What to do when a Travis CU account holder dies
Report the death to Travis CU's Member Service Center at 1-707-449-4000
The Member Service Center at Travis CU coordinates account transitions after a member's death. How each account is handled depends on its setup: POD and trust accounts transfer automatically, while solely-owned accounts typically require court authorization through Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Travis CU:
Filing a claim
- Phone (707) 449-4000 or (800) 877-8328
- Email MSAdmin@Traviscu.org
- Fax (707) 469-1951
- Or visit a Travis Credit Union branch
Required Documents
- Death certificateA photocopy. A death certificate is required before any funds are disbursed.
- Valid government-issued ID, for a designated beneficiary; for a minor beneficiary, the guardian's ID
- Authorization to Transfer or Forward Funds form, for a designated beneficiary, or to close joint accounts
- Updated contact information, for a designated beneficiary
- Formal trust and any amendments, marriage certificate or proof of legal name change, to claim funds as a listed beneficiary
- EIN, to settle trust accounts
- Court-issued Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if the estate is going through probate; with no beneficiary, where the funds are above the small-estate limitIssued by the California court.
- California Small Estate Affidavit (Probate Code 13101 declaration), when no beneficiary is named and the funds are below the small-estate limitNotarized if not signed in the presence of a Travis CU representative. The form says a copy of the death certificate must be attached, and that you may use your own form if it complies with California law.
- Declaration under Probate Code 3401(c), when the designated beneficiary is a minor and a parent or legal guardian collects a smaller amount
- Court order explaining how the funds will be disbursed, when the designated beneficiary is a minor and the funds are above the amount a parent or guardian may collect
- New Membership and Account Agreement, for a joint account, to keep the accounts at Travis CU
- Notarized Certification of Trust, for a trust account with no remaining trusteesIt names the successor or current acting trustees. Also a Certification of Trust & Indemnity Agreement by Successor Trustee, and a W-9 to update the EIN if necessary.
- IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary, for an IRAWith a W-4R if necessary. Where the beneficiary has died or none is listed, a California Small Estate Affidavit (13101) as well.
Forms Travis CU issues4
- Authorization To Transfer or Forward Funds
Completed by a designated beneficiary, or a joint owner closing the accounts. Available to download. Must be notarized.1
- Declaration for Collection of Personal Property Without Administration of Estate (Probate Code 13101)
Available to download.2
- Declaration under Probate Code 3401(c)
Completed by a parent or legal guardian of a minor beneficiary. Available to download.3
- Qualified Disclaimer of Beneficiary's Rights and Interest
Completed by a beneficiary declining an interest. Available to download.4
What happens to each kind of account6
- Payable-on-death account
A designated beneficiary of an individual account gives a valid government-issued ID, the Authorization to Transfer or Forward Funds form, and updated contact information.5
- Account in one name
With no beneficiary, Travis CU requires Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued by the California court above the small-estate limit. Below it, a California Small Estate Affidavit (13101) is completed, and notarized if not signed in the presence of a Travis CU representative.5
- Joint account with survivorship
A new Membership and Account Agreement keeps the accounts at Travis CU. The Authorization To Transfer or Forward Funds form closes them.5
- Trust account
With a surviving trustee, a W-9 updates the EIN if necessary. With no remaining trustees, Travis CU asks for a notarized Certification of Trust naming the successor or current acting trustees, a Certification of Trust & Indemnity Agreement by Successor Trustee, and a W-9 to update the EIN if necessary.5
- IRA
A designated beneficiary gives the IRA Election of Payment by Beneficiary, and a W-4R if necessary. Where the beneficiary has died or none is listed, a California Small Estate Affidavit (13101) is also needed.5
- Fiduciary account
An estate that goes through probate can open an Executor/Administrator Estate Account. It requires a California certified copy of the Letters bearing the County Clerk's stamp and an EIN for the estate issued by the IRS. The decedent's Social Security number should not be used.6
The estate account is a new account; a current account may not be retitled. It is limited to savings, checking, target and money market products, with no certificates or new loans. Checks may be issued, with no Call-24, online banking or ATM/debit card.6
