Transfer of property without a will in North California is quite complicated. In case of no will, the case goes into the probate court, and the judge decides who'll inherit the property of the deceased person as per California's intestate succession law. The distribution of the property will be decided carefully.
In California, an account holder should complete a Totten trust document. A Totten Trust is a payable-on-death account with a named beneficiary. When the account owner dies, the contents of the Totten Trust automatically pass to the beneficiary.
Probate is the court-supervised process of managing and distributing a deceased person's estate. If you die without a will, the court appoints an administrator to handle your assets, including your bank accounts.