What to do when a TD Bank account holder dies
Contact TD Bank's TD Wealth Private Client Group (corporate trustee, executor, and co-executor services; $1M+ investable assets and $3M+ net worth) — 4-step process, 8 required documents, and varies by account type, state law, and documentation completeness
TD Bank, N.A. (corporate office), 4140 Church Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
TD Wealth Private Client Group (corporate trustee, executor, and co-executor services; $1M+ investable assets and $3M+ net worth)
TD Bank Customer Service (US estate intake -- TD Bank, N.A. publishes no separate US estates line)
TD Bank, N.A., Customer Service Department, Mail Stop NJ5-002-215, 6000 Atrium Way, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 (written correspondence address in the Personal Deposit Account Agreement; TD's corporate office is 4140 Church Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054)
When an account holder at TD 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 TD Bank's TD Bank Customer Service (US estate intake -- TD Bank, N.A. publishes no separate US estates line) (1-888-751-9000) to access and distribute the funds.
Death claims at TD Bank can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
The death claim process at TD Bank works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Call TD Bank customer service at 1-888-751-9000 (24/7) or go to a TD store (https://locations.td.com/us)
- Provide the deceased's name, address, date of birth, and account numbers if known
- Submit an original certified copy of the death certificate (an original or notarized copy; photocopies are not accepted)
- Under the Death/Incompetence section of the Personal Deposit Account Agreement, the account holder's death does not end TD's authority to pay checks or accept deposits until TD receives written notice of the death -- and even after notice, TD may keep paying items the decedent authorized before death for the period applicable law allows. Autopays and outstanding checks can therefore keep clearing while you are still gathering documents
- On a joint account, the agreement makes each surviving owner responsible for notifying TD when another joint owner dies
- Certain items payable to a deceased joint account holder -- the agreement names Social Security checks and electronic deposits -- must be returned to the issuer and cannot be used, cashed, or otherwise disposed of by a surviving account holder
- If a survivor does use those funds, each account holder remains liable for the amount plus any resulting charges, and TD may debit the account and remit the money to the issuer
- The agreement also authorizes TD to deduct any returned direct deposit from that account or any other account you hold with TD, without prior notice
- Notify the Social Security Administration and any pension or benefit payer separately so post-death payments stop at the source
- Account with a named beneficiary (TD's in-trust-for / "Revocable Unwritten Trust" registration): the beneficiary takes the balance if living. TD may place a hold before payment and may require reasonable proof of death and, in some jurisdictions, tax releases or other government consents before releasing funds
- Joint account with right of survivorship: the balance belongs to the survivor(s), and TD may keep honoring the survivor's checks and withdrawals; the survivor produces the death certificate and ID
- Sole account with no beneficiary: the executor or administrator produces Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, or a small estate affidavit if the estate qualifies under the law of the decedent's state
- Written trust account: only the trustee named in the trust instrument or court order may transact, and TD can require a certified copy of that instrument
- A term CD may have its early withdrawal penalty waived on the death of an owner, so ask before breaking a CD to fund the estate
- An account can only be closed once the balance is at zero, and closure must be requested at a TD store, through Customer Service at 1-888-751-9000, or by written request
- A written closure request must include the account numbers and the mailing address for the check, and must be signed and NOTARIZED; it can be delivered to any TD Bank store
- Leave enough on deposit to cover pending items and fees -- the agreement says fees may continue to accrue on a zero-balance account that has not been formally closed
Required Documents
- Original certified copy of the death certificate (an original or notarized copy is required; photocopies are not accepted)
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, beneficiary, survivor, or personal representative
- Original or notarized copy of the will (if available)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (sole accounts with no beneficiary)
- Small estate affidavit (if the estate qualifies under the law of the decedent's state)
- Trust instrument or Certificate of Trust, certified if TD requests it (trust-titled accounts)
- State inheritance-tax waiver or release, in the jurisdictions that require one before a bank releases funds
- Notarized written closing request (to close an account and have the balance mailed as a check)
What to know at this institution
The controlling text is the Death/Incompetence section of TD's Personal Deposit Account Agreement (https://www.td.com/content/dam/tdb/document/pdf/personal-banking/personalacctagree-en.pdf): death does not cut off TD's authority to pay items until TD receives WRITTEN notice, and even afterward TD may pay items the decedent authorized before death for as long as applicable law permits. Required documents depend on the state where the decedent resided, your relationship to the decedent, and how each account is titled -- call 1-888-751-9000 for the list. TD does not offer online death notification, and there is no US estates phone line: the One TD Estates Centre (1-866-235-1974) and TD's Executor Assist Kit belong to TD Canada Trust (The Canada Trust Company) and cover provincial, not U.S., procedure. Joint accounts with right of survivorship pass directly to the surviving owner without probate. Mortgage and home equity deaths are handled by their own servicing teams (1-866-325-4516 and 1-800-815-6849), not by the deposit side.
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.
