What to do when a Red Rocks CU account holder dies
Contact Red Rocks CU — 7-step process, 6 required documents, and 5-10 business days after all documentation is received; complex estates may take longer
Member Services
Red Rocks Credit Union, 8195 SouthPark Lane, Littleton, CO 80120
Member Services
Red Rocks Credit Union, 8195 SouthPark Lane, Littleton, CO 80120
Member Services
Red Rocks Credit Union, 8195 SouthPark Lane, Littleton, CO 80120
When a member of Red Rocks CU passes away, the Member Services handles the transition of accounts to beneficiaries or the estate. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate, while solely-owned accounts may require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court.
Claims can be filed by phone (303.471.7625) or by emailing documentation to support@redrocks.org. Before reaching out, gather the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Red Rocks CU requires:
Filing a claim
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- For joint accounts with right of survivorship: under the Red Rocks Account Agreement all sums vest in the surviving joint owner(s) on the death of a party; present a certified death certificate to update account records and remove the deceased owner
- For accounts with a POD beneficiary: the Account Agreement pays the funds on deposit to the beneficiaries of record in equal shares (unless a different allocation was designated), and only after you and any joint owners are deceased; each surviving beneficiary presents a certified death certificate and valid photo ID to claim their share
- For a trust account: Red Rocks requires every trust account to name a beneficiary, and on the death of the last surviving trustee the balance is distributed to the named trust beneficiary or handled by the successor trustee named in the Certification of Trust
- For accounts without beneficiary or survivorship: provide Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued by a Colorado probate court, along with identification of the estate executor or administrator; if none of the named POD beneficiaries survives, the Account Agreement pays the funds to the party or parties as required by Colorado law (the estate)
- For small Colorado estates: a collection-by-affidavit under C.R.S. 15-12-1201 (Colorado Judicial form JDF 999, https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help-and-forms/self-help-forms/collection-personal-property-affidavit) can be used in place of Letters when at least ten days have elapsed since the death and the value of the estate's property, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed the limit for the decedent's year of death. The limit is indexed annually: $88,000 for a 2026 death, $86,000 for 2025, and $82,000 for 2024 (Colorado Judicial JDF 998 guide, revised March 19, 2026). No court filing is required, and a holder that refuses the affidavit without reasonable cause is liable for costs and attorney fees
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant (beneficiary, executor, or administrator)
- Account information for the deceased (account numbers if available)
- For accounts without beneficiary: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued by a Colorado probate court
- For small estates: Colorado collection-by-affidavit under C.R.S. 15-12-1201 (form JDF 999), available when at least ten days have elapsed since the death and the estate property, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed the year-of-death limit ($88,000 for a 2026 death, $86,000 for 2025, $82,000 for 2024)
- For trust accounts: Certification of Trust with successor trustee provisions and trustee photo ID (Red Rocks requires every trust account to name a beneficiary)
What to know at this institution
Red Rocks CU has two branches (the public Town Center branch in Highlands Ranch and the Lockheed Martin-only Waterton branch) and no dedicated estate department; all death and estate matters route through Member Services at 303.471.7625, support@redrocks.org, or the general services fax 303.683.2204. There is no online claims portal and no published deceased-member claim form, so the deliverable is a claimant-drafted letter plus the certified death certificate. Its Account Agreement (Oak Tree Business Systems form OTBS T44 REDR, revised 4/25, published as the Membership Disclosures at https://redrocks.org/hubfs/Membership%20Disclosures%20CURRENT.pdf) pays POD funds to the beneficiaries of record in equal shares only after the owner and any joint owners are deceased, and pays to the party or parties required by applicable law (the estate) when no named beneficiary survives. Notably, unlike most credit-union agreements it contains NO "death or incapacity" clause: it sets no window for continuing to honor checks after a member dies, states no written-notice standard for stopping payment on a deceased member's items, and says nothing about returning government benefit payments direct-deposited after death, so a survivor should notify Member Services immediately rather than rely on an agreed grace period. What the agreement does carry that affects heirs: a statutory lien and set-off right over the deceased member's accounts for debts the member or a joint owner owes the credit union, exercisable before any disbursement to