In New York State, the Surrogate's Court decides what happens to a person's property when that person dies. Administration is the process where the Surrogate's Court officially gives out Letters of Administration to a qualified distributee (heir) of the Decedent.Instructions for Application for Public Access to Records: Please fill in the entire FOIL application. Applications missing information will not be processed. The Suffolk County Clerk's Office does not maintain Birth, Marriage or Death records; rather this is a function of the Town Clerk and or Registrar. All requests MUST include name of deceased, date of death, and your relationship to deceased. Bank accounts in the deceased person's name will be frozen until probate has been granted. Dealing with the death of someone close to you is never easy. We've put together a guide of what to do if your loved one had an investment account with us. Under New York state law, you can add a POD designation to checking accounts, savings accounts, savings bonds, and certificates of deposit.