An estate account is established when we receive notice of an account holder's death.

An estate account will remain open until the funds have been distributed in accordance with the distribution and/or probate order.

At the end of all probate procedures, funds remaining in a decedent's estate account will be distributed from the decedent's estate account and paid directly to or deposited into an IIM account of the decedent's heirs, beneficiaries, or other persons or entities entitled by law to receive the funds, where applicable. See 25 CFR part 15.

(a) If you are responsible for making the funeral arrangements of a decedent who had an IIM account and you have an immediate need for emergency assistance to pay for funeral arrangements prior to burial, you may make a request to the BIA for up to $1,000 from the decedent's IIM account if the decedent's IIM account has more than $2,500 in the account at the date of death.

(b) You must apply for this assistance and submit to the BIA an original itemized estimate of the cost of the service to be rendered and the identification of the service provider.

(c) We may approve reasonable costs up to $1,000 that are necessary for the burial services.

(d) We will make payments directly to the providers of the service(s).

If you have a life estate interest in income-producing trust assets, which is earning income, OTFM will open an IIM-life estate account for you and funds will be distributed after BIA has certified ownership of the trust funds.