What to do when a Third Federal account holder dies
Report the death to Third Federal's Customer Care Service at 1-844-798-7784
When an account holder at Third Federal 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 Third Federal's Customer Care Service (1-844-798-7784) to access and distribute the funds.
To start, call Third Federal at 1-844-798-7784. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate ready before you call.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Third Federal:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Notarized Letter of InstructionCompleted by the entitled party (the executor or person handling the decedent's affairs), stating where the disbursed funds should be sent or transferred.
- Proof of your identificationSuch as a passport, driver's license, or valid state-issued ID card.
- Executor or appointment papers, for a sole-owned account
- Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or Certification of Appointment, when formal probate is requiredCourt-issued, and available through the probate court of the county where the decedent resided.
- Small estate affidavit or court order, when formal probate is not requiredProperly executed under the laws of the state where the decedent resided. Some states require only notarization of the affidavit and others require it to be filed with the court.
- Copy of the trust papers including amendments, for a trust account
- Third Federal Beneficiary Distribution Election Form, for an IRA paid to a named beneficiary
- Notarized letter from each Recipient Upon Death, when several payable-on-death beneficiaries are named
- Passbook, if applicable
- Other legal documents Third Federal may requireSuch as a last will and testament, formal trust, birth or marriage certificate, or proof of legal name change.
Forms Third Federal issues3
What happens to each kind of account7
- Account in one name
A sole-owned account is part of the estate process. Third Federal asks for a certified copy of the death certificate, a copy of government-issued identification, executor or appointment papers, and a notarized Letter of Instruction if applicable.1
- Joint account with survivorship
A joint account with rights of survivorship is not part of the estate process. A certified copy of the death certificate removes the deceased owner; a notarized Letter of Instruction and the passbook are added if applicable.1
- Payable-on-death account
A payable-on-death account is not part of the estate process. Third Federal asks for a certified copy of the death certificate, a copy of government-issued identification, and, if applicable, a notarized Letter of Instruction and the passbook.1
When there are several Recipients Upon Death, each one sends a notarized letter.1
- Trust account
A trust account is not part of the estate process. Third Federal asks for a certified copy of the death certificate, a copy of the trust papers including amendments, a copy of government-issued identification, and, if applicable, a notarized Letter of Instruction signed by the trustee or successor trustee.1
- IRA
An IRA is paid to a named beneficiary on a certified copy of the death certificate and a Third Federal Beneficiary Distribution Election Form, as a lump sum or into a beneficiary IRA. Federal tax is withheld on a traditional IRA distribution unless the beneficiary opts out.1
An IRA payable to the estate is paid under the state probate or small-estate rules.1
- Custodial account (UTMA/UGMA)
When the custodian of a UTMA account dies, a successor custodian must be appointed, even where the minor is of age.1
- Certificate of deposit
No early-withdrawal penalty is charged for a CD withdrawal following the death of any accountholder.2
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 Third Federal's agreement and guidance say5
- What it does when notified
On notification, and typically before it receives documentation, Third Federal places balance holds on sole-owned accounts, closes debit and ATM cards, and cancels standing instructions such as automatic transfers, autopay and recurring transactions.3
It also suspends applicable fees and charges and deactivates Online/Mobile Banking and Personal MoneyLine.3
On notice of an owner's death Third Federal may freeze the account, refuse deposits and withdrawals, and hold the funds until it receives the documentation it requested and determines who is entitled to them.4
- Payments after the death
ACH and AutoPay loan payments set up through a Third Federal deposit account may be stopped. Third Federal asks you to contact it about keeping the loan current.1
- Deposits after the death
If the decedent received federal benefit payments, the account is subject to a reclamation review, and post-death payments may have to be returned to the issuing agency before any funds are disbursed or the accounts closed.1
Third Federal does not proactively return non-government pension deposits. It needs a request from the pension company and permission from the person handling the affairs.1
- Wills, probate and small estates
Third Federal may accept court orders from court-appointed representatives from states other than the state where the account is located.4
- Who can get account information
Loan Services will not discuss a deceased borrower's mortgage or home equity line until an authorized user or successor in interest is added.3
Not in Third Federal's published guidance1
- How long a claim takes
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.
