Q: My father recently passed away in New York we believe without a will.
My father recently passed away in New York we believe without a will. At least we have not been able to locate one. He left a considerable estate to which myself and my sister are the only airs. We were wondering what we need to do next he had several CDs in three local banks to which total almost $200,000 what is our next move we are only in New York for a few days
A: You must petition the Surrogates Court for Letters of Administration in order to be given the power to collect and distribute assets. If you are not going to be present in NY you should retain an attorney to assist you.
Nina Whitehurst agrees with this answer
A: You need to petition for administration. The problem is that there may be a delay due to the court closures due to the coronavirus. Check with the banks to make sure there is no beneficiary designation on the accounts.
Nina Whitehurst agrees with this answer
A: Condolences on the loss of your father. If the only assets are CDs and the accounts have named beneficiaries, you may not need to file to Administer the Estate but may instead be able to file as beneficiaries.
Nina Whitehurst agrees with this answer
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