What to do when a Together CU account holder dies
Contact Together CU — 7-step process, 8 required documents, and the credit union does not publish a turnaround. it begins processing on receipt of the death certificate; it notes that after the death certificate arrives, "some products and services require additional time to process before the account can be closed."
Member Contact Center
Together Credit Union, 423 Lynch Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
Member Contact Center
Together Credit Union, 423 Lynch Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
Research and Quality Management (estate documentation) via the Member Contact Center
Together Credit Union, Attn: Research and Quality Management, 423 Lynch Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
When a member of Together CU passes away, the Research and Quality Management (estate documentation) via the Member Contact Center handles the transition of accounts to beneficiaries or the estate. Accounts with Payable on Death designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate, while solely-owned accounts may require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court.
Death claims at Together CU 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
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Together CU:
Filing a claim
- All automated debits and credits (ACH) are stopped
- Incoming Social Security payments for the decedent are RETURNED to the SSA
- Debit card access and Online Access are shut off
- Power of Attorney authority ends at the member's death -- an agent under a POA can no longer act
- JOINT: joint accounts are held with right of survivorship, so the surviving owner(s) own the funds; the account does not pass to a POD beneficiary or through probate, and ACH continues (though incoming Social Security payments for the decedent are still returned)
- JOINT, non-spouse survivor: the credit union requires the account to be CLOSED and a new account number opened, to prevent erroneous IRS and credit-bureau reporting and account-takeover fraud. It will move the debit card, ACHs, Bill Pay, safe deposit box rental, CDs, IRAs, and jointly held loans and credit cards to the new number. A surviving SPOUSE may instead assume the role of primary owner on the existing account.
- INDIVIDUAL with a POD beneficiary: the beneficiary claims the account. The credit union requires the NAME, DATE OF BIRTH, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, CURRENT ADDRESS, AND ID of every named beneficiary before it will release any funds -- with multiple beneficiaries, it will not pay anyone until it has all of them.
- INDIVIDUAL with no POD beneficiary: an estate representative must claim the account. The credit union CANNOT ACCEPT A LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT as authority. For formal probate it may require Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration; for a small estate it may accept a properly executed Small Estate Affidavit or a court order such as Letters of Refusal or a Determination of Heirship.
- TRUST: only a trustee may claim a trust account. An UPDATED CERTIFICATION OF TRUST is required to add a new trustee or for a successor trustee to claim the account, along with a certified death certificate and trustee ID -- and if no grantor survives, the trust must obtain an EIN.
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate (nothing is released or closed without it)
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- POD claims: full name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address, and ID information for ALL named beneficiaries
- No-beneficiary accounts: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration -- the credit union does NOT accept a Last Will and Testament as authority
- Small estates: a Missouri Small Estate Affidavit (Mo. Rev. Stat. 473.097, $40,000 or less, 30 days after death), Letters of Refusal, or a Determination of Heirship order (the credit union applies the law of the decedent's state of residence)
- Trust accounts: an updated Certification of Trust listing the currently serving trustees, trustee ID, and an EIN for the trust if no grantor survives
- Safe deposit box contents: a court order
- IRAs: the separate IRA beneficiary claim and distribution election forms (the deposit-account POD designation does not reach IRAs)
What to know at this institution
Missouri vehicle titling, from the credit union's own guide: to title a vehicle out of a Missouri decedent's name you need an Application for Missouri Title and License (Form DOR-108), the title signed over by the estate's administrator or executor, original or certified Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary, and payment of the title, registration, tax, and processing fees. To remove a deceased JOINT owner from a Missouri title: a copy of the death certificate, surrender of the original jointly owned title (which need not be assigned), and an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form 108) marked "corrected." Other fiduciary accounts: on a custodial (UTMA) account, if the custodian dies the funds are payable directly to the minor, and if the minor dies the funds belong to the minor's estate; on a guardianship/conservatorship account, the guardian's authority ceases when the ward dies and the funds belong to the ward's estate; on a Social Security representative-payee account, the rep payee's authority ceases at the recipient's death and the funds belong to the estate.
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.
- If the decedent was the primary account holder and a co-borrower survives: the co-borrower contacts Real Estate Servicing to discuss a change of account ownership
- If the surviving owner is already the primary account holder: no action is needed
- If all loan and title owners have died: the credit union requires proper documentation before it will release payoff information, and may request court documentation proving rights to the property
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Documentation proving your ownership interest in the property: recorded deed, probated will, court order, or trust document
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (where the property passes through probate)
What to know at this institution
Together Credit Union routes deceased-borrower real estate loans to its Real Estate Servicing department; the general estate documentation channel (Attn: Research and Quality Management, 423 Lynch Street) covers deposit accounts. Under Garn-St. Germain (12 U.S.C. 1701j-3) the credit union cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause on transfer to a surviving spouse, child, relative on death, or the borrower's revocable living trust.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Together CU
Together CU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Together CU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Together CU: The credit union does not publish a turnaround. It begins processing on receipt of the death certificate; it notes that after the death certificate arrives, "some products and services require additional time to process before the account can be closed.". Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Documentation required by Together CU includes Certified copy of the death certificate (nothing is released or closed without it), Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant, and POD claims: full name, date of birth, Social Security number, current address, and ID information for ALL named beneficiaries, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Almost -- and the exception is the one that catches people. Section 5(a) of the Membership Agreement says a POD beneficiary designation "will apply to all savings, checking and money market Accounts under the member's primary savings Account," but that "POD designations for Certificates of Deposit must be made separately and independently," and that a POD designation "shall not apply to IRAs or Health Savings Accounts." So a member who names beneficiaries once on the primary savings account has covered the checking and money market accounts, but has NOT covered a certificate, an IRA, or an HSA. On a joint account, all owners must consent in writing to change a POD beneficiary. A beneficiary who fails to survive the last owner by 120 hours is treated as having predeceased, and divorce automatically revokes a designation in favor of a former spouse.
Under Section 34 of the Membership Agreement, the credit union may keep honoring checks and other payment orders the member authorized for ten (10) days after death, unless someone claiming an interest in the account instructs it to stop payment. Its post-death guide adds that on an individually owned account, all ACH debits and credits stop, incoming Social Security payments for the decedent are returned to the SSA, and debit card and Online Access are shut off. Power of Attorney authority ends at death. The credit union will not accept a check payable only to the decedent -- only an estate administrator can negotiate one. It can also require anyone claiming a deceased owner's funds to indemnify it against losses from honoring the claim.
Because you are not a spouse. Together CU's post-death guide says a surviving SPOUSE may assume the role of primary owner on the existing account, but that when the surviving joint owner is not the spouse, "the account must be closed to prevent erroneous IRS or Credit Bureau reporting for the remaining survivors." The credit union cites identity theft and account-takeover fraud risk from public obituary and probate records, plus IRS dividend-reporting penalties. It will move the debit card, ACH direct deposits and withdrawals, Bill Pay, safe deposit box rental, certificates, IRAs, and jointly held loans and credit cards over to the new account number for you.
Together CU's Research and Quality Management (estate documentation) via the Member Contact Center can be reached by phone at 1-800-325-9905 and email at membercontactcenter@togethercu.org for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Together CU accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Research and Quality Management (estate documentation) via the Member Contact Center can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Together CU primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
Member Contact Center
Together Credit Union, 423 Lynch Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
Member Contact Center
Together Credit Union, 423 Lynch Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
Research and Quality Management (estate documentation) via the Member Contact Center
Together Credit Union, Attn: Research and Quality Management, 423 Lynch Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
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