What to do when a TruWest CU account holder dies
Contact TruWest CU's TruWest Credit Union Member Services (TruWest has no separate estate services department) — 6-step process, 8 required documents, and varies based on account type and documentation; pod and joint account claims are typically processed faster than probate estates. truwest may keep honoring checks and other payment orders for ten days after the death unless someone claiming an interest in the account instructs it to stop payment.
TruWest Credit Union Member Services
TruWest Credit Union, P.O. Box 3489, Scottsdale, AZ 85271
TruWest Credit Union Member Services (TruWest has no separate estate services department)
TruWest Credit Union, P.O. Box 3489, Scottsdale, AZ 85271
TruWest Credit Union Member Services (deceased-member accounts are handled by member services and branch staff; there is no dedicated claims unit)
TruWest Credit Union, P.O. Box 3489, Scottsdale, AZ 85271
The TruWest Credit Union Member Services (deceased-member accounts are handled by member services and branch staff; there is no dedicated claims unit) at TruWest 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.
TruWest CU 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.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what TruWest CU requires:
Filing a claim
- Call (855) 878-9378, (480) 441-5900 in Arizona, or (512) 996-4000 in Texas (Monday-Friday 7:00am-8:00pm, Saturday 9:00am-1:00pm)
- Or visit a branch (8 in the Phoenix metro area; 3 in Austin and Round Rock, Texas)
- Section 33 ("Death or Incompetence") of TruWest's Membership & Account Agreement lets the credit union honor transfer orders, withdrawals, deposits and other transactions until it knows of the member's death -- and, even after it knows, to keep paying checks and honoring other payments or transfer orders on the deceased member's account for a period of ten days after the death
- Section 33 stops the ten-day pay-through window only if the credit union receives instructions from a person claiming an interest in the account to stop payment on the checks or other items -- so notifying TruWest of the death alone does not freeze outstanding checks and recurring debits
- Anyone claiming an interest (POD beneficiary, surviving joint owner, successor trustee, executor, or heir) can give those instructions
- A stop payment on a check or ACH is $30.00, and an electronic payment stop payment is $30.00 (TruWest Account Rates and Terms)
- For POD accounts: the named, surviving POD beneficiary provides a death certificate and valid government-issued ID. Under Section 5 of the Membership & Account Agreement, the account is payable to the owners during their lifetimes and, when the LAST owner dies, to the named and surviving POD beneficiary. If more than one beneficiary survives, they own the funds jointly in EQUAL SHARES WITHOUT rights of survivorship -- TruWest does not honor unequal percentage splits unless state law provides otherwise or TruWest has documented it
- For joint accounts: a joint account includes rights of survivorship unless the Account Card or TruWest's online application says otherwise, so the balance passes to the surviving owner(s). Without survivorship, the deceased owner's interest passes to their estate
- For non-POD individual accounts: the executor or administrator provides Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from probate court
- For small estates: an Arizona affidavit for collection of personal property under A.R.S. 14-3971, or the equivalent Texas small estate affidavit for a Texas member, may be used if the estate qualifies
- For IRA accounts: Section 5 says a POD or trust beneficiary designation does NOT apply to IRAs -- they are governed by a separate beneficiary designation. The IRA beneficiary provides a death certificate and completes distribution paperwork. TruWest charges $20.00 for an outgoing IRA transfer
- For trust accounts: provide the trust documentation and successor trustee ID. Section 5 also does not apply to an account held in the name of a trust created by a trust agreement -- a titled trust account passes under the trust, not by a POD designation
- Under Section 22, if the decedent owed TruWest money as borrower, guarantor or endorser, the credit union has a statutory lien on the funds in any account in which the decedent had an ownership interest, regardless of the source of the funds, and may apply those funds to the debt without further notice and in any order
- Section 3 extends this to joint accounts: a surviving owner's interest is subject to the statutory lien for the deceased owner's obligations even if the surviving owner never consented to the debt
- A TruWest auto loan, credit card, HELOC, or personal credit line balance can therefore be offset against the deceased member's savings or checking before a beneficiary is paid
- Section 33 lets TruWest require anyone claiming funds from a deceased owner's account to indemnify the credit union for any losses it sustains by honoring that claim -- be prepared to sign an indemnity agreement, and know that the Agreement is binding on the heirs and legal representatives of any account owner
- TruWest has no dedicated estate department; claim forms are provided by branch staff or member services
- For wealth management accounts through PFG Advisors, contact the advisory team separately -- those are not credit union accounts and are not NCUA-insured
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary or authorized representative
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for probate estates)
- Trust documentation (if account was held in trust) and successor trustee identification
- Small estate affidavit (Arizona A.R.S. 14-3971 affidavit for collection of personal property, or the Texas equivalent for a Texas member)
- Written stop-payment instructions from a person claiming an interest in the account (to end the ten-day pay-through window under Section 33)
- Signed indemnity agreement, if TruWest requires one under Section 33 before honoring a claim
- Payoff or account information for any TruWest loan, credit card, HELOC, or credit line the decedent owed (subject to the credit union's statutory lien under Section 22)
What to know at this institution
The controlling document is TruWest's Membership & Account Agreement (Rev 01/26), https://truwest.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/TW-26-Memb-Acct-Agree.pdf, governed by Arizona law. Its Section 33 ("Death or Incompetence") is the clause that matters at death: TruWest may honor transactions until it knows of the member's death or adjudication of incompetence, may keep paying checks and other payment or transfer orders for TEN DAYS after the death unless a person claiming an interest in the account instructs it to stop payment, and may require anyone claiming funds from a deceased owner's account to indemnify it against losses. TruWest has no dedicated estate services department -- estate matters run through general member services at (855) 878-9378, (480) 441-5900 in Arizona, or (512) 996-4000 in Texas, or through any branch. Early withdrawal penalties on savings certificates may be waived on the death of the account holder. Fees an estate should plan for (TruWest Account Rates and Terms): $30.00 per stop payment on a check or ACH, $30.00 per electronic payment stop payment, $10.00 per hour for member research (pulling statements or check copies for a probate inventory or accounting), $50.00 for legal processing (levies and garnishments), $20.00 for an outgoing IRA transfer, and a $5.00 inactive membership fee after 24 consecutive months with no activity. An account left untouched during a long probate can be classified inactive and, under Section 29, ultimately presumed abandoned and remitted to the state as unclaimed property (a $50.00 unclaimed property processing fee applies) -- at which point the funds must be reclaimed from the state, not from TruWest. Note also that TruWest's TruCourtesy Pay overdraft program is not available on an account maintained on behalf of a deceased member or their estate.
