What to do when a Santander account holder dies
Contact Santander — 5-step process, 5 required documents, and pod/itf beneficiaries may receive funds upon presenting death certificate and id at a branch. non-pod accounts require probate documentation, which may take several weeks to process.
Customer Service Center (Monday-Saturday 8am-8pm ET)
Phone1-877-768-2265
Mailing Address
Santander Bank, 75 State Street, Boston, MA 02109
Santander Select Services
Select/Private Client Mastercard Benefits
Santander Private Client
Private Client Investment Services
Santander Investment Services
Mortgage Servicing
Small Business Loan Specialist
Relay Service (hearing/speech-impaired)
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Service Center (Monday-Saturday 8am-8pm ET)
Phone1-877-768-2265
Mailing Address
Santander Bank, 75 State Street, Boston, MA 02109
Santander Select Services
Select/Private Client Mastercard Benefits
Santander Private Client
Private Client Investment Services
Santander Investment Services
Mortgage Servicing
Small Business Loan Specialist
Relay Service (hearing/speech-impaired)
WebsiteLearn more→
Death Claims / Estate Processing
Phone1-877-768-2265
Toll-Free1-877-768-2265
Mailing Address
Santander Bank, N.A., P.O. Box 12646, Reading, PA 19612
Verified May 2026
When a Santander account holder passes away, the next step depends on how the accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with Santander's Death Claims / Estate Processing (1-877-768-2265) to access and distribute the funds.
To start, call Santander at 1-877-768-2265. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate ready before you call.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
The death claim process at Santander works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Contact Santander customer service at 1-877-768-2265 or visit a local branch to notify the bank of the account holder's death
2
Provide initial documentation:
- Certified death certificate (original required; bank will mail it back after processing)
- Valid government-issued ID for the claimant
3
Submit account-type-specific documentation:
- POD/ITF accounts: beneficiaries present death certificate and ID at a branch to request distribution
- Non-POD accounts: executor or administrator provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- Trust-owned accounts: successor trustee provides death certificate, trust documents, and trustee ID
- Joint accounts with right of survivorship: surviving owner provides death certificate and notarized letter to remove the deceased owner's name
4
Santander will mail a new signature card and account maintenance form that must be signed and returned
5
Santander reviews documentation and processes distribution or account update
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate (original required; bank will mail back after processing)
- Valid government-issued ID for claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD/ITF designation)
- Trust documents and successor trustee identification (if trust-owned account)
- Notarized letter requesting removal of deceased owner (for joint account name removal)
Claims Contact
If no beneficiary claims the funds, the account will be deemed abandoned and escheated to the state under applicable state law. Santander is not obligated to notify beneficiaries of a trustee's death or the existence of the account. For Santander Investment Services accounts (IRA, brokerage), contact 1-866-736-6475 separately. For existing Santander mortgage loans, contact the Mortgage Servicing Department at 1-855-241-5700.
Mortgage and home lending
Mortgages and home equity loans are liabilities, not assets. They do not have beneficiaries and cannot be retitled to a trust. When a borrower dies, the loan obligation transfers with the property to whoever inherits it. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act, the lender cannot accelerate the loan or call it due when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or the borrower’s revocable trust.
1
Notify Santander Bank of the borrower's death by calling the Mortgage Servicing Department at 1-855-241-5700
2
Provide initial information:
- Deceased borrower's full legal name, Social Security number, and mortgage loan number
- Certified copy of the death certificate
3
Complete the Successor in Interest process:
- Request the Successor in Interest documentation package from the mortgage servicing representative
- Complete and return the documentation with proof of your ownership interest in the property (e.g., probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document)
- Santander will review your documentation and confirm your status under CFPB mortgage servicing rules
4
Once confirmed as Successor in Interest, discuss available options:
- Continue making payments
- Apply for loss mitigation or financial hardship assistance
- Assume the loan
- Refinance with another lender
- Pay off the balance
5
Continue making monthly mortgage payments during the review process to avoid default
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Completed Successor in Interest documentation
- Documentation proving ownership interest in the property (one or more of the following): probated will naming you as heir, court order of succession, recorded deed transferring ownership, trust document showing you as successor trustee or beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate)
- Marriage certificate (if surviving spouse)
Claims Contact
Phone: 1-855-241-5700
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), Santander Bank cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, relative upon death, or the borrower's revocable living trust. Confirmed Successors in Interest are treated as borrowers under CFPB mortgage servicing rules and are entitled to account information and loss mitigation options. Santander is no longer originating new mortgages but continues to service existing loans. Customer Service Center: 1-855-241-5699. General customer service: 1-877-768-2265.
Expected timelines at Santander: POD/ITF beneficiaries may receive funds upon presenting death certificate and ID at a branch. Non-POD accounts require probate documentation, which may take several weeks to process. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Santander requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified death certificate (original required; bank will mail back after processing), Valid government-issued ID for claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD/ITF designation), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
An informal trust account (ITF - In Trust For) at Santander is a simple beneficiary designation: the account owner deposits funds in trust for named beneficiaries, retains full control during their lifetime, and beneficiaries receive the balance upon the owner's death without probate. It does not require a formal trust document. By contrast, retitling a deposit account to a revocable living trust makes the trust the legal owner, which requires opening a new trust account in branch with the trust document or Certificate of Trust, the trust EIN, and trustee ID. Both approaches avoid probate on the deposit account; the informal ITF is simpler to set up, while a trust-titled account integrates into a comprehensive trust-based estate plan.
For joint accounts with right of survivorship (WROS), the surviving owner automatically becomes the sole owner of the full balance. The surviving owner should notify Santander at 1-877-768-2265 or visit a branch with the certified death certificate and a notarized letter requesting removal of the deceased owner's name. Santander will mail a new signature card to sign and return. The account does not go through probate. For joint accounts that are not WROS (tenants in common), the deceased's share passes through their estate per their will or state intestacy law.
When a sole account owner dies with no POD or ITF designation and no surviving joint owner, the account becomes part of the deceased's probate estate. The estate's executor or administrator must obtain Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court. Those letters, along with the certified death certificate and the representative's government-issued ID, are presented to Santander (in branch or by mail to P.O. Box 12646, Reading, PA 19612) to establish authority to access and close the account. If the account is unclaimed, it will eventually escheat to the state under applicable abandoned property law.
Santander's Death Claims / Estate Processing can be reached by phone at 1-877-768-2265 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Santander accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Death Claims / Estate Processing can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Customer Service Center (Monday-Saturday 8am-8pm ET)
Phone1-877-768-2265
Mailing Address
Santander Bank, 75 State Street, Boston, MA 02109
Santander Select Services
Select/Private Client Mastercard Benefits
Santander Private Client
Private Client Investment Services
Santander Investment Services
Mortgage Servicing
Small Business Loan Specialist
Relay Service (hearing/speech-impaired)
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Service Center (Monday-Saturday 8am-8pm ET)
Phone1-877-768-2265
Mailing Address
Santander Bank, 75 State Street, Boston, MA 02109
Santander Select Services
Select/Private Client Mastercard Benefits
Santander Private Client
Private Client Investment Services
Santander Investment Services
Mortgage Servicing
Small Business Loan Specialist
Relay Service (hearing/speech-impaired)
WebsiteLearn more→
Death Claims / Estate Processing
Phone1-877-768-2265
Toll-Free1-877-768-2265
Mailing Address
Santander Bank, N.A., P.O. Box 12646, Reading, PA 19612
Verified May 2026
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