How Do I Open an Estate Account at First Interstate?
First Interstate'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 Interstate
Opening channels
- In a branch
- Available
- 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 (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) -- the deposit agreement's Fiduciary Accounts clause permits the account to be "opened and maintained by a person or persons named as . . . executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders"
- Identifying information for the person opening the account (name, address, date of birth, and identifying documents such as a driver's license), per the deposit agreement's federal account-opening procedures section
What to know at First Interstate
First Interstate publishes no dedicated estate-account or deceased-customer page; the estate account is opened under the deposit agreement's Fiduciary Accounts clause, which expressly names executors and administrators under court orders as account openers. The online channel is recorded false because the bank's online account opening FAQ states that specialty accounts -- its class covering fiduciary titlings such as trust and representative-payee accounts, of which an estate account is one -- are ineligible for online opening and must be opened at a branch; estate accounts are not individually named in that list. Phone and mail channels, appointment requirements, co-fiduciary signature requirements, EIN timing, minimum deposit, and estate-specific account types are not published anywhere on the bank's site and are recorded unclear or omitted. The Client Contact Center (1-855-342-3400) is the published general contact; branch locations at https://locations.firstinterstatebank.com/.
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. First Interstate states an estate account cannot be opened online. Opening is done in person at a branch.
First Interstate asks for: Court order appointing the executor or administrator (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) -- the deposit agreement's Fiduciary Accounts clause permits the account to be "opened and maintained by a person or persons named as . . . executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders"; Identifying information for the person opening the account (name, address, date of birth, and identifying documents such as a driver's license), per the deposit agreement's federal account-opening procedures section.
First Interstate's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with First Interstate 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 Interstate primary sources (2 pages reviewed). How we research.
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