What to do when a WSFS Bank account holder dies
Contact WSFS Bank's WSFS Wealth / Bryn Mawr Trust — 7-step process, 7 required documents, and joint-owner and pod claims typically resolve quickly once the death certificate and identification are provided. estate-administered accounts depend on whether probate is required and on court timelines in delaware, pennsylvania, new jersey, or the applicable state. delaware's small-estate affidavit cannot be executed until at least 30 days after death.
Customer Service (Deceased Account Notification)
After an account holder at WSFS Bank dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact WSFS Bank's Customer Service (Deceased Account Notification) at 888.973.7226 with the proper legal authority documents.
The claim process begins with a phone call to 888.973.7226. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with WSFS Bank:
Filing a claim
- Provide the deceased's full legal name and account or Social Security number
- State whether you are a surviving joint owner, a named POD beneficiary, or the estate administrator/executor/trustee
- Surviving joint owner: ownership continues with the surviving owner(s)
- Named POD beneficiary: the account passes to the living POD beneficiary outside probate
- No survivor or beneficiary: the account is handled through the estate
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate is required)
- A small-estate procedure if the estate qualifies: in Delaware, a small-estate affidavit for personal property of $30,000 or less, executed at least 30 days after death, without a grant of Letters (12 Del. C. Section 2306); in Pennsylvania, a small-estate petition to the Orphans' Court division for personal property (excluding real estate) of $50,000 or less (20 Pa.C.S. Section 3102); other states set their own thresholds
- Trust documents (if accounts are held in trust or a successor trustee is taking over)
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant
- Deceased's account number or Social Security number
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate is required)
- Delaware small-estate affidavit ($30,000 or less, 12 Del. C. Section 2306) or Pennsylvania small-estate petition ($50,000 or less, 20 Pa.C.S. Section 3102), or the applicable state's small-estate document, if the estate qualifies
- Trust agreement or Certification of Trust (if accounts are held in trust)
- Proof of identity/authority of a named POD beneficiary (if claiming as beneficiary)
What to know at this institution
WSFS does not publish a standalone online estate-services portal; report a death by phone at 888.973.7226 or at a WSFS banking office. Bring a certified copy of the death certificate and your government-issued photo ID. Under WSFS's Relationship Reference Guide (deposit account agreement, effective July 1, 2025, Section XXX.B), any account owner or person authorized to sign on an account is required to notify WSFS in writing if any account owner or authorized signer dies or is declared incompetent by a court. On a Payable on Death account (Section XXIV.B), when the last owner dies the account is owned by the surviving POD payees or beneficiaries, and if more than one survives, each interest is deemed equal unless WSFS's account records state otherwise and as allowed by applicable state law; if no POD payee survives, state law determines ownership. For a formal trust account (Section XXIV.C), WSFS acts only as a depository of the trust funds, is under no obligation to act as trustee, and may require a copy of the trust agreement. WSFS's right of setoff (Section XXXVII) does NOT reach Trust Accounts, IRA or Keogh accounts, or accounts for which the deceased was not the owner of the funds. Personal trust and estate administration is provided through WSFS Wealth and its Bryn Mawr Trust division (888.973.7226).
Prepare your letter of instruction to WSFS Bank
WSFS Bank accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to WSFS 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 WSFS Bank →How long the process takes at WSFS Bank: Joint-owner and POD claims typically resolve quickly once the death certificate and identification are provided. Estate-administered accounts depend on whether probate is required and on court timelines in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or the applicable state. Delaware's small-estate affidavit cannot be executed until at least 30 days after death. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by WSFS Bank includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, and Deceased's account number or Social Security number, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
WSFS does not operate a standalone online estate-services portal. Report the death by calling Customer Service at 888.973.7226 (Monday-Friday 7 AM-7 PM ET; weekends 9 AM-3 PM ET) or by visiting a WSFS banking office in Delaware, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. Bring a certified copy of the death certificate and your government-issued photo ID. If you are the executor or administrator, bring your Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Yes. WSFS delivers personal trust, estate planning, estate settlement, and legacy planning through WSFS Wealth and its Bryn Mawr Trust division, which became part of WSFS Bank in 2022. When accounts are held in trust or WSFS serves as fiduciary, estate administration is coordinated through WSFS Wealth rather than the retail deceased-account process. Trust and investment advisory products are not FDIC-insured and may lose value.
A WSFS Fixed Rate IRA CD cannot be titled to a trust. A trust may instead be named as the IRA beneficiary using an IRA beneficiary designation form, not a POD form. Naming a trust as IRA beneficiary can affect the distribution options available to the trust after death, so consult a tax advisor before doing so.
WSFS operates banking offices in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, Virginia, and Nevada. Whether a WSFS account must go through probate depends on how it is titled, not on which state the branch is in: jointly held and POD/beneficiary accounts pass outside probate, while accounts in the deceased's name alone are administered through the estate under the probate rules of the state where the decedent lived. Each state sets its own small-estate shortcut for collecting modest accounts without full probate: Delaware allows a small-estate affidavit for personal property of $30,000 or less, executed at least 30 days after death (12 Del. C. Section 2306), and Pennsylvania allows a small-estate petition to the Orphans' Court for personal property (excluding real estate) of $50,000 or less (20 Pa.C.S. Section 3102).
Under WSFS's Relationship Reference Guide (deposit account agreement), when more than one POD payee survives the last account owner, their interests are treated as equal shares unless WSFS's account records state otherwise. Tell the associate the specific percentages you want if you do not want an equal split. A POD account is payable to you during your lifetime; you may change the POD payees at any time by written direction to WSFS, and the account passes to the surviving beneficiaries outside probate when the last owner dies.
WSFS Bank's Customer Service (Deceased Account Notification) can be reached by phone at 888.973.7226 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple WSFS Bank accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Customer Service (Deceased Account Notification) to confirm what applies.
Sources
- wsfsbank.com
- bmt.com
- delcode.delaware.gov
- embedded-links.us-1.lytho.us
- legis.state.pa.us
- newaccount.wsfsbank.com
Data sourced from WSFS Bank primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Service (Deceased Account Notification)
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