Notifying us when a member has passed away

We understand that dealing with financial matters when someone has died is never easy, especially when you're grieving. Our team is committed to making this process as simple as possible while ensuring we handle everything with the care and respect your loved one deserves.

How to notify us

To notify us of a credit union member's passing, please visit our website and complete the Enquiry Form. This secure form will request information about yourself and the deceased person. You'll also need to upload a copy of their death certificate.

We've designed this form to collect all the information we need in one place, which helps us process everything more quickly. However, we may still need to contact you by email or phone in some cases, and we appreciate your patience and understanding if this happens.

What happens after you contact us

Once we receive your completed form, our team will carefully review all the details you've provided. After we've verified that everything is in order, we'll begin the process of closing the member's accounts and dealing with any outstanding loans they may have had.

We handle each case with sensitivity and will keep you informed about what's happening throughout the process. Our goal is to resolve everything as smoothly as possible during what we know is already a challenging time for you.

If there's money in their savings account

If the member who died had money in their savings account, what happens next depends on the amount and who they named as their beneficiary when they opened the account.

For amounts under £5,000, the money will go to the person they named as their beneficiary. Once you notify us of the death, we'll contact this person directly to arrange the transfer. For privacy and security reasons, we can only discuss these details with the named beneficiary themselves.

If we can't identify or contact the person named as the beneficiary, or if the savings are more than £5,000, the legal probate process must be followed before we can release any money.

Understanding the probate process

If the deceased member's savings are greater than £5,000, you'll need to apply for probate through the government's official website at GOV.UK. This is a legal process that gives someone the authority to deal with the deceased person's financial affairs.

Once you've completed the probate process and received your Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, please contact our team at help@creditunion.co.uk. We'll then be able to release the funds according to the legal requirements.

Getting help and support

If you have any questions or need help with anything related to a deceased member's account, please don't hesitate to contact us at help@creditunion.co.uk. Our team understands the sensitivity of these situations and will handle your inquiry with care.

Please remember that we can only begin the process once you've completed the online notification form. While we're happy to answer questions by email, we cannot process the death notification itself through email for security reasons.