How Do I Open an Estate Account at Pinnacle Bank?
Pinnacle Bank opens estate accounts for a court-appointed executor or administrator. The documents it asks for, what the account costs, and the steps it lists are below.
Opening an estate account at Pinnacle Bank
Where to open it
Not published by Pinnacle Bank
In 4 of the 9 states Pinnacle Bank operates in, state law lets a bank pay a deceased depositor's balance to family without letters testamentary or letters of administration. Pick a state for its rule.
How it opens
- Online
- Not available; 47 of the 153 banks here say the same
Documents to bring
- Court order or other document appointing the fiduciary
- Estate EIN, certified on the signature card or IRS Form W-9
- Identification for the executor or administrator
- Signature card designating the fiduciary capacity
Steps at Pinnacle Bank
- 1Provide Pinnacle the court order appointing you, the estate's EIN, and identification.
- 2Complete the signature card with your fiduciary capacity designated as such, and certify the estate's EIN on it or on IRS Form W-9.
What it costs
Pinnacle Bank does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account.
- Other waivers
- Estate accounts are exempt from participation in the Overdraft Privilege program
- Schedule that applies
- Not stated for estate accounts; Disclosure of Fees and Service Charges (REV. 040126)
- For estate accounts
- Money Market, Estates, Representative Payee, and Fiduciary accounts are exempt from participation in the Overdraft Privilege program (Bank Depositor Agreement, June 2025)
- Other charges
- Dormant Account Fee $5.00 per month after 1 year of no activity
| Account | Monthly fee | Waiver or condition |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $8 | Waived with eStatement |
| Young Professional | $5 | |
| Access | $8 | $1,000 avg. balance |
| Interest | $15 | $2,500 average balance or $25,000 in combined deposits |
| Senior | $10 | $500 average balance or direct deposit |
| Horizon 75 | N/A | |
| Horizon 150 | $15 | $5,000 balance |
| Horizon 300 | $20 | $10,000 balance |
| Horizon 500 | $50 | $30,000 balance |
| Summit NOW | $15 | $10,000 average monthly balance |
| Vista | $25 account maintenance fee with analyzed services |
What to know at Pinnacle Bank
Pinnacle Bank opens estate accounts as fiduciary accounts under its Deposit Account Agreement and takes no duty to supervise transactions in them. Joining co-executors' names with "and" in the account title does not require more than one of them to authorize a withdrawal; that restriction must be explicit. Until the systems conversion expected in the first half of 2027, Pinnacle offices cannot service legacy Synovus relationships.
Not in Pinnacle Bank's published guidance
- Whether it can be opened in a branch, 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 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 24, 2026
No. Pinnacle Bank states an estate account cannot be opened online.
Pinnacle Bank asks for: Court order or other document appointing the fiduciary; Estate EIN, certified on the signature card or IRS Form W-9; Identification for the executor or administrator; Signature card designating the fiduciary capacity.
Pinnacle Bank does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account. Money Market, Estates, Representative Payee, and Fiduciary accounts are exempt from participation in the Overdraft Privilege program (Bank Depositor Agreement, June 2025). The estate account carries the fees of whichever of Pinnacle Bank's 11 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.
