What to do when an UNIFY account holder dies
Report the death to UNIFY's Account Settlement at 1-800-892-7957
UNIFY merged into CommunityAmericaMerged, effective November 2025
UNIFY Financial Credit Union merged into CommunityAmerica Credit Union on November 1, 2025. The systems conversion is complete: UNIFY cards are no longer active, former UNIFY accounts are CommunityAmerica accounts under routing number 301081508, and the former UNIFY branches operate under the CommunityAmerica name. Account settlement for a deceased former UNIFY member runs through CommunityAmerica at 800.892.7957 or any CommunityAmerica branch.
When a member of UNIFY passes away, the Account Settlement 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.
To start, call UNIFY at 1-800-892-7957. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate ready before you call.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at UNIFY:
Filing a claim
- The decedent's name, date of death and address at the time of death
- Your own name and contact information as the person reporting the death
- Any special circumstances or timing issues
Required Documents
- Death certificateCommunityAmerica settles no account until an official death certificate is provided.
- Valid driver's license, state ID or passport, for the person reporting the death
- Probate documentation, if applicable
- Other documents the Estate Representative finds necessary, after the account review
What happens to each kind of account1
- Account in one name
CommunityAmerica's bylaws allow a deceased member's individual share account to continue until the close of the dividend period in which the administration of the estate is completed.1
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- CommunityAmerica Account Resolution Counselor
Loan repayment alternatives2
Phone: 1-800-892-7957
- TruHome Mortgage Servicing
An outstanding mortgage loan2
Phone: 1-913-214-3345
What UNIFY's agreement and guidance say6
- What it does when notified
An administrative freeze may be placed on accounts to protect assets.2
- Deposits after the death
Government benefit payments deposited in the month of death or later may be returned if required.2
- Payments after the death
Under the UNIFY Membership Booklet, the credit union may keep paying the member's checks or drafts for ten days after the death unless someone claiming an interest in the account asks it to stop.3
Under CommunityAmerica's Membership and Account Agreement, the ten days are counted from notice of the death.4
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
Both the UNIFY Membership Booklet and CommunityAmerica's Membership and Account Agreement let the credit union require a claimant to indemnify it.3, 4
- Debts owed to the institution
Under both agreements, payments to a surviving joint owner or payable-on-death beneficiary are subject to the credit union's lien and set-off for the deceased member's debts.3, 4
- Accounts from a merged institution
Account numbers changed at the conversion. CommunityAmerica mailed members a letter matching each UNIFY account to its CommunityAmerica account.5
Sources5
- 1.CommunityAmerica Bylaws, Revised 11.01.2025
- 2.Account Settlement
- 3.UNIFY Membership Booklet, effective November 1, 2025
- 4.CommunityAmerica Membership and Account Agreement, Rev 4-2026
- 5.CommunityAmerica page for former UNIFY members
Frequently asked questions
It can reduce it. UNIFY's Membership and Account Agreement contains a setoff clause allowing the credit union, after the death of an account owner, to set off the deceased owner's debts and obligations against a joint account or an account with payable-on-death beneficiaries, up to the full amount in the account. The agreement also provides that a surviving joint owner's interest stays subject to the credit union's statutory lien for the deceased owner's obligations, even if the survivor never consented to the debt. This is why a POD designation at a credit union is not always a clean pass-through: if the member died owing UNIFY on a credit card, personal loan, or auto loan, the balance can come out of the POD funds before the beneficiary is paid.
UNIFY's Account Settlement can be reached by phone at 1-800-892-7957 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from UNIFY primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
UNIFY death claims support
Account Settlement
Phone
TruHome Mortgage Servicing (outstanding mortgage loan)
Hours
Website
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