What to do when a Seacoast Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Seacoast Bank at 1-800-706-9991
After an account holder at Seacoast Bank dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Seacoast Bank with the proper legal authority documents.
To start, call Seacoast Bank. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate ready before you call.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Seacoast Bank:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Court order appointing the executor or administrator, for an account that passes through the estate
What happens to each kind of account5
- Account in one name
A single-owner account passes as part of the owner's estate.1
- Joint account with survivorship
A joint account with right of survivorship passes to the surviving owner or owners.1
- Joint account without survivorship
On a joint account without right of survivorship, the deceased owner's share passes as part of the estate.1
- Payable-on-death account
A payable-on-death account passes to the named beneficiaries after the last owner dies and is not part of the estate.1
- Fiduciary account
For an account that passes through the estate, an executor or administrator appointed by court order may open an estate account at Seacoast under its Deposit Account Agreement.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersFlorida, Georgia
- Florida
Fla. Stat. § 735.303
Florida law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit made under oath, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.Fla. Stat. § 735.303Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: family member (surviving spouse; else adult child; else adult descendant; else parent)
Limit: $2,000 held at the institution and $2,000 in total from every holder
When: not earlier than 6 months after the date of the decedent’s death
The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
- Georgia
O.C.G.A. § 7-1-239
Georgia law permits a bank to pay from a deceased depositor's balance on an affidavit, without letters testamentary or letters of administration.O.C.G.A. § 7-1-239Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
Paid to: the surviving spouse; else the children; else the father and mother; else the brothers and sisters (subsection (b))
Limit: $15,000 held at the institution
Paid to: providers of funeral services and of services for the last illness (subsection (c))
Limit: $15,000 held at the institution
When: if no application for the deposit is made by any person named in subsection (b) of this Code section within 45 days from the death of the intestate depositor
The section applies where the person died without a will. The section permits the payment. It does not require the bank to make it. The section sets further conditions.
What Seacoast Bank's agreement and guidance say4
- Telling the institution
Seacoast's Deposit Account Agreement asks that the bank be told promptly when an account holder dies.1
- What it does when notified
Until Seacoast knows of the death and has had a reasonable opportunity to act, it may keep honoring checks and instructions.1
- Payments after the death
Seacoast may pay checks written on or before the date of death for up to 10 days after the death unless someone claiming an interest in the account orders it to stop.1
- Disputes between claimants
If survivors or beneficiaries make competing claims, Seacoast may hold the funds until a legal proceeding decides the claim or it receives satisfactory evidence that the dispute is resolved.1
Not in Seacoast Bank's published guidance4
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A claim form
- How long a claim takes
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
Sources1
- 1.Deposit Account Agreement, effective January 1, 2026
Sources
Data sourced from Seacoast Bank primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Seacoast Bank death claims support
Customer Support Center
Phone
Outside the U.S.
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Death notifications go through general customer service.
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Seacoast Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
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