Columbus, OH asked in Estate Planning for Ohio

Q: Columbus, Ohio: How to I cash an estate check. Got it when I closed my deceased dads account today

I'm the only child and he wasn't married or anything. filed the summary release from administration that I was told to and took it to the bank, but the bank gave me a check made out to my dads estate. There is no estate and all of his bills were taken care of. I guess I have to open an estate now to deposit the check, but I don't know how I should do that. I'd prefer to not have to get a lawyer as its not that much money.

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: This is a common bank error. They are good at estates, where there is an administrator or executor. They are not good at summary administrations or release from administrations, where there is a commissioner. Your order from the court should have ordered the bank to pay the beneficiary directly or the commissioner, and they just didn't do that. Go back to the bank with your court documentation and make them re-issue the check.

Reminder that you will still need to file a commissioner's report after you deposit the money.

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