How Do I Write a Letter of Instruction to Consumers CU?

Send it to Consumers CU's estate/claims department: 300 N Field Dr., Lake Forest, IL 60045. You can reach the department at 877-275-2228.

Consumers CU's recorded process does not require the letter itself to be notarized. Some enclosed documents (such as a small estate affidavit) may still need notarization.

Consumers CU lists these among its required documents: Certified copy of the death certificate; Government-issued photo ID for beneficiary, joint owner, or personal representative; Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if no POD beneficiary; issued by probate court); Small Estate Affidavit (if the estate qualifies under Illinois law, 755 ILCS 5/25-1: personal estate $150,000 or less for deaths on/after August 15, 2025, $100,000 for earlier deaths). The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Consumers CU's recorded requirements.

POD and joint accounts processed upon verification of death certificate and identification. Estate accounts depend on probate court timelines. NCUA share insurance continues to cover joint and POD funds for up to six months following the date of death.

Consumers CU accepts a letter you write. We draft it for you, addressed to Consumers CU's verified claims department with the required enclosures.

It depends on the capacity you are acting in. An executor or administrator encloses Letters Testamentary (when there is a will) or Letters of Administration (when there is not); a successor trustee encloses a certificate of trust; a successor under a small estate encloses that state’s small estate affidavit. The prepared letter lists the proof-of-authority document for your role alongside the institution’s required documents.

A letter of instruction is the written request an institution asks for when settling a deceased customer’s account. It identifies the decedent and the account, states the capacity you are acting in, and tells the institution what to do with the account.