How Do I Write a Letter of Instruction to Pelican State CU?

Send it to Pelican State CU's estate/claims department: Pelican State Credit Union, PO Box 40088, Baton Rouge, LA 70835. You can reach the department at 1-800-351-4877.

Pelican State CU lists these among its required documents: Certified copy of the death certificate; Government-issued photo ID for the claimant (POD beneficiary, surviving joint owner, IRA beneficiary, or succession representative); Affidavit of Small Succession (Louisiana estates with gross value of $125,000 or less; La. C.C.P. art. 3421, executed per art. 3432); Surviving-spouse affidavit stating that total funds withdrawn from all depositories do not exceed $20,000 (La. R.S. 9:1513 path only). The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Pelican State CU's recorded requirements.

POD and IRA-beneficiary claims are released on verification of the death certificate and claimant ID. Estate accounts wait on the Louisiana succession: the La. R.S. 9:1513 surviving-spouse affidavit (up to $20,000) is the fastest path, an Affidavit of Small Succession (gross estate $125,000 or less) is next, and a full Judgment of Possession is the slowest.

Pelican State CU accepts a letter you write. We draft it for you, addressed to Pelican State 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.