How Do I Open an Estate Account at City National?

City National asks for: Evidence of the fiduciary's authority to act, such as a copy of the court order appointing the fiduciary (for an executor or administrator, the Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration); Certified taxpayer identification number ("TIN") for the account holder -- for an account titled to an estate, the estate's EIN.

Yes. City National opens the account under the estate's Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS — the deceased's Social Security Number cannot be used. Getting the EIN is the first step.

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