How Do I Write a Letter of Instruction to Continental Stock Transfer?

Send it to Continental Stock Transfer's estate/claims department: Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Attn: Reorganization, 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561. You can reach the department at 1-212-509-5586.

Continental Stock Transfer'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.

Continental Stock Transfer lists these among its required documents: Probate-court-certified certificate of appointment (Letters Testamentary / Letters of Administration or equivalent), dated within 60 days of the request (6 months for New York) — OR a notarized Small Estate Affidavit as prescribed by the decedent's state, dated within 60 days, with a certified death certificate; Stock Power with medallion signature guarantee endorsement of the personal representative; Notarized Affidavit of Domicile executed by the personal representative; Signed instruction letter (transferee names, addresses, SSN/TIN, and share amounts). The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Continental Stock Transfer's recorded requirements.

A few weeks after Continental receives the completed Stock Power and all required estate documents; missing or incorrect documents are the most common reason a transfer is delayed

Continental Stock Transfer accepts a letter you write. We draft it for you, addressed to Continental Stock Transfer'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.