Video Summary
When someone dies, what happens to their bank account? Well, the first thing you need to determine is whether the bank account was joint or whether it had any beneficiaries. If it is a joint account, then it’s presumed that it goes to the person that’s on the signature card with the decedent, or if there’s a designation of beneficiaries saying it’s payable on death to a certain beneficiaries, then it goes to the beneficiaries and all they need is a death certificate. If the account is just in the decedent’s name, well then it has to go through a probate proceeding, either under a will or if they don’t have a will. In circumstances where it’s a small bank account, then there is a proceeding called a distribution without administration wherein if the amount of the funeral bill, which you paid, or whoever paid it is more than what’s in the account or the same amount, then the person who paid the funeral bill can make application to the probate court for distribution without administration. So depending on the size of the bank account, there may be a relatively simple procedure to see about getting the account if the money was used to pay the funeral Bill, my phone number, (727) 847-2288.