Required Documents
- Written request to be added as an authorized user or successor in interestSent to Loan Services or made at a branch. Customer Care at 1-800-844-7333 states what the letter must contain.
Claims Contact
Phone: 1-800-844-7333
Mailing address: Third Federal Savings & Loan, Attn: Loan Services, 7007 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, OH 44105
What happens to each kind of account1
- Loan
In the case of death a person may be removed from the mortgage depending on how the property is titled.1
Federal law on calling a home loan after a death
These exemptions apply to a loan secured by residential real property containing less than five dwelling units.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d); 12 CFR 191.5(b), 141.14Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- A lender may not exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer by devise, descent, or operation of law on the death of a joint tenant or tenant by the entirety.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d)(3); 12 CFR 191.5(b)(1)(iii)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- A lender may not exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer to a relative resulting from the death of a borrower.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d)(5)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
- A lender may not exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer where the spouse or children of the borrower become an owner of the property.12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3(d)(6)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
A federal regulation sets further conditions on these transfers.12 CFR 191.5(b)(1)(v)Verified Oct 3, 2026View source
What Third Federal's agreement and guidance say1
- Who can get account information
An authorized user must be added before the Loan Servicing Department will discuss a deceased borrower's account details.2
Sources2
Required Documents
- Written request to be added as an authorized user or successor in interestSent to Loan Services or made at a branch. Customer Care at 1-800-844-7333 states what the letter must contain.
Claims Contact
Phone: 1-800-844-7333
Mailing address: Third Federal Savings & Loan, Attn: Loan Services, 7007 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, OH 44105
What Third Federal's agreement and guidance say1
- Who can get account information
An authorized user must be added before the Loan Servicing Department will discuss a deceased borrower's account details.1
Sources1
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Third Federal's Estate Support guide says that once it is notified of a death, typically before it receives any documentation, it places balance holds on sole-owned accounts, closes debit and ATM cards, cancels automatic transfers, autopay, and recurring transactions, and deactivates Online/Mobile Banking and Personal MoneyLine. The Deposit Account Agreement states that on notice of an owner's death the bank may freeze the account, refuse deposits and withdrawals, and hold the funds until it receives the documentation it requested and determines who is entitled to them. ACH and AutoPay loan payments drawn from a Third Federal deposit account may stop as a result; Third Federal asks you to contact it about keeping the loan current.
Deposit accounts and the death notification go to Customer Care Service at 1-844-798-7784. For a mortgage or home equity line of credit, Third Federal's Loan Servicing Department will not discuss a deceased borrower's account details until an authorized user or successor in interest is added. To be added, go to a branch or send a written request to Third Federal Savings & Loan, Attn: Loan Services, 7007 Broadway Ave., Cleveland, OH 44105. The Estate Support guide lists Customer Care at 1-800-844-7333 for the letter requirements.
The entitled party, meaning the executor or the person handling the decedent's affairs, completes it and has it notarized; it tells Third Federal where the disbursed funds should be sent or transferred. The Estate Support guide does not list the Letter of Instruction among the forms Third Federal provides, which are a Signature Card, a Beneficiary Affidavit, and a New Owner/Signer Application. For a Payable on Death account, Third Federal calls each beneficiary a Recipient Upon Death (RUD) and requires a notarized letter from each one when there are several. For a trust account, the Letter of Instruction is signed by the trustee or successor trustee.
No. Third Federal's Truth in Savings disclosure states it will not charge a penalty for a withdrawal following the death, or the adjudication of incompetence, of any accountholder. If the decedent received federal benefit payments, the account goes through a U.S. Treasury Green Book reclamation review, and payments made after the date of death may have to be returned to the issuing agency before any funds are disbursed. Third Federal does not proactively return non-government pension deposits: it needs a request from the pension company and permission from the person handling the affairs.
Third Federal's Customer Care Service can be reached by phone at 1-844-798-7784 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Third Federal primary sources (28 pages reviewed). How we research.
Third Federal death claims support
Customer Care Service
Phone
IRA representatives (options for named IRA beneficiaries)
Customer Care (mortgage or HELOC)
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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