Estate planning options at United Bank
Estate planning for your United Bank accounts starts with understanding how each one transfers at death. Beneficiary designations and trust retitling both bypass probate, but the right approach depends on the account type, your tax situation, and how much control you want over distributions.
United Bank offers 19 accounts, each with its own transfer rules. The sections below cover how to set up beneficiaries, fund a trust, and which products support each approach.
No beneficiary form at United Bank
Beneficiary designation is not available for investment accounts at United Bank.
What United Bank says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is United Bank's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary1
- Payable-on-death account
United Bank's terms say payable-on-death accounts may also be called "In Trust For", "As Trustee For", "Transfer on Death" or "Totten Trust" accounts.1
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
Where more than one beneficiary is designated, the funds are distributed in equal shares unless law requires otherwise.1
What United Bank's agreement says about beneficiaries4
- A beneficiary who dies first
A beneficiary who dies before the last surviving account holder has that share distributed to the remaining beneficiaries, unless law requires otherwise.1
- Joint accounts
On a joint account the beneficiaries take the funds at the death of the last surviving account holder.1
- The institution's right to refuse a designation or an account title
United Bank may remove any beneficiary designation that does not meet its requirements. The owner is responsible for the designation complying with the law and any titling requirements.1
- Powers of attorney over a living owner's account
An agent the bank allows on an account takes nothing at the owner's death unless named as a payable-on-death beneficiary.1
Which accounts a trust can hold1
- Trust account
Accounts may be opened by a person acting in a fiduciary capacity, such as a trustee. The bank does not act as trustee and does not monitor or enforce the terms of the trust agreement.1
What United Bank says about trust accounts1
- Whether a new account is opened
Accounts may not be transferred without the bank's prior written consent, and some transfers require closing the account and opening a new one.1
Not in United Bank's published guidance8
- What the owner provides to name a beneficiary
- A beneficiary designation form
- An online way to name a beneficiary
- Who may be named as beneficiary
- What a designation takes to be effective
- Which trust documents it accepts
- A trust account form
- How long a change takes
Sources1
- 1.United Bank Consumer Terms and Conditions, effective September 1, 2026
Sources
(3)·
Data sourced from United Bank primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these United Bank instructions
A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details, verified against United Bank primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
United Bank estate support
Fiduciary & Trust Services
Website
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