- Gather the certified death certificate and any documents establishing your legal interest in the property (will, trust agreement, deed, or court appointment as executor/administrator)
- Call TD Bank Mortgage at 1-866-325-4516 to report the death of the borrower and request guidance on next steps
- TD Bank will advise on your role: surviving co-borrower, successor in interest (heir), fiduciary (executor/administrator), or successor trustee
- Submit required documents to TD Bank by mail or as directed by the mortgage representative
- Once TD Bank verifies your documentation and confirms your status as a successor in interest or fiduciary, you will receive access to loan information and statements
- Discuss options with TD Bank: continue making payments on the existing loan, apply for a loan assumption, refinance in your own name, or pay off the loan
- If you wish to assume the loan, complete the assumption application as directed by TD Bank
- Continue making regular mortgage payments during the process to avoid delinquency
Required Documents
- Original certified copy of the death certificate (TD asks for an original or notarized copy; photocopies are not accepted)
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Proof of legal interest in the property (deed, will, trust agreement, or court order)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if court-appointed executor/administrator)
- Trust agreement and trustee identification (if property held in trust)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if estate qualifies under state law)
- Affidavit of domicile (if required for property transfers)
Claims Contact
Phone: 1-866-325-4516
TD Bank, N.A. (corporate office), 4140 Church Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3), TD Bank cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, or relative of the deceased borrower, or to the borrower's revocable living trust. Heirs who inherit the property are not required to assume the loan or qualify for credit to continue making payments. TD Bank must identify and communicate with confirmed successors in interest per CFPB Regulation X (12 C.F.R. 1024.31) and provide them with information about the loan and available loss mitigation options. For a charged-off account, TD Consumer Collections and Recovery is 1-800-742-2651, option 3. For general customer service, call 1-888-751-9000 (available 24/7).
Opening 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 TD Bank →Processing timelines at TD Bank: Varies by account type, state law, and documentation completeness. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
TD Bank requires several documents to process a claim, including Original certified copy of the death certificate (an original or notarized copy is required; photocopies are not accepted), Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, beneficiary, survivor, or personal representative, and Original or notarized copy of the will (if available), 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
TD's Personal Deposit Account Agreement treats them as two different registrations. If you name a beneficiary and give TD no written trust agreement, the account is deemed a "Revocable Unwritten Trust" -- an in-trust-for account. You keep the right to withdraw everything during your life, and at your death the balance belongs to the named beneficiary if that person is still living, although TD may place a hold before paying. If instead you retitle the account into your written trust, only the trustee named in the trust instrument or court order may transact on it, and TD can require a certified copy of that instrument. Both registrations live on the signature card, so both are done in a TD store (https://locations.td.com/us), not online.
No. The Death/Incompetence section of TD's Personal Deposit Account Agreement says a customer's death does not end TD's authority to pay checks the customer signed, to honor items they authorized, or to accept deposits until TD receives WRITTEN notice of the death -- and even after that notice, TD may keep paying items authorized before death for as long as applicable law allows. So the practical first step for an executor or surviving joint owner is to put the notice in writing quickly, and to expect some pre-death items to keep clearing afterward. The agreement also makes each joint owner responsible for telling TD when another joint owner dies.
They have to go back. TD's deposit agreement states that certain items payable to a deceased joint account holder -- it names Social Security checks and electronic deposits -- must be returned to the issuer and may not be used, cashed, or otherwise disposed of by the surviving account holders. If a survivor spends them, every account holder stays liable for the amount plus any charges, and TD may debit the account and remit the money to the issuer. A separate clause lets TD deduct any returned direct deposit from that account or any other TD account you hold, without prior notice. Notify the Social Security Administration and any pension payer directly so the payments stop at the source.
Usually yes -- ask. TD's Personal Deposit Account Agreement provides that the early withdrawal penalty on a CD may be waived in certain circumstances, including the death or incompetence of an owner of the CD. That matters when an estate needs cash for funeral costs or debts before a term CD matures. Raise the waiver when you report the death; TD prices standard early withdrawals at 3 to 24 months' interest depending on the term, so the waiver is worth asking about on any long-dated CD.
TD Bank's TD Bank Customer Service (US estate intake -- TD Bank, N.A. publishes no separate US estates line) can be reached by phone at 1-888-751-9000 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple TD Bank accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The TD Bank Customer Service (US estate intake -- TD Bank, N.A. publishes no separate US estates line) can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from TD Bank primary sources (18 pages reviewed). How we research.
TD Bank, N.A. (corporate office), 4140 Church Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
TD Wealth Private Client Group (corporate trustee, executor, and co-executor services; $1M+ investable assets and $3M+ net worth)
TD Bank Customer Service (US estate intake -- TD Bank, N.A. publishes no separate US estates line)
TD Bank, N.A., Customer Service Department, Mail Stop NJ5-002-215, 6000 Atrium Way, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 (written correspondence address in the Personal Deposit Account Agreement; TD's corporate office is 4140 Church Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054)
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