An estate checking account serves as a temporary account to manage the estate's financial affairs. A personal representative must request an employer identification number (EIN) from the IRS to open a checking account with a financial institution.
They generally will need to present to the bank with a certified copy of the decedent's death certificate, their own government-issued ID, and the trust instrument (or a certification of trust) in order for the asset to be released to them, although the documentation needed can vary from bank to bank, so it is best to ...
An estate account will remain open until the funds have been distributed in ance with the distribution and/or probate order.
The account holder only needs to notify their bank of who the beneficiary should be. The bank, on its end, will give the account owner a beneficiary designation form to fill out. The completed form gives the bank authorization to convert the account to a POD.
Once you've been appointed executor or personal representative by the probate court, you'll probably want to open a bank account in the name of the estate. Usually, an account for an estate is registered in this or a similar way: "Estate of Gerald S. Smith, Deceased, Pamela S. Smith, executor."