How Do I Write a Letter of Instruction to EQ Shareowner Services?

Send it to EQ Shareowner Services's estate/claims department: EQ Shareowner Services, PO Box 64874, Saint Paul, MN 55164-0874. You can reach the department at 1-800-468-9716.

EQ Shareowner Services'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.

EQ Shareowner Services lists these among its required documents: Completed Stock Power Form with Medallion Signature Guarantee (Section E); Copy of the death certificate(s); Certificate of Appointment / Letters dated within 90 days (6 months NY, 1 year CT), OR the Small Estate Affidavit of the decedent's state of domicile; Affidavit of Domicile (notarized) for a deceased-shareholder transfer. The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from EQ Shareowner Services's recorded requirements.

Typically completed within five business days after the paperwork is received in good order, absent account restrictions. There is no transfer fee.

EQ Shareowner Services provides its own letter-of-instruction/claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and an enclosure checklist to accompany that form.

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.