How Do I Open an Estate Account at Columbia Bank?

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

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Opening an estate account at Columbia Bank

Where to open it

Not stated — contact Columbia Bank

Opening channels

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

Documents to bring

Court order appointing the executor or administrator (the Personal Rules & Regulations authorize accounts opened by "executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders" -- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration serve this role)
Taxpayer identification number, certified as correct (the Personal Rules & Regulations state the bank may refuse to open an account without the appropriate certified TIN)

What to know at Columbia Bank

Estate (fiduciary) accounts are authorized by the FIDUCIARY ACCOUNTS clause of the Personal Rules & Regulations, which permits accounts opened and maintained by executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders; the bank disclaims any obligation to monitor or enforce the terms of the letters. The online channel is marked false by documented exclusion: the Online Account Creation help page presents Individual and Joint as the online application's ownership types, so a fiduciary/estate ownership type is not among the online choices. No Columbia primary source documents phone, mail, or in-branch opening mechanics for estate accounts specifically (the general checking page offers only "open your account online today or visit us at any branch"), nor an itemized document list, EIN timing, Letters recency window, minimum deposit, estate account types, or processing time. The TIN certification clause requires a certified TIN and says the bank may refuse to open an account without one, but its account-type TIN table does not address estate accounts, so EIN-before-opening timing is unclear.

Estate services: 1-866-563-1010View Columbia 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

No. Columbia Bank states an estate account cannot be opened online.

Columbia Bank asks for: Court order appointing the executor or administrator (the Personal Rules & Regulations authorize accounts opened by "executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders" -- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration serve this role); Taxpayer identification number, certified as correct (the Personal Rules & Regulations state the bank may refuse to open an account without the appropriate certified TIN).

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