How Do I Open an Estate Account at First Citizens?

Opening channels

In a branch

Available

Online

Not available

By phone

Not available

By mail

Not available

Appointment

Not stated

Co-executors

Not stated

Minimum deposit

$100

Documents to bring

• Court order appointing the executor or administrator (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) -- the Deposit Account Agreement authorizes fiduciary accounts opened by "executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders"
• Government-issued ID and Social Security number for the account signer -- the business Account Requirements page requires personal identifying information, including SSN, for anyone with significant responsibility for the account
• Estate EIN -- a federal EIN is listed among the common documents for opening a business account; the SSN substitution First Citizens allows applies only to sole-member LLCs and sole proprietors, and the bank publishes no estate-specific EIN statement
• Signature card designating the fiduciary capacity -- the Deposit Account Agreement requires anyone acting as a personal representative or other fiduciary to be "designated to us as such on the signature card," or the account is assumed to be owned in an individual capacity

Steps at First Citizens

1. 1
   Find a First Citizens branch -- the CORE account FAQ states the account must be opened in person, and the page's only opening call-to-action is "Find a Branch."
2. 2
   Bring the opening documentation:

   • Court order appointing you executor or administrator (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration).
   • Government-issued ID and your Social Security number.
   • The estate's EIN, if issued (First Citizens publishes no estate-specific EIN statement; an EIN is on its common business-account document list).
3. 3
   Have your fiduciary capacity designated on the signature card -- otherwise the Deposit Account Agreement treats the account as owned in an individual capacity.
4. 4
   Fund the account with the $100 minimum opening deposit.

What to know at First Citizens

First Citizens' estate account is the CORE Business Checking account (CORE = Charitable Organization - Religious - Estate), which the small-business checking page says is "designed for -- and only open to -- small charitable organizations, small religious institutions and short-term end-of-life estate accounts"; a disclosure adds "Not open to any other businesses," and account openings are subject to bank approval. Terms per the CORE page and the Disclosure of Products and Fees - Business Accounts and Services (effective July 11, 2026): $100 minimum opening deposit, no set balance minimum, no monthly maintenance fee (paperless statements are required to avoid a paper statement fee), first 100 items per statement period free then $0.50 per item, first $2,500 in coin and currency deposited per month free then $0.30 per additional $100, and an interest-bearing CORE Business Checking With Interest option. The CORE FAQ states the account is opened in person only ("You'll need to open a nonprofit checking account in person"), which is the basis for the online/phone/mail channels being false. First Citizens publishes no estate-specific document checklist, no Letters recency window, no appointment guidance, and no statement on whether all co-executors must appear -- those fields are unclear or omitted. Digital Banking for business is available for managing the account after opening.