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 on behalf of someone who has passed away, you must have legal authority to manage the account.In fact, a death claim letter format for bank is straightforward. 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. To close a bank account after death, you must completely liquidate its funds. When you open a bank account for the estate, the account name must indicate that it is an estate account and not your personal account. Letter of Testamentary from the probate court in the deceased's hometown designating the executor. Notify Bank of America. We'll ask you for the deceased customer's full legal name and Social Security number to identify their accounts. On Death (TOD) accounts, and some life insurance policies and retirement accounts.