To close a bank account on behalf of someone who has passed away, you must have legal authority to manage the account. To be recognized as the estate administrator, you must file the petition for grant of letters of administration with the Register of Wills.The bank will not allow you to close it unless you have a letter of authorization from the probate court. In most cases, only the personal representative of a deceased person's estate can access the deceased accounts at a financial institution. Get an executor checklist to help with settling an estate. Learn what government programs to notify when a loved one dies. 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. The following checklist may help guide you through the matters that must be attended to upon the death of a family member. Find an operating agreement online. Fill it out for the deceased, but don't forge the name.