Estate planning at Rockland Trust
How to protect 11 Rockland Trust accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through Rockland Trust's Rockland Trust Investment Management Group (estate settlement, professional probate administration, personal representative of estates, trustee / co-trustee / agent for trustee)
Customer Information Center
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Rockland Trust Investment Management Group (estate settlement, professional probate administration, personal representative of estates, trustee / co-trustee / agent for trustee)
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Customer Information Center / Deposit Services
Rockland Trust, ATTN: Deposit Services, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Rockland Trust has 11 accounts, each with different rules for what happens when the account holder dies. Of those, 9 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. The right combination of beneficiary designations and trust ownership can keep the entire portfolio out of probate.
Managing beneficiaries at Rockland Trust is straightforward—changes can be made in branch and by phone, typically taking 20-40 minutes at a branch. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
There are two sides to estate planning at Rockland Trust: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 11 account types at Rockland Trust.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Rockland Trust's Rockland Trust Investment Management Group (estate settlement, professional probate administration, personal representative of estates, trustee / co-trustee / agent for trustee) to file a claim. 7-step process, 7 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →For questions about any of these procedures, contact Rockland Trust's Rockland Trust Investment Management Group (estate settlement, professional probate administration, personal representative of estates, trustee / co-trustee / agent for trustee) at 508-732-7072.
Rockland Trust is not available nationwide. Estate planning procedures may vary by state, so confirm that your location is served before making account changes.
Frequently asked questions
The Rockland Trust Personal Deposit Account Agreement states that to open a deposit account for a formal written trust, the bank may require a certification of trust and the name and address of each beneficiary, "all of whom must be natural persons." A revocable living trust that leaves a share to a charity, a church, a school, or any entity may run into this clause at account opening, even though the trust itself is perfectly valid. Raise it with the branch before you plan around a Rockland Trust deposit account as the trust's funding vehicle. The same section is worth reading for a second reason: it states the bank has no duty to monitor a trustee's acts or to determine whether they are permitted by the trust, so opening the trust account is not a check on the trustee.
Yes. The Rockland Trust Investment Management Group is the bank's fiduciary arm and states that it serves as trustee, co-trustee, and agent for trustee, as well as personal representative of estates. Its published services include Estate Settlement — professional probate administration and post-mortem planning strategies — along with trust administration, portfolio management for trusts and estates, and legacy planning. This is the route families take when no relative wants the job, when beneficiaries do not trust each other, or when the estate is complex enough that impartial administration matters. Reach the Investment Management Group through the Customer Information Center at 508.732.7072 or at https://www.rocklandtrust.com/wealth-and-investments/professional-personal-representative-for-your-estate.
Sources
Data sourced from Rockland Trust primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Information Center
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Rockland Trust Investment Management Group (estate settlement, professional probate administration, personal representative of estates, trustee / co-trustee / agent for trustee)
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Customer Information Center / Deposit Services
Rockland Trust, ATTN: Deposit Services, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Rockland Trust accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
