What to do when a Sunflower Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Sunflower Bank's Customer Care Center at 1-888-827-5564
When an account holder at Sunflower 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 Sunflower Bank's Customer Care Center (1-888-827-5564) to access and distribute the funds.
Claims can be filed by phone (1-888-827-5564) or by emailing documentation to customerservice@sunflowerbank.com. Before reaching out, gather the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Sunflower Bank requires:
Filing a claim
What happens to each kind of account6
- Account in one name
In a single-party account without a payable-on-death designation, ownership passes as part of the owner's estate on the owner's death.1
- Payable-on-death account
A single-party account with a POD designation passes to the named beneficiaries who survive the owner, in equal shares unless otherwise indicated. If no beneficiary survives, the account is treated as a single-party account.1
- Joint account with survivorship
On a party's death, ownership passes to the surviving parties rather than to the estate, and to the spouse where the spouse is one of two or more survivors. At the last party's death it passes to the surviving POD beneficiaries.1
- Joint account without survivorship
In a multi-party account without right of survivorship, a party's ownership share passes as part of that party's estate.1
- Fiduciary account
Under the deposit agreement, an executor, administrator or conservator named in a court order may open and hold an account in that capacity. The bank takes on no duty to monitor or enforce the terms of the letters and is not responsible for a fiduciary's actions, including misuse of funds.1
- Certificate of deposit
The bank may waive the early withdrawal penalty on a certificate when the withdrawal is made because of the owner's death.1
State law on paying a balance without letters4 states
- Florida
Permits a bank to pay up to $2,000 on an affidavitFla. Stat. § 735.303Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- New Mexico
Permits a bank to pay up to $2,000 on proof the institution acceptsNMSA 1978 § 58-1-8Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- Texas
Permits a bank to pay up to $5,000 on an order of the courtTex. Est. Code § 152.051Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- Washington
Permits a bank to pay up to $2,500 on an affidavitRCW 30A.22.190(2)Verified Oct 3, 2026View sourceRCW 30A.22.190(2)
Permits a bank to pay on an affidavit; the section sets no dollar limitRCW 30A.22.190(1)Verified Oct 3, 2026View sourceRCW 30A.22.190(1)
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Mortgage Support Center
Sunflower Bank mortgage loans and mortgage servicing requests2
Phone: 1-800-331-4799
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM CT
Mailing address: Mortgage Support, P.O. Box 833890, Richardson, TX 75083-3890
- Trust & Fiduciary Services
Trusts Sunflower Bank administers, and estate and probate matters for its trust clients3
What Sunflower Bank's agreement and guidance say7
- What it does when notified
The bank may freeze an account on notice of an owner's death or incapacity until it has the documentation that establishes to whom payment should be made.1
- Payments after the death
For 10 days after the date of death the bank may pay checks the owner wrote on or before that date, unless a person claiming an interest in the account orders a stop payment.1
- Debts owed to the institution
If an owner owes the bank money that has come due, the bank may use the account funds to pay the debt. On a joint account it may set off funds for the debt of any one owner.1
- Powers of attorney
A power of attorney over the account ends at the owner's death. The bank may keep honoring the agent's transactions until it has notice or knowledge of the termination and a reasonable opportunity to act.1
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
An account becomes inactive after 12 months with no deposit, withdrawal or contact, or 12 months after a certificate's first maturity. A dormant balance can later be transferred to the state and then claimed only from the state.1
- Which state governs the account
The deposit account agreement states that it is governed by the laws of Colorado, except where federal law controls.1
- Accounts from a merged institution
First Foundation Bank personal and business accounts moved to Sunflower Bank over the weekend of September 18 to 20, 2026, and their account numbers carried over.4
For a former First Foundation account, online banking shows up to 90 days of history. Older account information is in the statements, or available from a branch or Customer Care.4
Not in Sunflower Bank's published guidance8
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form
- A list of required documents
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
- Which court appointment document it accepts
- An online way to report a death
- How long a claim takes
- A small-estate procedure
Sources4
- 1.Your Deposit Account: Account Agreement, Revised 06/30/2026
- 2.Contact Us
- 3.Trust & Fiduciary Services
- 4.First Foundation Integration Updates
Sunflower Bank's Customer Care Center can be reached by phone at 1-888-827-5564 and email at customerservice@sunflowerbank.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
(2)·
Data sourced from Sunflower Bank primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Sunflower Bank death claims support
Customer Care Center
Phone
Mortgage Support Center (mortgage loans)
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: probate petition, small estate affidavit, creditor notice and closing forms. Prepare each form for your state.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
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Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for your state.
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