Los Angeles, CA asked in Estate Planning and Probate for California

Q: My mother has passed

She has a Savings account set up for me and my niece is this part of her will since my niece is not included in her will

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1 Lawyer Answer
Sally Bergman
Sally Bergman
Answered
  • Estate Planning Lawyer
  • San Mateo, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: My condolences for the loss of your mother. Any bank or savings account that designates one or more individuals as the beneficiaries upon the death of the account holder, will pass to the named beneficiary. This means that if you and your niece were named by your mother as death beneficiaries on her bank account, then those funds should pass to you and your niece. That said, many banks, particularly large national banks like Wells Fargo, Chase, Citibank and Bank of America, unfortunately, are known to make this process very difficult for those receiving those funds/ .

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