How Do I Open an Estate Account at Wintrust?
Wintrust opens estate accounts for a court-appointed executor or administrator. The account is opened online. The documents it asks for, what the account costs, and the steps it lists are below.
Opening an estate account at Wintrust
Where to open it
Online
How it opens
- Online
- Available
What it costs
Wintrust does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account.
- Other waivers
- None published; no fee schedule is published. Whether an estate account's balance counts toward relationship-balance waivers is not stated
- Schedule that applies
- Not published; the Deposit Account Agreement and Special Service Fees disclosure are provided when the account is opened
| Account | To open | Monthly fee | Waiver or condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Access Checking | $100 | None | |
| Access Plus Checking | $100 | $10 | $2,500 average daily balance or $25,000 combined average relationship balance (consumer accounts, same charter bank) |
| Premier Checking | $100 | $25 | $10,000 average daily balance or $75,000 combined average relationship balance (consumer accounts, same charter bank) |
| Platinum Preferred Checking | $100 | $10 | |
| Cubs, White Sox, Chicago Fire and Northwestern Wildcats Checking | $100 | None | |
| Money Smart Checking | $10 | None | |
| DePaul Checking | None | ||
| Statement Savings | None | $5 | $200 daily minimum balance |
| Statement Savings Advanced | None | $5 | |
| Money Market | $100 | $15 | |
| Money Market Advanced | $100 | $15 | |
| CD | $1,000 | ||
| MaxSafe CD | $1,000 | ||
| MaxSafe Money Market | $1,000 | None | |
| MaxSafe Money Market Special | $50,000 | ||
| Premium Plus Money Market | $250,000 | $50 | Minimum average daily balance of $250,000 |
What to know at Wintrust
Wintrust's online application offers Estate as an account purpose on most consumer checking, savings, money market and CD products, including MaxSafe, with executor, personal representative and administrator signer roles. The cost follows the product chosen: Total Access Checking is $100 to open with no monthly maintenance fee. Each account sits at one of Wintrust's separately chartered community banks, and terms may differ by charter.
Not in Wintrust's published guidance
- Which documents it asks for
- 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 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 16, 2026
Yes. Wintrust's published guidance states an estate account can be opened online.
Wintrust publishes no document list for estate accounts.
Wintrust does not state the opening deposit, monthly fee, or fee-waiver balance for an estate account. Wintrust's 16 published accounts are listed above with their fees and waivers; the estate account carries the fees of the account 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.
Sources
Data sourced from Wintrust primary sources (6 pages reviewed). How we research.
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
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 inheritance taxes.
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 Appointed as Executor?
See the court, petition, bond, and documents needed to be appointed and receive your Letters.
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.
What Is the Estate's Personal Property Worth for Probate?
Estimate the fair market value of household items for probate and see how it affects fees.
