How can I get the bank to accept my letters of administration so I can manage the estate account? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a bank will usually open an estate account and let a personal representative act once the bank receives a current, properly certified set of Letters of Administration issued…
Who receives pension benefits if a beneficiary is listed, and what happens if no beneficiary is on file? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, pension and similar retirement-plan death benefits usually go to the beneficiary named on the plan’s beneficiary designation, not under a will and not through the probate estate. If no…
How do we handle a mortgaged inherited house when one beneficiary wants to keep it and the executor wants to be bought out? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an inherited house can usually be kept by one beneficiary if that beneficiary (1) deals with the mortgage (typically by refinancing or otherwise arranging…
What should I put on a form asking for other people who may be entitled to share in the estate if I don’t know of anyone? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina probate forms, a question about “other persons who may be entitled to share in the estate” is asking whether there may…
What documents and information should I gather before my first probate consultation? – North Carolina Short Answer For a first North Carolina probate consultation, the most helpful items are the original will (if one exists), a certified death certificate (if available), and a basic list of the person’s assets and debts. It also helps to…
What happens if the apartment management throws away or sells the belongings before I can pick them up? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a landlord generally cannot just throw away or sell a deceased tenant’s belongings whenever it is convenient. If the tenant was the sole occupant, the landlord can use a…
How do we get the remaining cash balance processed after liquidating stock in an estate account so we can close the accounts? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina estate administration, the remaining cash in an estate investment or estate checking account usually gets “processed” by treating it as an estate asset that must…
How can I verify and resolve a possible unpaid bill for a home improvement installed before death if we do not know the contractor or have the paperwork? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, the personal representative can (and usually should) treat this as a potential creditor issue: investigate whether anyone is actually…
Can I get reimbursed for cremation and related expenses when there isn’t enough money in the estate, and how do priority rules affect that? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, cremation and other funeral charges can be valid claims against the estate, and the estate is generally the primary source for paying them.…
Can a brokerage transfer a nominal remaining balance to the estate or issue a check without reopening the estate account? – North Carolina Short Answer Usually, yes. In North Carolina, the court-appointed administrator can generally collect a later-posted, nominal dividend as an estate asset and have the brokerage either issue a check payable to the…
