How Do I Open an Estate Account at Ally Bank?

Opening channels

In a branch

Not available

Online

Not available

By phone

Not stated

By mail

Available

Co-executors

Not stated

Minimum deposit

$0 (Ally's general statement for opening deposit accounts: "It's always $0 to open"; the Estate Account Application states no minimum)

Documents to bring

• Completed Estate Account Application (signed in wet ink or with a placed digital signature — Ally does not accept typed signatures)
• Copy of the death certificate
• Copy of the Letters Testamentary, probate order, or other court document naming the executor/executrix of the estate
• Estate tax identification number (EIN) — a required field on the application, certified on the estate Form W-9
• Executor identity details: Social Security number or ITIN, date of birth, occupation, and U.S. residential street address (no PO Box)
• Form W-9 (or W-8BEN) Taxpayer Identification Number certification for each executor who is not already an Ally Bank customer
• Ally may ask to see a driver's license or other identifying documents under its customer identification program

Steps at Ally Bank

1. 1
   Call Ally Bank at 1-877-247-2559 (open 24/7) — the Deposit Agreement directs fiduciaries to start there, and non-customers can request a secure link for sending documents
2. 2
   Download the [Estate Account Application](https://www.ally.com/content/dam/pdf/bank/estate-app.pdf) and complete it: name of the deceased, the estate's tax identification number, the products to open (Spending, Savings, Money Market, or CD), and each executor's identity details
3. 3
   Executors who are not existing Ally customers also provide a security question and answer, mother's maiden name, and the attached Form W-9 TIN certification (estate TIN and executor TIN)
4. 4
   Sign in wet ink or with a placed digital signature — typed signatures are not accepted
5. 5
   Attach a copy of the death certificate and a copy of the Letters Testamentary, probate order, or other court document naming the executor
6. 6
   Return the packet through one of the three channels printed on the application:

   • Secure message: log in at ally.com and select Email (or use the Ally Mobile app) and attach the form
   • Fax: 866-699-2969, subject line Operations
   • Mail: Ally Bank, PO Box 951, Horsham, PA 19044
7. 7
   Fund the account with an enclosed check, or authorize on the application the full liquidation of the decedent's Ally Bank deposit accounts (those without a named beneficiary) into the new estate account

What to know at Ally Bank

Ally is branchless, so this is a fully remote paper path — likely the only large-bank estate account that never requires an in-person visit. The opening instrument is the paper Estate Account Application (UPDATED 12/2025); online opening is affirmatively prohibited for fiduciary accounts by the Deposit Agreement, which also states Ally does not convert individual or joint accounts to fiduciary accounts. The application carries two Executor/Executrix sections and primary/joint signature lines, but Ally does not state whether all co-executors must sign. Statements mail to the estate's address on file; online banking credentials are set up after opening by contacting Ally. Caution on CDs: the application warns that when a CD is opened with estate funds, the early withdrawal penalty applies if it is closed before maturity (the death-of-owner penalty waiver does not carry over to the estate-titled CD). Ally responds within 7 business days of receiving documents if it needs more information.