beneficiaries or the estate; a requirement that EVERY trust account name a beneficiary and that the settlor of a revocable or living trust account be a Red Rocks member, with any withdrawal of trust funds deemed a revocation of the trust to that extent; distribution of a trust account balance to the named beneficiaries in equal shares on the death of the last surviving trustee; certificate early-withdrawal penalties of 90 days' interest (terms of 12 months or less) or 180 days' interest (longer terms) with no death exception; a broad indemnity clause binding on the member's successors and assigns; and an arbitration clause sending disputes to the American Arbitration Association with a jury-trial and class-action waiver. Joint accounts are held with right of survivorship and remain accessible to the surviving owner(s); any owner may also give written notice to freeze the funds, after which the account stays frozen until all owners sign off on a disposition.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Red Rocks CU
Red Rocks CU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Red Rocks CU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Red Rocks CU: 5-10 business days after all documentation is received; complex estates may take longer. 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 Red Rocks CU includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant (beneficiary, executor, or administrator), and Account information for the deceased (account numbers if available), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Red Rocks does not offer beneficiary changes online, and no POD (Payable on Death) form is posted on its forms page. To add or update a POD beneficiary on a deposit account, visit the Town Center branch at 9332 Dorchester St., Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 or call Member Services at 303.471.7625 to request the paperwork. You provide each beneficiary's full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship, plus allocation percentages if you name more than one. A trust named as beneficiary may require a copy of the Certification of Trust.
Under the Red Rocks Account Agreement, joint accounts are held with right of survivorship, so on the death of one owner all sums vest in the surviving joint owner(s). The survivor retains full access without probate. Present a certified copy of the death certificate at the Town Center branch in Highlands Ranch to update the records and remove the deceased owner. Any debt the deceased or a joint owner owes Red Rocks may be set off against the account first.
A sole-owner account without a POD beneficiary designation is blocked upon notification of death and passes through the deceased member's estate. The executor or administrator must provide Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued by a Colorado probate court. For smaller estates, Colorado's collection-by-affidavit procedure under C.R.S. 15-12-1201 (form JDF 999) lets a successor collect the account without any court filing once ten days have elapsed since the death, provided the estate property (less liens and encumbrances) is within the limit for the decedent's year of death. Colorado indexes that limit annually: $88,000 for a 2026 death, $86,000 for 2025, and $82,000 for 2024. A holder that refuses a valid affidavit without reasonable cause is liable for costs and attorney fees. Outstanding loan balances at Red Rocks CU may be satisfied from account funds before disbursement to the estate.
Less than most agreements do, which is exactly why speed matters. The Red Rocks Account Agreement (Oak Tree form OTBS T44 REDR, revised 4/25) has no "death or incapacity" section: it sets no window for continuing to honor a deceased member's checks, no written-notice standard for stopping payment on them, and no terms for returning Social Security or other government benefit payments deposited after death. So call Member Services at 303.471.7625 as soon as possible; the credit union blocks a sole-owner account on notification of death. Three agreement terms do bite on the estate: Red Rocks can impress a statutory lien and set off any debt the member or a joint owner owes it before paying beneficiaries or the estate; a share certificate cashed before maturity carries the standard penalty of 90 days' interest (terms of 12 months or less) or 180 days' interest (longer terms), with no death-of-owner waiver written into the agreement; and disputes are subject to American Arbitration Association arbitration with a jury-trial and class-action waiver, with the indemnity clause binding on the member's successors.
Red Rocks CU's Member Services can be reached by phone at 303.471.7625, email at support@redrocks.org, and fax at 303.683.2204 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Red Rocks CU accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Member Services can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Red Rocks CU primary sources (18 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Services
Red Rocks Credit Union, 8195 SouthPark Lane, Littleton, CO 80120
Member Services
Red Rocks Credit Union, 8195 SouthPark Lane, Littleton, CO 80120
Member Services
Red Rocks Credit Union, 8195 SouthPark Lane, Littleton, CO 80120
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