How Do I Open an Estate Account at Banner Bank?

Banner Bank's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.

Select a bank

Opening an estate account at Banner Bank

Where to open it

In a branch

Opening channels

In a branch: Available
Online: Not stated
By phone: Not stated
By mail: Not stated
Appointment: Not stated
Co-executors: Not stated

Documents to bring

Certified copies of the death certificate — Banner's survivor guidance says to request several, because photocopies are usually not accepted
Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary (Banner's guidance: the document "that names the estate executor and grants you permission to access the deceased individual's finances and assets"), or a Small Estate Affidavit where state law permits
Government-issued photo ID for the executor or administrator — the deposit agreement's account-opening clause requires name, address, date of birth, and "your driver's license or other identifying documents"
The estate's taxpayer identification number (EIN) — the deposit agreement requires a TIN "with your account," and an estate account cannot use the decedent's Social Security number

Steps at Banner Bank

1
Get appointed first: obtain Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the court (or a Small Estate Affidavit where the decedent's state permits one), and the estate's EIN from the IRS
2
Visit any [Banner Bank branch](https://www.bannerbank.com/contact-us) — Banner's survivor guidance routes estate account opening to the branch team; call 800-272-9933 (Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. PT) first if you want to confirm what your branch will ask for
3
Bring certified copies of the death certificate, your Letters, your government-issued photo ID, and the estate's EIN
4
Ask the banker to open the account titled to the estate to collect proceeds and pay the estate's bills — Banner offers this explicitly, but publishes no estate account product page, document checklist, or minimum deposit, so the specifics are set at the branch
5
Expect the account terms to come from the same Consumer Deposit Account Agreement as other Banner deposit accounts; under its "Special Account Instructions" clause Banner facilitates "certain trust, will, or court-ordered account arrangements" but "cannot counsel you as to which account arrangement most appropriately meets the specific requirements of your trust, will, or court order"

What to know at Banner Bank

Banner offers estate accounts in-branch only in practice: its own survivor article commits the branch team to opening "an account to manage proceeds and bills of the estate," but Banner publishes no estate account product page, no fiduciary application, no document checklist, no minimum deposit, and no channel statements beyond that sentence. The online application (apply-now) lists no estate or fiduciary account type, and the business account requirements page ("Visit a branch to apply in person") lists entity types from Sole Proprietor to foreign entities with no estate category — consistent with branch-only, but neither page affirmatively excludes estates, so the non-branch channels are recorded as unclear. On the EIN: the deposit agreement requires a TIN "with your account" and lets Banner "suspend opening your account or close your account" if a TIN is not provided "within a reasonable time" — so the EIN is required, but Banner does not state that it must be in hand before the account can be opened. No Letters recency window, co-fiduciary signature rule, appointment requirement, or opening timeline is published anywhere on bannerbank.com.

Estate services: 1-800-272-9933View Banner Bank's guidance

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

Banner Bank's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online. Its stated channel is in person at a branch.

Banner Bank asks for: Certified copies of the death certificate — Banner's survivor guidance says to request several, because photocopies are usually not accepted; Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary (Banner's guidance: the document "that names the estate executor and grants you permission to access the deceased individual's finances and assets"), or a Small Estate Affidavit where state law permits; Government-issued photo ID for the executor or administrator — the deposit agreement's account-opening clause requires name, address, date of birth, and "your driver's license or other identifying documents"; The estate's taxpayer identification number (EIN) — the deposit agreement requires a TIN "with your account," and an estate account cannot use the decedent's Social Security number.

Banner Bank's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with Banner Bank 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.