To close a bank account on behalf of someone who has passed away, you must have legal authority to manage the account. You will need to become the estate's administrator or executor to gain access or information to the deceased person's bank account.What are the rules of inheritance? In Georgia, if you die without a will, any assets leftover after your debts are paid off will go to your living relatives. When a person dies without a will and has money in the bank of not more than. You need to take your mother's death certificate to the bank. They will freeze her account and flag it "Estate of the Deceased (mother's name)". In the case of a person who died without a Will, their estate is administered under Georgia's laws of intestate succession. There is no fee for filing the will not for probate. FindLaw explains the probate process when someone dies without a will, detailing appointing an administrator, settling debts, and distributing assets.