Prepare your letter of instruction to TruWest CU
TruWest CU accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to TruWest CU's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at TruWest CU: Varies based on account type and documentation; POD and joint account claims are typically processed faster than probate estates. TruWest may keep honoring checks and other payment orders for ten days after the death unless someone claiming an interest in the account instructs it to stop payment. 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 TruWest CU includes Certified death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary or authorized representative, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for probate estates), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Generally no. Section 5 of TruWest's Membership & Account Agreement says that when more than one POD beneficiary survives, they own the funds jointly in equal shares without rights of survivorship -- unless state law provides for different ownership or TruWest has separately permitted and documented it. That default overrides an informal intention to leave, say, 70 percent to one child and 30 percent to another. If you need an uneven split, get the allocation documented by TruWest in writing at a branch, or hold the account in a revocable trust and let the trust dictate the shares. TruWest also has no duty to notify a POD beneficiary that the account exists or that their interest has vested, so tell your beneficiaries about it.
Yes, for a limited window. Section 33 ("Death or Incompetence") of TruWest's Membership & Account Agreement lets the credit union honor transfer orders, withdrawals, deposits and other transactions until it knows of the member's death, and -- even once it knows -- to keep paying checks and honoring other payment or transfer orders on the deceased member's account for ten days after the death. That ten-day window closes only if TruWest receives instructions from a person claiming an interest in the account to stop payment on the checks or other items. Notifying TruWest of the death is not by itself a stop-payment instruction. If outstanding checks or recurring debits should not clear, give TruWest express stop instructions when you call (855) 878-9378. Each stop payment on a check or ACH costs $30.00.
Yes. Under Section 22 of the Membership & Account Agreement, TruWest has a statutory lien on the funds in any account in which the member had an ownership interest, regardless of the source of the funds, if the member owed the credit union money as a borrower, guarantor, or endorser -- and it may apply those funds to the debt without further notice, in any order. Section 3 extends this to joint accounts: a surviving joint owner's interest is subject to the statutory lien for the deceased owner's obligations even if the survivor never consented to that debt. In practice, a TruWest auto loan, Visa, HELOC, or personal credit line balance can be offset against the deceased member's savings or checking before a POD beneficiary or the estate is paid. Section 33 also lets TruWest require anyone claiming funds from a deceased owner's account to sign an indemnity agreement first.
It can be drained by fees and eventually escheated. Under Section 29 of the Membership & Account Agreement, TruWest may classify an account as inactive or dormant after the period in its Rate and Fee Schedule -- currently a $5.00 inactive membership fee after 24 consecutive months with no activity, plus a $5.00 below par value fee if the balance is under $5 with no activity for more than six months. If there is no deposit or withdrawal and no other sufficient contact within the period set by state law, the account is presumed abandoned and the funds are remitted to the state; a $50.00 unclaimed property processing fee applies. Once the money is turned over to the state, TruWest has no further liability for it and you must reclaim it from the state agency, not from the credit union. Pulling old statements or check copies for a probate inventory is billed at $10.00 per hour of member research, and a levy or garnishment costs $50.00 in legal processing.
TruWest CU's TruWest Credit Union Member Services (deceased-member accounts are handled by member services and branch staff; there is no dedicated claims unit) can be reached by phone at (855) 878-9378 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple TruWest CU accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the TruWest Credit Union Member Services (deceased-member accounts are handled by member services and branch staff; there is no dedicated claims unit) to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from TruWest CU primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
TruWest Credit Union Member Services
TruWest Credit Union, P.O. Box 3489, Scottsdale, AZ 85271
TruWest Credit Union Member Services (TruWest has no separate estate services department)
TruWest Credit Union, P.O. Box 3489, Scottsdale, AZ 85271
TruWest Credit Union Member Services (deceased-member accounts are handled by member services and branch staff; there is no dedicated claims unit)
TruWest Credit Union, P.O. Box 3489, Scottsdale, AZ 85271
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