How Do I Open an Estate Account at First Financial Bank?
First Financial Bank's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.
Opening an estate account at First Financial 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
- Court orders evidencing the fiduciary appointment -- the Fiduciary Accounts clause of the deposit agreement makes the account openable by persons "named as a trustee under a written trust agreement, or as executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders" and refers to the fiduciary's "letters"; it does not enumerate specific documents (Letters Testamentary/of Administration are not named by title)
- Taxpayer identification number for the account -- Depositor Responsibility clause: "You agree to provide taxpayer identification numbers required for the account and warrant that the numbers provided are correct"
- Identifying information for the person opening the account: name, address, date of birth, and other identifying information; the bank may also ask to see a driver's license or other identifying documents (federal customer identification program notice in the deposit agreement)
What to know at First Financial Bank
First Financial Bank publishes no estate-account opening page, product, or procedure -- no ffin.com source documents channels, appointment requirements, co-fiduciary rules, a Letters recency window, a minimum deposit, or an opening timeline for estate accounts (sweep verified 2026-07-16). The controlling text is the Fiduciary Accounts clause of the Consumer Account Information Booklet ("Your Deposit Account", Consumer-03-18-2026 edition, fetched 2026-07-16 -- a newer edition than the Consumer-04-15-2025-AIB cited elsewhere in this file; its Fiduciary Accounts and Death or Incompetence clauses carry the same language): accounts may be opened by executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders, and the bank does not monitor or enforce the terms of the trust or letters. The bank's only page that names an estate account is the Basics of Estate Administration education article (Wealth Management, by a First Financial relationship manager), whose executor checklist runs "Obtain Letters Testamentary ... Obtain an EIN number / Open an estate account". The "estates" accounts listed in the wealth-management FAQs are First Financial Wealth Management's managed fiduciary product (the trust company serving as executor or agent), not the self-directed estate deposit account this block covers. Branch coordination runs through the Customer Care Center at 855-660-5862.
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
First Financial Bank's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.
First Financial Bank asks for: Court orders evidencing the fiduciary appointment -- the Fiduciary Accounts clause of the deposit agreement makes the account openable by persons "named as a trustee under a written trust agreement, or as executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders" and refers to the fiduciary's "letters"; it does not enumerate specific documents (Letters Testamentary/of Administration are not named by title); Taxpayer identification number for the account -- Depositor Responsibility clause: "You agree to provide taxpayer identification numbers required for the account and warrant that the numbers provided are correct"; Identifying information for the person opening the account: name, address, date of birth, and other identifying information; the bank may also ask to see a driver's license or other identifying documents (federal customer identification program notice in the deposit agreement).
First Financial Bank's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with First Financial 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.
Sources
Data sourced from First Financial Bank primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
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