How Do I Open an Estate Account at Ameriprise?

Opening channels

In a branch

Available

Online

Not available

By phone

Not available

By mail

Available

Appointment

Not stated

Co-executors

Not stated

Estimated time

Settlement is processed within several business days once the claim form and required documents are received in good order

Documents to bring

• Court order appointing the Executor, Personal Representative, or Administrator, bearing an official court seal or the signature of the Probate court judge (Letters), sent to the Ameriprise corporate office
• Personalized Estate Settlement Claim - Beneficiary Directed (Form 116189), completed with claimant type "Entity (Estate, Trust, Organization)" and entity type "Estate"
• Estate EIN -- the estate must have its own EIN per IRS Rev. Rul. 84-73 and Reg. 301.6109-1; mandatory withholding applies if it is not provided (Form 116189, New Account Taxpayer Certification)
• Certified death certificate plus any additional items listed in the personalized requirements letter Ameriprise mails to each claimant (document lists vary by product, ownership, and state)

Steps at Ameriprise

1. 1
   Report the death: call 1-800-862-7919 and say "Estate Settlements" at the prompt, or notify the deceased's Ameriprise financial advisor
2. 2
   Ameriprise mails personalized claim materials to each claimant: a letter listing the exact documents required and a personalized Estate Settlement Claim form (Form 116189)
3. 3
   Send the court order appointing the Executor/Personal Representative/Administrator (bearing an official court seal or the Probate judge's signature) to the Ameriprise corporate office so Ameriprise can legally recognize the fiduciary's authority
4. 4
   Obtain an EIN for the estate from the IRS -- Form 116189 requires an estate claimant to have its own EIN; mandatory withholding applies if it is not provided
5. 5
   Complete Form 116189 selecting "Entity (Estate, Trust, Organization)" as claimant type and "Estate" as entity type, with the estate's EIN and business address (P.O. Boxes are not allowed)
6. 6
   Submit through your Ameriprise financial advisor, or mail the claim form and required documents together in one envelope to Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., 70010 Ameriprise Financial Center, Minneapolis, MN 55474
7. 7
   Ameriprise establishes a new account in the estate's ownership and transfers the decedent's brokerage/managed/certificate assets into it; the account is restricted to full liquidation and in-kind transfers, and the claimant must empty it within 90 days (a claimed managed account converts to an estate-titled Ameriprise Brokerage Account with standard fees if not)
8. 8
   Ameriprise Bank deposit balances are never moved into an estate account -- they settle as a check mailed to the claimant's address on Form 116189

What to know at Ameriprise

Two-sided finding. BANK SIDE: Ameriprise Bank, FSB does not open estate deposit accounts -- the Deposit Account Agreement (updated effective December 13, 2025) restricts accounts to natural persons for personal, family, or household purposes and expressly bars opening in the name of a legal entity or by a fiduciary such as an executor; a fiduciary appointed after opening may be allowed only temporary access, after which the account may be closed. A decedent's Ameriprise Bank deposits settle by check to the claimant, so an executor needing an estate checking account must open it at another institution. BROKERAGE SIDE: an estate-titled account exists only as the settlement vehicle -- Form 116189 (estate as entity claimant, estate EIN required) establishes a new account in the estate's ownership to receive the decedent's Ameriprise brokerage, managed, or certificate assets, restricted to full liquidation and in-kind transfers only; managed-account claims carry no management fee and no advisory services, and convert to an estate-titled Ameriprise Brokerage Account with standard brokerage fees if not emptied within 90 days. There is no documented de-novo estate account for funds held outside Ameriprise.