What to do when a Tri Counties Bank account holder dies
Report the death to Tri Counties Bank's General Assistance at 1-800-922-8742
When an account holder at Tri Counties 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 Tri Counties Bank's General Assistance (1-800-922-8742) to access and distribute the funds.
Begin by calling Tri Counties Bank at 1-800-922-8742. You will need the deceased's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate to get the process started.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Tri Counties Bank:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Written notice of the deathAddressed to Tri Counties Bank, PO Box 909, Chico, California 95927.
- Court orders and any other documents the bank asks for, for an executor or administrator
- Name, address, date of birth and taxpayer identification number, for an executor or administratorA driver's license or other identifying documents if the bank asks.
What happens to each kind of account6
- Account in one name
On an Individual Account, the owner did not create survivorship rights for any other person by opening it.1
- Joint account with survivorship
On a Joint Account, ownership passes to the surviving owners, subject to the bank's right of setoff and security interest in the account.1
- Joint account without survivorship
On a Tenancy in Common Account, the deceased owner's interest passes to that owner's estate.1
- Community property account
On a Community Property Account, ownership after the death of a spouse or registered domestic partner is determined by community property law and may be affected by a will.1
- Payable-on-death account
On a P.O.D. Account or Totten Trust Account, when all owners have died, the account is owned by the surviving payees or beneficiaries.1
- Fiduciary account
An executor or administrator can hold an account in the agreement's Trust & Other Fiduciary capacity, which names executors and administrators holding legal title under a court order. The bank may ask at opening for court orders and any other documents it deems necessary.1
What Tri Counties Bank's agreement and guidance say5
- Telling the institution
The agreement asks for immediate notice of the death of any owner or authorized signer. Until the bank receives that notice in writing and has a reasonable opportunity to act on it, it may continue to honor items drawn on the account by the authorized signers.1
- Payments after the death
Even with knowledge of the death, the bank may pay checks drawn on the account for ten (10) calendar days after the date of death.1
- What it does when notified
When an owner dies, the bank may suspend, refuse and reverse transactions or deposits.1
- Deposits after the death
The deposits the bank may reverse include automatic federal direct deposits of benefit payments belonging to the decedent. It may deduct from the account without prior notice any direct deposit that should have been returned to the state or federal government.1
- Disputes between claimants
If a dispute arises over control of an account or the bank receives conflicting instructions, it may require the signatures of all authorized signers or freeze the account until the dispute is resolved.1
Not in Tri Counties Bank's published guidance2
- A claim form
- Whether the death certificate must be certified
Sources1
- 1.Consumer Deposit Account Agreement and Disclosures (NA-0012C), effective July 1, 2025
Frequently asked questions
All Tri Counties Bank branches are in California. Under Cal. Prob. Code §§ 13100-13101, when the gross value of the decedent's real and personal property in California (excluding property described in § 13050) does not exceed the small estate limit and 40 days have passed since the death, a successor can collect money due the decedent with an affidavit or declaration, to which a certified copy of the death certificate must be attached. Judicial Council form DE-300 sets the limit at $208,850 for deaths on or after April 1, 2025, and $184,500 for deaths from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2025. Tri Counties Bank does not publish its own small estate form.
The Consumer Deposit Account Agreement defines each ownership form separately. A P.O.D. Account and a Totten Trust Account (an informal trust on the bank's records with no written trust agreement) pass to the surviving payees or beneficiaries once all owners have died, and a payee must survive every owner to take anything. A Joint Account passes to the survivors, subject to the bank's right of setoff and security interest. A Community Property Account is governed by community property law after a spouse or registered domestic partner dies and may be affected by a will. In a Tenancy in Common Account, the deceased owner's interest passes to that owner's estate, not to the co-owner. The agreement notes that the capacity chosen may have significant legal, tax and estate planning consequences.
Under the Consumer Deposit Account Agreement (effective July 1, 2025), the bank may continue to honor items drawn by the authorized signers until it receives written notice of the death and has a reasonable opportunity to act on it, and even with knowledge of the death it may pay checks drawn on the account for ten (10) calendar days after the date of death. It may also suspend, refuse or reverse transactions and deposits, including automatic federal direct deposits of benefit payments belonging to the decedent. Written notices go to Tri Counties Bank, PO Box 909, Chico, California 95927.
Tri Counties Bank's General Assistance can be reached by phone at 1-800-922-8742 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Tri Counties Bank primary sources (34 pages reviewed). How we research.
Tri Counties Bank death claims support
General Assistance
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Hours
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