What to do when a SouthState Bank account holder dies
Contact SouthState Bank's SouthState Wealth - Estate Settlement — 7-step process, 5 required documents, and varies based on account type and documentation
Customer Care
SouthState Bank, PO Box 118068, Charleston, SC 29423
SouthState Wealth - Estate Settlement
Death Claims / Customer Care
SouthState Bank, ATTN: Inquiries, PO Box 118068, Charleston, SC 29423
When an account holder at SouthState Bank 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 SouthState Bank's Death Claims / Customer Care (1-800-277-2175) to access and distribute the funds.
Begin by calling SouthState Bank at 1-800-277-2175. You will need the deceased's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate to get the process started.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
The death claim process at SouthState Bank works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Deceased account holder's full name
- Account number(s)
- Surviving beneficiary provides death certificate and valid government-issued ID
- Funds pass equally to surviving beneficiaries after deducting any fees owed
- Executor or personal representative provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- If no POD and no surviving beneficiary, funds are paid to the last owner's estate
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary or representative
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD designation)
- Trust documents (if trust is named as beneficiary)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if applicable under state law)
What to know at this institution
SouthState Wealth provides estate settlement agency services and can serve as Personal Representative or as agent for the Personal Representative. SouthState Wealth offices are located in South Carolina (Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, Hilton Head and Bluffton), Georgia (Savannah and Augusta), and Virginia (Richmond). Bank has no obligation to notify beneficiaries of the existence of a POD account. Contact a Private Wealth Advisor at southstatebank.com/wealth/contact-a-wealth-advisor for estate settlement assistance. Phone Banking: 1-800-763-0555 (24 hours). After-hours debit card support: 1-855-908-4495.
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.
- Deceased borrower's full legal name
- Social Security number
- Mortgage loan number
- Probated will
- Court order
- Recorded deed
- Trust document
- Continue making payments
- Apply for loss mitigation
- Assume the loan
- Refinance
- Pay off the balance
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: 1-800-277-2175
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), SouthState 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. Some mortgage loans may be serviced by a third party on SouthState's behalf -- contact Customer Care to determine your servicer. Phone Banking: 1-800-763-0555 (24 hours). SouthState Wealth can assist with estate settlement: southstatebank.com/wealth/contact-a-wealth-advisor.
Prepare your letter of instruction to SouthState Bank
SouthState Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to SouthState Bank's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionOpening an account for the estate itself
Checks made out to the estate deposit into an account titled to the estate, opened by the appointed executor or administrator under the estate's EIN.
How to open an estate account at SouthState Bank →Expected timelines at SouthState Bank: Varies based on account type and documentation. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
SouthState Bank requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary or representative, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD 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
No. SouthState Bank requires that POD (Payable on Death) beneficiary designations be established or changed in person at a branch. The designation is recorded on your signature card and any changes must be evidenced by a written change to that card. You can add a beneficiary during the initial account opening process or by visiting a branch afterward. The bank cannot accept beneficiary changes by phone or mail.
SouthState Bank's Death Claims / Customer Care can be reached by phone at 1-800-277-2175 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple SouthState Bank accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Death Claims / Customer Care can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from SouthState Bank primary sources (25 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Care
SouthState Bank, PO Box 118068, Charleston, SC 29423
SouthState Wealth - Estate Settlement
Death Claims / Customer Care
SouthState Bank, ATTN: Inquiries, PO Box 118068, Charleston, SC 29423
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