What Travis CU's agreement and guidance say5
- Powers of attorney
Travis CU says a power of attorney becomes void at the time of death, and the agent no longer has access to the account.7
- Who can get account information
Travis CU says it cannot give account balances or account activity unless it has the administrator's or executor's estate documents.7
- Payment to a minor or incapacitated beneficiary
Where the designated beneficiary is a minor, a parent or legal guardian may collect a smaller amount with a Declaration under Probate Code 3401(c). For a larger amount, Travis CU asks for a court order explaining how the funds will be disbursed.5
- Membership
For an estate account, the decedent must have been eligible for membership at the time of death, or the beneficiaries of the estate must be eligible for membership.6
- Fees
The Fee Schedule lists notary service for Travis CU documents as free.8
Sources8
- 1.Authorization To Transfer or Forward Funds
- 2.Declaration for Collection of Personal Property Without Administration of Estate (Probate Code 13101)
- 3.Declaration under Probate Code 3401(c)
- 4.Qualified Disclaimer of Beneficiary's Rights and Interest
- 5.Documents needed
- 6.Special titled accounts
- 7.Navigating the next steps after a loss
- 8.Fee Schedule (TCU-368), eff. December 2025
Depends on the types of accounts and whether beneficiaries are listed.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Travis Credit Union publishes its own Declaration for Collection of Personal Property Without Administration of Estate (California Probate Code Section 13101) as a downloadable PDF. The form requires that at least 40 days have elapsed since the death, prints the California small-estate threshold schedule, and applies $208,850 to deaths on or after April 1, 2025; Travis CU's documents-needed page still states the limit as $184,500. Signatures must be notarized for amounts over $1,000 unless signed in the presence of a Travis CU employee, and Travis CU notarizes its own documents free of charge. Travis CU's form asks for a copy of the death certificate, while Probate Code Section 13101(d) requires a certified copy to be attached. The form states that Travis CU provides it as a courtesy and that you may use your own form so long as it complies with California law.
Travis Credit Union lists seven fiduciary account types: Representative Payee, Conservatorship, Executor/Administrator Estate Account, Guardianship, Court Blocked, Coogan, and Uniform Transfer to Minor. The Executor/Administrator Estate Account requires a California certified copy of the Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration bearing the County Clerk's stamp and an EIN issued to the estate by the IRS; the decedent's Social Security number should not be used. The decedent must have been eligible for membership at the time of death, or the beneficiaries of the estate must be eligible. It must be a new account, limited to savings, checking, target and money market products, with checks permitted but no Call-24, online banking, or ATM/debit card.
Once a representative is assigned to the case, Travis Credit Union places a lock on all affected accounts, closes debit, ATM and credit cards and removes authorized users, cancels pre-authorized transfers, and closes online banking access, including Bill Pay. Accounts with a named beneficiary are paid to the beneficiary, joint accounts pass to the surviving owners, and individual accounts with no beneficiary are settled with court-issued Letters or a California small estate affidavit. Notify Travis CU by phone at (707) 449-4000 or (800) 877-8328, by email at MSAdmin@Traviscu.org, by fax at (707) 469-1951, or at any branch, with the person's name, address, and date of birth.
Travis Credit Union's after-a-loss page at https://www.traviscu.org/personal/navigating-the-next-steps-after-a-loss/ links four forms: the Authorization To Transfer or Forward Funds, which carries a notary acknowledgment; the Declaration for Collection of Personal Property Without Administration of Estate (California Probate Code Section 13101); the Declaration Under Probate Code Section 3401 for a minor beneficiary; and the Qualified Disclaimer of Beneficiary's Rights and Interest. Completed documents can be brought to a branch, emailed to MSAdmin@Traviscu.org, faxed to (707) 469-1951, or mailed to Travis Credit Union, Attn: MSA, P.O. Box 2069, Vacaville, CA 95696. Travis CU mails the required documents within 45 days of a case being submitted, and families may contact it to bypass that 45-day period.
Travis CU's Member Service Center can be reached by phone at 1-707-449-4000, email at MSAdmin@Traviscu.org, and fax at 1-707-469-1951 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Travis CU primary sources (29 pages reviewed). How we research.
Travis CU death claims support
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