How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Rockland Trust
Covers 8 deposit, 1 retirement, and 2 lending accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
Customer Information Center
Phone508-732-7072
Mailing Address
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Business Banking
Telephone Banking
Mortgage Loan Servicing
WebsiteLearn more→
Rockland Trust Investment Management Group (estate settlement, professional probate administration, personal representative of estates, trustee / co-trustee / agent for trustee)
Phone508-732-7072
Mailing Address
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Information Center / Deposit Services
Phone508-732-7072
Mailing Address
Rockland Trust, ATTN: Deposit Services, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Business Banking
Mortgage Loan Servicing (loans, not deposits)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
There are two ways to keep your Rockland Trust accounts out of probate: adding beneficiary designations and retitling eligible accounts into a revocable living trust. Which approach works best depends on the account type and your overall estate plan.
Across 11 product types, Rockland Trust 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.
Free CheckingAdvantage CheckingRockland Complete CheckingFree Student CheckingFree SavingsMoney Market SavingsRockland Complete Money Market SavingsCertificate of Deposit (CD)
1
Visit any Rockland Trust branch with your government-issued photo ID. Rockland Trust does not publish a downloadable payable-on-death or beneficiary form — the death-beneficiary designation is made on the deposit account paperwork in a branch, so this cannot be completed online or by downloading a PDF.
2
Ask to add a death beneficiary to your deposit account. Rockland Trust's Personal Deposit Account Agreement (https://www.rocklandtrust.com/assets/files/T7YMA5SW) calls this an unwritten, or "Totten," trust deposit account rather than a POD account:
- One or two account owners (each called a "Trustee" on the account) may hold the account in trust for one or more beneficiaries
- Give each beneficiary's full legal name, and be prepared to provide date of birth and Social Security number
- Confirm with the banker whether the account will be titled for one beneficiary or several — on the death of the trustee (or of both trustees), the agreement gives the funds in equal shares to the then-living named beneficiaries, so unequal splits are not accomplished by this designation
3
Sign the account paperwork and take a copy. During your lifetime the account and its funds remain yours: the agreement states the beneficiaries have no interest in the account, cannot access it, and that you may change or remove them, close the account, or withdraw the funds at any time.
4
For an IRA CD, ask for the separate IRA beneficiary designation — the deposit-account Totten-trust designation does not govern an IRA, which passes by the beneficiary designation in the IRA paperwork.
5
Keep your own copy with your estate documents. The agreement states Rockland Trust has no obligation to notify any beneficiary of the existence of an account or of the vesting of any interest in it, so your beneficiaries will not learn of the account from the bank.
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- No public payable-on-death or beneficiary form exists. Rockland Trust's published personal-banking materials show no downloadable POD/beneficiary PDF; the designation is made on the deposit account paperwork in a branch.
- Rockland Trust's deposit agreement frames the death-beneficiary account as an unwritten ("Totten") trust deposit account, not a "POD" account. Ask for it by that name if a banker does not recognize "POD."
- A Totten-trust account may name only one or two account owners as trustees on the account.
- On the death of the trustee (or of both trustees), the funds are owned in EQUAL shares by the then-living named beneficiaries. The agreement does not provide for unequal percentage splits — if you need unequal shares, use a written trust or separate accounts.
- Rockland Trust states it has no obligation to notify any beneficiary of the existence of an account. Tell your beneficiaries the account exists.
- Money in a Totten-trust account is not inherited by your heirs and is not controlled by your will.
- IRA CD beneficiary designations are separate from deposit-account designations and are completed on the IRA paperwork.
Sources
Data sourced from Rockland Trust primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Rockland Trust instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Rockland Trust primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Customer Information Center
Phone508-732-7072
Mailing Address
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Business Banking
Telephone Banking
Mortgage Loan Servicing
WebsiteLearn more→
Rockland Trust Investment Management Group (estate settlement, professional probate administration, personal representative of estates, trustee / co-trustee / agent for trustee)
Phone508-732-7072
Mailing Address
Rockland Trust, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Information Center / Deposit Services
Phone508-732-7072
Mailing Address
Rockland Trust, ATTN: Deposit Services, 288 Union Street, Rockland, MA 02370
Business Banking
Mortgage Loan Servicing (loans, not deposits)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Rockland Trust accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
