When can I close the estate and distribute the assets? Fill out and copy your forms.To close a bank account on behalf of someone who has passed away, you must have legal authority to manage the account. The bank will not allow you to close it unless you have a letter of authorization from the probate court. To close a bank account after death, you must completely liquidate its funds. Notify Bank of America. We'll ask you for the deceased customer's full legal name and Social Security number to identify their accounts. In this video, we discuss an important aspect of estate planning: how to prevent your bank accounts from being frozen at the time of your death. Thank you for your interest in serving as an elected official for the City of Aurora. Find out the dos and don'ts of closing up shop.