product types, Premier America CU accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Payable on Death (POD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
Required Documents
- Trust certification confirming your power as trustee. Premier America may require it to be notarized before the account is opened
- Premier Trust Profile and Certification. Premier America's own trust-account document. Together with the Membership Agreements and Disclosures, it governs the account
- Premier America Signature Card
- Taxpayer Identification Number, certified by you
What Premier America CU says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Premier America CU's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
On the death of all of the owners, all sums are divided equally among the surviving P.O.D. payees.1
What Premier America CU's agreement says about beneficiaries4
- A designation and a will
A Pay-On-Death (P.O.D.) designation cannot be changed by a will.1
- A beneficiary who dies first
If a P.O.D. payee dies before all of the account owners, then on the death of all of the owners all sums are divided equally among the surviving P.O.D. payees.1
- Joint accounts
On a jointly owned account, P.O.D. payees are paid only on the death of all of the owners. A right of survivorship arising from the express terms of a joint account cannot be changed by a will.1
- Account numbers
Account ownership is determined by the most recent Premier America Signature Card. A different form of ownership is established by signing an additional Signature Card, and a new account number is assigned.1
Trust account forms Premier America CU issues2
What Premier America CU says about trust accounts3
- Review of the trust document
Premier America is "not required to know, understand, interpret or enforce the terms of the Trust Instrument."1
- Account numbers
A different form of ownership is established on an additional Signature Card and receives a new account number.1
- The trust's tax identification number
Premier America will not open an account without a Taxpayer Identification Number.1
State requirements Premier America CU statesCalifornia
- California
Under the Membership Agreements and Disclosures, living trust accounts are not subject to the California Multiple Party Accounts Law.1
Not in Premier America CU's published guidance3
- What the owner provides to name a beneficiary
- Online copy of the trust certification form
- Online copy of the Premier Trust Profile and Certification
Sources1
- 1.Membership Agreements and Disclosures, April 1, 2026
Sources
Data sourced from Premier America CU primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Premier America CU instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Premier America CU primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Premier America CU estate support
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International calls
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Estate requests go through general customer service.
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