Closing a soctiabank account without a will

ZoeStevens wrote: ↑ Hi all,

My dad died 7 months ago in China without a will. There is no trustee and his assets were minimal.

I went to Scotiabank today to try to close his bank account and liquidate any remaining money (not much). I brought the death certificate and a few other documents confirming my identify, his, and his death, as well as a declaration (to be notarized) that I’m his sole beneficiary and there was no will etc.

The woman I met with seemed rather baffled by the situation and said that she can’t do anything without a will or trustee. She will escalate it and we’ll see what comes if it.

In the interim, has anyone dealt with this before? My situation appears to be uncommon but if there’s anything more I can do to expedite things, that would be much appreciated!

superfresh89 wrote: ↑ I think you might need to get your declaration notarized first. Once that's done, the branch should be able to do it... if not, call the 1-800# for next steps...

ZoeStevens wrote: ↑ Thanks all. Guess I still have a long road ahead to wrapping all this up

jmatheson64 wrote: ↑ I expect that before a bank would liquidate that they would want a probated will or in your case an administration of his estate deeming you administrator. However, in practice many banks will make exceptions for something less but this is YMMV. Continue to escalate up the line. It will be up to you to decide on a cost-benefit basis whether it is worth pursuing if you have no luck.

Ultimately you would need to secure administration of the Estate through a grant of administration (different terminology in different Provinces). This would not be difficult as a sole heir, but it is still a process.

CNeufeld wrote: ↑ Possibly. Who took care of your father's estate in China? Just because there was no will doesn't mean there wasn't an executor of his estate.

C