To be recognized as the estate administrator, you must file the petition for grant of letters of administration with the Register of Wills. Dying without a will is known as dying intestate.If there's a will without a named executor, the court will issue a Letter of Testamentary; if there's no will, the court will issue a Letter of Administration. In general, you can't. The bank will not allow you to close it unless you have a letter of authorization from the probate court. FindLaw explains the probate process when someone dies without a will, detailing appointing an administrator, settling debts, and distributing assets. A short certificate is a Court document demonstrating that you have the right to administer the estate of someone who has died. The term refers to the distribution of the estate's final assets, which typically means that the Executor has run out of things to do. In general, you can't. The bank will not allow you to close it unless you have a letter of authorization from the probate court.