How Do I Open an Estate Account at Customers Bank?

Customers 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 Customers Bank

Where to open it

Not stated — contact Customers Bank

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

Written agreement or court order establishing the executor/administrator appointment -- the fiduciary-account clause defines the account as one "established by you as a trustee, guardian, executor or administrator under a written agreement or court order" (in practice, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration)
Tax identification number (TIN), certified as correct under penalty of perjury, at account opening -- per the disclosure's Back-Up Withholding clause: "At the time you open your account, you will provide us with a tax identification number (TIN), which you certify as correct under penalty of perjury." The clause is generic to all accounts; the bank does not publish an estate-specific document checklist.

What to know at Customers Bank

Customers Bank publishes no estate-account or deceased-customer page and no fiduciary/estate account opening procedure. The sole primary-source support is the deposit-account consumer disclosure at /consumer-disclosures/, whose Fiduciary Account clause names executors and administrators as account establishers under a court order, and whose Back-Up Withholding clause requires a certified TIN at account opening. Account types, minimum deposit, channels, appointment policy, co-fiduciary signing policy, and timing are all unpublished -- contact the bank at 866-476-2265 or a branch (https://www.customersbank.com/locations/). Deposit-account estate matters are handled by Deposit Operations (Customers Bank, Attn: Deposit Operations, 40 General Warren Blvd, Suite 200, Malvern, PA 19355).

Estate services: 1-866-476-2265View Customers 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

Customers Bank's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.

Customers Bank asks for: Written agreement or court order establishing the executor/administrator appointment -- the fiduciary-account clause defines the account as one "established by you as a trustee, guardian, executor or administrator under a written agreement or court order" (in practice, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration); Tax identification number (TIN), certified as correct under penalty of perjury, at account opening -- per the disclosure's Back-Up Withholding clause: "At the time you open your account, you will provide us with a tax identification number (TIN), which you certify as correct under penalty of perjury." The clause is generic to all accounts; the bank does not publish an estate-specific document checklist..

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