How Do I Open an Estate Account at Texas Capital?
Texas Capital's estate-account opening requirements: where the account can be opened, the documents to bring, and the EIN requirement.
Opening an estate account at Texas Capital
Opening channels
- In a branch
- Not stated
- Online
- Not available
- By phone
- Not stated
- By mail
- Not stated
Documents to bring
- Documents and authorizations the bank deems necessary or appropriate, in its sole discretion, to establish the fiduciary's authority - the Terms and Disclosures (rev. 4/2026, "Concerning IOLTAs and Fiduciary Accounts") reserve this right at the time of account opening and publish no fixed list
- Affidavit of succession or similar certification acceptable to the bank, if a successor fiduciary takes over the account
What to know at Texas Capital
Estate accounts exist at Texas Capital Bank as a named fiduciary account category: the Personal & Small Business Banking Terms and Disclosures (rev. 4/2026) govern "all fiduciary Accounts including, but not limited to, estate Accounts" and apply their documentation right "at the time of Account opening." But the bank publishes no estate-account product page, no document checklist, and no opening procedure. The consumer online application (join.texascapitalbank.com) offers exactly two ownership choices - Individual and Joint - so an estate account cannot be opened online; the Texas ownership-type menu in the deposit agreement (Single-Party, Multiple-Party, Convenience, Trust) likewise does not list estate titling among the standard consumer selections, leaving the opening channel undocumented. The agreement disclaims any fiduciary role for the bank on such accounts and requires the fiduciary to indemnify the bank in their individual capacity. Texas Capital Private Bank separately offers executor and estate-settlement services for wealth clients, which is the bank acting as fiduciary - not an executor opening the estate's own deposit account.
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. Texas Capital states an estate account cannot be opened online.
Texas Capital asks for: Documents and authorizations the bank deems necessary or appropriate, in its sole discretion, to establish the fiduciary's authority - the Terms and Disclosures (rev. 4/2026, "Concerning IOLTAs and Fiduciary Accounts") reserve this right at the time of account opening and publish no fixed list; Affidavit of succession or similar certification acceptable to the bank, if a successor fiduciary takes over the account.
Texas Capital's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with Texas Capital 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 Texas Capital primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
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