How Do I Open an Estate Account at Mechanics Bank?
Mechanics Bank opens estate accounts for a court-appointed executor or administrator. The account is opened in a branch. The documents it asks for, what the account costs, and the steps it lists are below.
Opening an estate account at Mechanics Bank
Where to open it
In a branch
In 2 of the 4 states Mechanics Bank operates in, state law lets a bank pay from a deceased depositor's balance without letters testamentary or letters of administration.
How it opens
- In a branch
- Available
Documents to bring
- Court order establishing the fiduciary's authority
- Name, address, date of birth, and a driver's license or other identifying documents
- Certified taxpayer identification number for the account
What it costs
Mechanics Bank does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account.
- Other waivers
- On an executor-held account, the age and student waivers (Essential Checking) and the combined-balance waiver (Premier Checking) do not apply
- Schedule that applies
- Schedule of Fees & Charges - Personal and Business Products, Effective March 23, 2026 (MKT10004-2260/0326)
- For estate accounts
- Essential Checking: "The service charge waivers for age and student status do not apply when the account is in a “non-owned” account type classification" (e.g., Guardians, Conservators, Executors). Premier Checking: "The service charge waiver for combined balance does not apply" to such accounts
- Other charges
- Paper statement $2 per statement cycle on most products, waived by going paperless
| Account | To open | Monthly fee | Waiver or condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Checking | $25 | $7 per statement cycle | average monthly collected balance at least $1,000, or a deposit during the cycle, or owner 55+ or student 14 through 24 |
| Workplace Checking | $25 | None | |
| Interest Checking | $25 | $10 per statement cycle | minimum daily collected balance of at least $2,500 |
| Premier Checking | $25 | $24 per statement cycle | average monthly collected balance at least $25,000 or average monthly combined balance at least $50,000 |
| Advantage Checking | $16 | ||
| Basic Checking | $25 | None | |
| Private Client Checking | $0 | None | |
| Personal Savings | $25 ($5 for a minor) | $5 | $300 average monthly collected balance, student 18-24, minor, or linked personal checking for overdraft protection |
| Club Savings | $25 | None | |
| Health Savings | $25 | $3 per statement cycle | |
| Private Client Money Market | $0 | None | |
| Personal Money Market | $100 | $10 per statement cycle | average collected balance of $2,500 for the statement cycle |
| Platinum Market Rate | $50,000 | ||
| Certificate of Deposit | $1,000 |
What to know at Mechanics Bank
Mechanics Bank opens an estate account as an ordinary personal checking, savings, money market or CD account under its "Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts" ownership type, which covers an executor or administrator holding legal title under a court order. Customer Care at 800-797-6324 handles deposit account questions, and former HomeStreet customers use 800-719-8080.
Not in Mechanics Bank's published guidance
- Whether it can be opened online, by phone, or by mail
- Whether a branch appointment is needed
- Whether every co-executor must sign or appear
- Whether the estate's EIN is needed before opening
- Whether the deceased must have banked there
- Whether an out-of-state executor can open one
- Whether the death certificate must be a certified copy
- What proof of the EIN it accepts
- Whether the account comes with online banking, checks, a debit card, or mobile deposit
- How the deceased's balances reach the estate account
General information about each bank's published estate-account requirements, not legal or banking advice. Requirements vary by state and account type. Consult the institution for its current requirements. Data verified Sep 17, 2026
Mechanics Bank's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online. It states the account can be opened in a branch.
Mechanics Bank asks for: Court order establishing the fiduciary's authority; Name, address, date of birth, and a driver's license or other identifying documents; Certified taxpayer identification number for the account.
Mechanics Bank does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account. Essential Checking: "The service charge waivers for age and student status do not apply when the account is in a “non-owned” account type classification" (e.g., Guardians, Conservators, Executors). Premier Checking: "The service charge waiver for combined balance does not apply" to such accounts. The estate account carries the fees of whichever of Mechanics Bank's 14 published accounts it is opened as.
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.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: probate petition, small estate affidavit, creditor notice and closing forms. Prepare each form for your state.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Estate Inventory
Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, composed to your state's statute, with the state's filing or delivery instructions.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for your state.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Calculate how much an executor can charge for administering an estate.
Can I Self-File Probate?
Whether your state lets you open probate yourself, and what it costs with a lawyer and without one.
How Do I Get Letters Testamentary?
See the court that issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the petition, the bond, and the documents to file.
What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
Find creditor claim deadlines, notice requirements, and payment priority order for your state.
What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?
See the order your state pays an insolvent estate's debts and which claims go unpaid.
How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property?
See where to search for a deceased person's unclaimed property and what each state asks an heir or executor to send.
