How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at U.S. Bank
Beneficiaries are managed in branch, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken in branch
The key to protecting your U.S. Bank accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.
Each of U.S. Bank's 13 accounts has different rules for how it transfers at death. The sections below explain the options for each.
Beneficiary form at U.S. Bank
Beneficiary form U.S. Bank creates and mails to you.
- Visit a local U.S. Bank branch or call 800-USBANKS (872-2657); relay calls are accepted
- Say whether the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account; U.S. Bank asks for the last four digits of each account number affected
- Provide the beneficiary's name, date of birth, address, phone number and SSN; for a business or trust (including charities or churches), provide its name, address, phone number and TIN
- U.S. Bank creates a form with this information and mails it to you
- Review it for accuracy and sign it
- Return it to Customer Care Unit, EP-DM-BCCU, 1200 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108, or fax it to 866-338-4251
- Visit a local U.S. Bank branch or call 800-USBANKS (872-2657); relay calls are accepted
- Say whether the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account; U.S. Bank asks for the last four digits of each account number affected
- Provide the beneficiary's name, date of birth, address, phone number and SSN; for a business or trust (including charities or churches), provide its name, address, phone number and TIN
- U.S. Bank creates a form with this information and mails it to you
- Review it for accuracy and sign it
- Return it to Customer Care Unit, EP-DM-BCCU, 1200 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108, or fax it to 866-338-4251
- Visit a local U.S. Bank branch or call 800-USBANKS (872-2657); relay calls are accepted
- Say whether the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account; U.S. Bank asks for the last four digits of each account number affected
- Provide the beneficiary's name, date of birth, address, phone number and SSN; for a business or trust (including charities or churches), provide its name, address, phone number and TIN
- U.S. Bank creates a form with this information and mails it to you
- Review it for accuracy and sign it
- Return it to Customer Care Unit, EP-DM-BCCU, 1200 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108, or fax it to 866-338-4251
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's name and address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's phone number
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Business or trust name, address, phone number and TIN (for a business or trust, including a charity or church)
- Last four digits of each account number affected (if the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account)
- The form U.S. Bank mails you, reviewed and signed
- Visit a local U.S. Bank branch or call 800-USBANKS (872-2657); relay calls are accepted
- Say whether the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account; U.S. Bank asks for the last four digits of each account number affected
- Provide the beneficiary's name, date of birth, address, phone number and SSN; for a business or trust (including charities or churches), provide its name, address, phone number and TIN
- U.S. Bank creates a form with this information and mails it to you
- Review it for accuracy and sign it
- Return it to Customer Care Unit, EP-DM-BCCU, 1200 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108, or fax it to 866-338-4251
- Visit a local U.S. Bank branch or call 800-USBANKS (872-2657); relay calls are accepted
- Say whether the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account; U.S. Bank asks for the last four digits of each account number affected
- Provide the beneficiary's name, date of birth, address, phone number and SSN; for a business or trust (including charities or churches), provide its name, address, phone number and TIN
- U.S. Bank creates a form with this information and mails it to you
- Review it for accuracy and sign it
- Return it to Customer Care Unit, EP-DM-BCCU, 1200 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108, or fax it to 866-338-4251
- Visit a local U.S. Bank branch or call 800-USBANKS (872-2657); relay calls are accepted
- Say whether the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account; U.S. Bank asks for the last four digits of each account number affected
- Provide the beneficiary's name, date of birth, address, phone number and SSN; for a business or trust (including charities or churches), provide its name, address, phone number and TIN
- U.S. Bank creates a form with this information and mails it to you
- Review it for accuracy and sign it
- Return it to Customer Care Unit, EP-DM-BCCU, 1200 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108, or fax it to 866-338-4251
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's name and address
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's phone number
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Business or trust name, address, phone number and TIN (for a business or trust, including a charity or church)
- Last four digits of each account number affected (if the beneficiary is, or should be, on more than one account)
- The form U.S. Bank mails you, reviewed and signed
What U.S. Bank says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is U.S. Bank's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary1
- Payable-on-death account
U.S. Bank treats "Tentative Trust," "Totten Trust," "In Trust For" and "Revocable Trust" deposit accounts the same as Pay-on-Death accounts.1
Who can be named3
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
Surviving beneficiaries share the balance equally, with no survivorship rights between them.1
What a designation takes to be effective
- All accounts
Beneficiaries do not sign the form and do not need to be present.2
Beneficiary forms U.S. Bank issues1
- Beneficiary form U.S. Bank creates and mails to you
Completed by the account owner, who reviews and signs it. Sent by the institution on request.2
Return to
Fax: 1-866-338-4251
Mailing address: Customer Care Unit, EP-DM-BCCU, 1200 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108
What U.S. Bank's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- A beneficiary who dies first
A beneficiary who dies before the owner takes nothing, and neither that beneficiary's estate nor heirs acquire anything.1
- Changing or revoking a designation
To remove a beneficiary, the owner sends a signed letter that names the beneficiary, lists every account number affected and gives the effective date of removal to the Customer Care Unit.2
- What the owner keeps while living
Beneficiaries do not have signing authority on the account.2
State requirements U.S. Bank statesMissouri
- Missouri
In Missouri, adding "LDPS" (lineal descendants, per stirpes) to a Revocable Trust or Pay-on-Death account passes a predeceased beneficiary's share to that beneficiary's lineal descendants.1
Which accounts a trust can hold1
- Trust account
U.S. Bank offers trust accounts in two basic structures, revocable and irrevocable.3
Accounts handled elsewhere3
- U.S. Bancorp Advisors
Beneficiary designations for IRAs held through U.S. Bancorp Advisors4
- U.S. Bank Wealth Management
Trust services for prospective U.S. Bank and U.S. Bancorp Advisors clients5
Phone: 1-844-872-4724
- U.S. Bank Wealth Management
Trust services for existing U.S. Bank and U.S. Bancorp Advisors clients5
Phone: 1-844-330-6918
Not in U.S. Bank's published guidance3
- Which trust documents it accepts
- The trust's tax identification number
- A channel exclusion for opening a trust account
Sources5
Sources
Data sourced from U.S. Bank primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these U.S. Bank instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against U.S. Bank primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
U.S. Bank estate support
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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