What to do when a Tri Counties Bank account holder dies
Contact Tri Counties Bank's Tri Counties Advisors (Raymond James Financial Services) — 6-step process, 7 required documents, and 5-10 business days after all documentation is received, though complex estates may take longer
Tri Counties Bank Customer Service
Tri Counties Bank, 63 Constitution Drive, Chico, CA 95973
Customer Service (Death Claims)
Tri Counties Bank, 63 Constitution Drive, Chico, CA 95973
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 Customer Service (Death Claims) (1-800-922-8742) to access and distribute the funds.
Tri Counties Bank provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Deposit, investment & retirement accounts
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Tri Counties Bank:
Filing a claim
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- P.O.D. Account or Totten Trust Account: the surviving payee or beneficiary owns the funds once all owners have died. Provide the death certificate and your ID to claim directly
- Joint Account: ownership passes to the survivor(s), subject to the bank's right of setoff and its security interest in the account
- 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 the decedent's will, so it is not automatically a survivorship account
- Tenancy in Common Account: the decedent's ownership interest passes to their ESTATE, not to the co-owner, so probate or a small estate affidavit is required for that share
- Individual Account with no P.O.D. payee: the estate takes the funds. Obtain Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, or use a California small estate affidavit if the estate qualifies
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant (beneficiary, executor, or administrator)
- Account information for the deceased (account numbers if available)
- For accounts without beneficiary: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the court
- For small estates: a declaration for collection of personal property under California Probate Code 13100-13101 (Tri Counties Bank does not publish its own form; you may use a compliant declaration, and the estate limit is $208,850 for deaths on or after April 1, 2025)
- For trust accounts: trust documentation including successor trustee provisions and trustee ID
- For IRA accounts: IRA beneficiary claim forms and applicable distribution election forms
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Tri Counties Bank publishes no dedicated bereavement or estate-services page and no named death claim form, so the real detail lives in its Consumer Deposit Account Agreement and Disclosures (effective July 1, 2025, document NA-0012C). Its "Death or Incapacity" clause: you agree to immediately notify the bank of the death or incapacity 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 by the authorized signer; even with knowledge of the death, it may pay checks drawn on the account for ten (10) calendar days after the date of death; and it may suspend, refuse, and reverse any transactions or deposits belonging to the decedent, expressly including automatic federal direct deposits of benefit payments. The separate "Direct Deposits" clause lets the bank deduct, without prior notice, any direct-deposited amount that should have been returned to the state or federal government, which is how a Social Security payment issued after the date of death gets clawed back out of the account. Under "Disputed Ownership," if heirs give conflicting instructions the bank may require all signers' signatures or freeze the account until the dispute is resolved. Account capacity drives the outcome: a P.O.D. payee or Totten Trust beneficiary must survive ALL owners and multiple survivors share equally unless bank records expressly say otherwise; a Joint Account passes to the survivor(s) subject to the bank's setoff and security interest; a Community Property Account is governed by community property law and may be affected by the will; and a Tenancy in Common Account sends the decedent's share to their estate rather than to the co-owner. Tri Counties Bank operates only in California, so the Cal. Prob. Code 13100-13101 small estate declaration is the relevant non-probate route: per Judicial Council form DE-300, the gross value of the decedent's California real and personal property (excluding Prob. Code 13050 property) must not exceed $208,850 for deaths on or after April 1, 2025 ($184,500 for deaths between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2025), and 40 days must have elapsed since the death.
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.
- Deceased borrower's full legal name, Social Security number, and loan number
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Continue making payments on the existing loan
- Apply for loss mitigation
- Assume the loan
- Refinance in your own name
- Pay off the remaining balance
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the heir or personal representative
- Completed Successor in Interest form (obtained from mortgage servicing department)
- Documentation proving ownership interest in the property: probated will, court order, recorded deed, or trust document showing you as successor trustee or beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if going through probate)
- Marriage certificate (if surviving spouse)
What to know at this institution
Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act (12 U.S.C. § 1701j-3), Tri Counties Bank cannot enforce a due-on-sale clause when the property transfers to a surviving spouse, child, relative upon death, or the borrower's revocable living trust. Confirmed Successors in Interest are treated as borrowers under CFPB mortgage servicing rules. Mortgage team phone: 877-822-5626. General Customer Service: 800-922-8742.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Tri Counties Bank
Tri Counties Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Tri Counties Bank's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionOpening an account for the estate itself
Checks made out to the estate deposit into an account titled to the estate, opened by the appointed executor or administrator under the estate's EIN.
How to open an estate account at Tri Counties Bank →Processing timelines at Tri Counties Bank: 5-10 business days after all documentation is received, though complex estates may take longer. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Tri Counties Bank requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Valid government-issued photo ID for the claimant (beneficiary, executor, or administrator), and Account information for the deceased (account numbers if available), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Because Tri Counties Bank operates only in California, the California small estate declaration (Cal. Prob. Code 13100-13101) is the route for qualifying estates. Per Judicial Council form DE-300, the gross value of the decedent's California real and personal property, excluding property described in Prob. Code 13050, must not exceed $208,850 for a death on or after April 1, 2025 (the older $184,500 limit still governs deaths between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2025), and at least 40 days must have elapsed since the death. Unlike some California credit unions, Tri Counties Bank does not publish its own small estate declaration form, so bring a compliant declaration along with a certified copy of the death certificate and valid government-issued photo ID to any branch.
The Consumer Deposit Account Agreement defines each capacity separately, and the differences decide whether the money avoids probate. A P.O.D. Account and a Totten Trust Account (an informal trust on the bank's records with no written trust agreement) both pass to the surviving payee or beneficiary once all owners have died, and the payee must survive every owner to take anything. A Joint Account passes to the survivor, subject to the bank's right of setoff. A Community Property Account is governed by community property law after a spouse or registered domestic partner dies and can be affected by the will, so it is not automatically a survivorship account. A Tenancy in Common Account is the trap: the decedent's share passes to their estate, not to the co-owner, so that share still needs probate or a small estate declaration. The agreement itself recommends consulting an attorney or tax advisor because the capacity you choose has significant legal, tax, and estate planning consequences.
Under the Tri Counties Bank Consumer Deposit Account Agreement (effective July 1, 2025) "Death or Incapacity" clause, the bank continues to honor items until it receives written notice of the death and has a reasonable opportunity to act. Even after it has knowledge of the death, the bank may pay checks drawn on the account for ten (10) calendar days after the date of death. The bank may also suspend, refuse, or reverse transactions and deposits belonging to the decedent, including automatic federal direct deposits of benefit payments. Notify the bank in writing promptly to limit activity on the account.
Tri Counties Bank's Customer Service (Death Claims) can be reached by phone at 1-800-922-8742 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Tri Counties Bank accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Customer Service (Death Claims) can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Tri Counties Bank primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Tri Counties Bank Customer Service
Tri Counties Bank, 63 Constitution Drive, Chico, CA 95973
Customer Service (Death Claims)
Tri Counties Bank, 63 Constitution Drive, Chico, CA 95973
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