Administration is the process where the Surrogate's Court officially gives out Letters of Administration to a qualified distributee (heir) of the Decedent. The next of kin will not have any access to the money on a deceased person's account unless that person is a Joint owner of the account with a right to survive.A magistrate can issue an informal probate order as soon as 7 days after the decedent's death. To close a bank account on behalf of someone who has passed away, you must have legal authority to manage the account. – If we are paying out to a named beneficiary, we require a photocopy of the death certificate and a bank Beneficiary Distribution Election Form. Notify Bank of America. We'll ask you for the deceased customer's full legal name and Social Security number to identify their accounts. A death claim application letter for a bank is basically a letter to the bank stating that the account holder has been deceased. For example, you may need a death certificate to claim a benefit. Please join speaker Britt Burner, Esq.