How Do I Open an Estate Account at UMB Bank?
UMB 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 UMB Bank
Account type: UMB Fiduciary Account Checking
Opening channels
- In a branch
- Not stated
- Online
- Not stated
- By phone
- Not stated
- By mail
- Not stated
Documents to bring
- Government-issued photo ID for the fiduciary (the Deposit Account Agreement's Customer Identification Program clause: UMB will ask for name, address, date of birth, and "identifying documents such as a driver's license")
- Certified U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number for the accountholder - required when any account is opened; the agreement states that for entity accounts the TIN is an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Document establishing the fiduciary appointment (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) - UMB publishes no opening checklist, but the agreement makes the fiduciary "solely responsible for acting in accordance with applicable law and the terms of any applicable court order, trust or other document establishing and covering the fiduciary relationship"
What to know at UMB Bank
UMB opens estate accounts: the Deposit Account Agreement (effective July 1, 2025) defines a "fiduciary account" as one whose owner is a natural person acting as a trustee, conservator, guardian, EXECUTOR, ADMINISTRATOR, custodian, or agent, and the Consumer Banking Schedule of Service Fees and Charges (effective July 14, 2025) carries "UMB Fiduciary Account Checking" as a named product (exempt, along with Check-Free Banking, from the $5/month dormant account charge). UMB publishes no estate-account opening checklist or channel instructions, so every channel is unclear from primary sources. The online application at applynow.umb.com is a personal consumer flow (name, date of birth, personal contact details for a "Primary Applicant") that surfaces no fiduciary or estate ownership option, and the checking page's online-eligibility list is personal-applicant criteria only - but neither affirmatively excludes estates. Notable for co-executors: on a fiduciary account, the agreement has each fiduciary authorize every other fiduciary to draw items, make withdrawals, or otherwise act on the account INDIVIDUALLY, to the maximum extent permitted by law - a will requiring co-executors to act jointly is not enforced by the bank. UMB assumes all powers of attorney terminate at the principal's death, so an estate account (not the decedent's old account under a dead POA) is the vehicle for paying estate expenses. Start at a branch or UMB Banking Services (800.821.5184); estates administered by UMB as executor run through UMB Private Wealth Management (800.862.6670).
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
UMB Bank's published guidance does not state whether an estate account can be opened online.
UMB Bank asks for: Government-issued photo ID for the fiduciary (the Deposit Account Agreement's Customer Identification Program clause: UMB will ask for name, address, date of birth, and "identifying documents such as a driver's license"); Certified U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number for the accountholder - required when any account is opened; the agreement states that for entity accounts the TIN is an Employer Identification Number (EIN); Document establishing the fiduciary appointment (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) - UMB publishes no opening checklist, but the agreement makes the fiduciary "solely responsible for acting in accordance with applicable law and the terms of any applicable court order, trust or other document establishing and covering the fiduciary relationship".
UMB Bank's published guidance does not state a co-executor appearance rule. When more than one executor or administrator was appointed, confirm with UMB 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 UMB Bank primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
