Estate planning options at The First
The First merged into Renasant BankMerged, effective April 2025
The First Bank merged into Renasant Bank on April 1, 2025, and former The First accounts are now Renasant Bank accounts. The systems conversion ran from August 1 to August 4, 2025. Renasant Customer Experience Center: 1-877-367-5371.
The key to protecting your The First accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.
Each of The First's 16 accounts has different rules for how it transfers at death. The sections below explain the options for each.
No beneficiary form at The First
Required Documents
- Certification of the fiduciary relationship and the trustee's status and authority (if Renasant requests it). Renasant may rely on the certification
What The First says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is The First's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary1
- IRA
An IRA beneficiary designation is an IRA-specific document that the Deposit Account Agreement does not affect.1
Who can be named2
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- Payable-on-death account
On a personal account, a pay-on-death designation pays all funds, on the death of the owner or surviving owners, in equal shares to the named beneficiaries then living (Section 15).2
What The First's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- What the owner keeps while living
During the owner's lifetime a pay-on-death beneficiary's interest is revocable, and only the owners or their designated authorized signers may withdraw (Section 15).2
- Claims against the account
Every payable-on-death account is subject to applicable law, Renasant's security interest in the account and its right of setoff (Section 15).2
- Who can see the designation
Renasant states it has "no obligation to notify any beneficiary of the existence of any account or the vesting of any interest in any account" (Section 15).2
What The First says about trust accounts1
- Review of the trust document
Under Section 18, Renasant is not a fiduciary on the account, will not enforce the fiduciary document or monitor the account for compliance with it, and has no duty to ensure the fiduciary uses account funds properly.2
Not in The First's published guidance2
- What the owner provides to name a beneficiary
- A beneficiary designation form
Sources
(1)·
Data sourced from The First primary sources (6 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these The First instructions
A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details, verified against The First primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
The First estate support
Renasant Customer Experience Center
Phone
Online and Mobile Banking Support
24-hour Automated Account Information
Lost or Stolen Debit Card (after hours)
Credit Card Assistance and Disputes
Hours
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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Add, revoke or replace provisions of your will and republish the rest, signed as your state requires for a will.
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