How Do I Open an Estate Account at Amerant?
Amerant's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.
Opening an estate account at Amerant
Opening channels
- In a branch
- Not stated
- Online
- Not stated
- By phone
- Not stated
- By mail
- Not stated
- Appointment
- Not stated
- Co-executors
- Not stated
Documents to bring
- Evidence of the fiduciary's authority -- for a personal representative, the court order / Letters: deposit agreement Section I.13.e ("Fiduciary Account") requires any person acting in a fiduciary capacity to supply, on the Bank's request, "an affidavit, certification or other documentation, including, without limit, copies of excerpts of any agreement, instrument or order pertaining to the account or fiduciary relationship," and Section I.13.d has each representative-capacity signer warrant that they have "furnished all documents necessary to evidence that authority"
- Legal name, address, and the Tax Identification Number for the account under the USA PATRIOT Act customer-identification rule (Section I.5); for a legal entity the TIN is the Employer Identification Number (Section I.6), so an estate account uses the estate's EIN, certified on the signature card, a similar substitute W-9, or IRS Form W-9
- One or more forms of unexpired government-issued photo ID for the person opening the account (Sections I.2.g and I.5: "We may require one or more forms of ID")
- Signature card signed by the fiduciary and all authorized signers (Section I.9: "Upon opening an account, you and all authorized signers will be required to sign a signature card")
What to know at Amerant
Amerant offers fiduciary accounts through its deposit agreement ("Understanding Your Deposit Account," Version 09/01/2025): Section I.13.e defines the fiduciary account and names the personal representative first among its examples, so the estate's own account is a recognized account category -- but the bank publishes no estate-account opening procedure. No page states whether an estate account opens online, by phone, by mail, or in a banking center; no appointment or co-fiduciary rule, no Letters recency window, no minimum deposit, and no estate-specific account type is published (the FAQ page is silent on estates entirely). The published online application is the personal one -- checking pages advertise "Apply in Minutes" online for individual accounts -- and it does not mention fiduciary or estate accounts. The EIN is asked for at application, but the agreement does not make it a hard pre-opening gate: Section I.6 contemplates accounts "wherein an 'applied for' or missing TIN / SSN / ITIN or EIN is not provided timely," in which case "Amerant is required under the USA PATRIOT Act to discontinue service and shall close your account" -- so provide the estate EIN promptly even if the account opens on applied-for status. Accounts are opened "subject to approval through satisfactory reference," and the Bank reserves the right to refuse to open an account (Section I.4). Opening logistics not published here route to the Customer Care Center at 1-855-263-7268 or a Florida banking center.
This guide summarizes each bank's published estate-account requirements and is not legal or banking advice. Requirements may vary by state and account type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Amerant's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.
Amerant asks for: Evidence of the fiduciary's authority -- for a personal representative, the court order / Letters: deposit agreement Section I.13.e ("Fiduciary Account") requires any person acting in a fiduciary capacity to supply, on the Bank's request, "an affidavit, certification or other documentation, including, without limit, copies of excerpts of any agreement, instrument or order pertaining to the account or fiduciary relationship," and Section I.13.d has each representative-capacity signer warrant that they have "furnished all documents necessary to evidence that authority"; Legal name, address, and the Tax Identification Number for the account under the USA PATRIOT Act customer-identification rule (Section I.5); for a legal entity the TIN is the Employer Identification Number (Section I.6), so an estate account uses the estate's EIN, certified on the signature card, a similar substitute W-9, or IRS Form W-9; One or more forms of unexpired government-issued photo ID for the person opening the account (Sections I.2.g and I.5: "We may require one or more forms of ID"); Signature card signed by the fiduciary and all authorized signers (Section I.9: "Upon opening an account, you and all authorized signers will be required to sign a signature card").
Amerant's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with Amerant whether all must attend.
An estate account is a bank account titled to the estate itself — not to the person who died and not to the executor personally. The court-appointed executor or administrator opens it to deposit money owed to the estate (final paychecks, refunds, proceeds from closed accounts), pay the estate's debts and expenses, and distribute what remains. Checks made out to "the Estate of" can only be deposited into an account titled this way.
The estate is its own taxpayer, separate from the person who died. Banks open estate accounts under the estate's Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, not the deceased's Social Security Number. The free EIN application prepares IRS Form SS-4 for the estate.
Sources
Data sourced from Amerant primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
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