What to do when a Sunwest Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Sunwest Bank at 1-800-330-9890
When an account holder at Sunwest 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 Sunwest Bank to access and distribute the funds.
Gather the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any known account or policy numbers before contacting Sunwest Bank.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Sunwest Bank requires:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Proof that every owner of the account has died, for a payable-on-death account
- Court documents from a U.S. court, when the owner lived outside the United States at death
What happens to each kind of account5
- Joint account with survivorship
Sunwest Bank treats every joint account as one with right of survivorship, so a deceased owner's share passes to the surviving owners. Once told of the death, the bank may restrict withdrawals until it is satisfied it has met its obligations.1
- Payable-on-death account
The balance of a payable-on-death account goes to the beneficiaries who survive every owner, in equal shares, once the bank has proof that all owners have died.1
- Fiduciary account
For an estate account or another account opened in a fiduciary capacity, the bank may ask for any document showing the fiduciary's authority and need not allow withdrawals until it has them.1
- Custodial account (UTMA/UGMA)
If the last custodian of a UTMA or UGMA account dies before the minor comes of age, the bank may move the funds to a successor custodian.1
- Representative payee account
When the person a representative payee account serves dies, the payee must tell the bank and stop all deposits and withdrawals. Government payments the government takes back may be taken from the payee's other accounts.1
State law on paying a balance without lettersFlorida
- 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.
What Sunwest Bank's agreement and guidance say10
- What it does when notified
After it is told of a death, the bank may freeze the balance, refuse transactions and reverse or return deposits.1
- Wills, probate and small estates
The bank may follow court orders and take direction from affiants and court-appointed representatives from the owner's state of residence, even where the account was opened elsewhere, and may ask for more documents first.1
- Payments after the death
The bank may pay checks dated on or before the death for up to ten days afterward unless someone claiming an interest orders a stop. A transaction the owner authorized before death may be paid when it is presented.1
- Debts owed to the institution
A debt the owner owed the bank at death may be paid from the account balance, even ahead of an "in trust for" beneficiary.1
- What it says about taxes
If paying the balance to the estate leaves the bank owing tax, the estate repays the bank.1
- Holds and legal process
An account under a decedent hold need not be closed on request until the hold is released.1
- Disputes between claimants
Where people dispute who owns the account or who may give instructions, the bank may hold the funds until the dispute is settled and ask every party for a written agreement that it is.1
- Which state governs the account
The agreement and the accounts are governed by federal law and, where federal law does not apply, by Utah law.1
- Accounts from a merged institution
Sunwest Bank took on substantially all of Nano Banc's deposits when Nano Banc closed on September 25, 2026, and most accounts transferred automatically. Routing and account numbers stay the same until Sunwest Bank says otherwise in writing.2
- Fees
Account research costs $50 an hour, a statement or check copy $3, a verification of deposit $20, and legal processing at least $100.3
Not in Sunwest Bank's published guidance10
- A procedure for reporting a death
- A department for deceased-customer accounts
- A claim form
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
- Which court appointment document it accepts
- A fax number for claim documents
- An email address for claim documents
- An online way to report a death
- How long a claim takes
- A small-estate procedure
Sources3
- 1.Consumer Deposit Account Agreement (CDAA2026-7/1/2026), effective July 1, 2026
- 2.Nano Banc Acquisition
- 3.Personal Account Services Schedule of Charges (NA-022), effective July 2026 (Revised 07/26)
Sources
(2)·
Data sourced from Sunwest Bank primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Sunwest Bank death claims support
Phone
Lost or stolen debit card (24 hours)
Mailed deposits (deposit slips and endorsed checks)
Loan Servicing Department
Hours
Office
Mailing address
Website
Death notifications go through general customer service.
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Sunwest Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
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.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for your state.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.
Do I Need Probate?
Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.
What Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies?
See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
