Bereavement FAQs and useful information

Once we're notified of a death, our team will contact you to explain the next steps.

Any Current Accounts or Savings accounts held in the sole name of the deceased will be frozen. This includes the use of any cards linked to the account(s) and being able to transact via telephone or online banking.

No restrictions will be placed on joint accounts as joint accounts will transfer automatically to the surviving account holders. Due to technical reasons, in instances where only one surviving party remains, we'll need to change the account numbers on our systems and issue new accounts. If two or more surviving customers are present, the joint account number will remain the same and the deceased customer will be removed. If any previous USD or GBP debit cards were linked to any USD or GBP joint current accounts, we won't issue a new debit card for these accounts. This is because we've decided to withdraw USD and GBP debit cards from our HSBC Expat offering, following a recent review.

We'll also stop any marketing correspondence from being sent out. Please note, because these are prepared several weeks in advance, you may still receive some correspondence. We try to avoid this from happening, but if you do receive anything, please accept our sincere apologies.

The Personal Representative, is the individual who is responsible for dealing with the deceased customer’s estate. They may also be known as the executor or administrator of the estate. 

To protect you and the deceased customer’s estate from fraud and financial crime, we’ll need to verify your identity and address. Photographic identification, such as a passport or driving licence and confirmation of the residential address of at least one of the estate executors, certified in accordance with our requirements.

Please note, if the executor(s) hold(s) an account with any branch of HSBC plc or HSBC Expat, identification and verification of address is not required. However, we'll need the sort code and account number.

The certifier must state the following on all required documents:

‘I confirm that this is a true and accurate copy of the original document’.

If the document contains a photograph, the certifier must also add:

‘and that the photograph bears a true likeness to the individual requesting the certification’.

The certifier must sign and date the document and add their full name, address, and professional position in block capitals.

If the deceased's funds and assets held with HSBC Expat in Jersey have a value greater than £30,000, we'll need to see a Jersey Grant of Probate before we can release them.

Please note, the value of the assets could still increase after death. For example, if the value of an investment goes up. This might mean assets originally worth £30,000 or less could become worth more than £30,000. If this happens, we'll need to see a Jersey Grant of Probate before we can release them.

Generally, a Jersey Grant of Probate will not be required in cases where the value of the Jersey assets is (and remains) £30,000 or less, but we may still require one in some circumstances. We'll tell you if we do.

We may need to see the will to make sure we’re dealing with the correct Personal Representative(s) of the deceased customer.

We may close the deceased customer’s accounts without seeing the will; however, we reserve the right to ask to see the will if needed.

If someone dies without making a will they are said to have died ‘intestate’.

In this case, the deceased’s assets will be dealt with according to the law of the country the deceased was domiciled in. In cases of intestacy, Personal Representatives will be appointed following a court procedure. We'll be dealing with the appointed Representative. If nobody has been appointed and the deceased’s next of kin require urgent assistance with funeral costs, we may be able to discuss this.

If you are unsure what should be happen when there's no will, it's best to seek independent legal advice.

If the deceased customer was a Donor, i.e. if there was a Power of Attorney, third party mandate or appointment of guardian/deputy/receiver on their accounts, these are cancelled upon notification of death.

If the Attorney/deputy/third party is also the Personal Representative, their responsibilities as Attorney/deputy/third party will cease. Their role as the Personal Representative will continue. Please note, account access may differ as a Personal Representative to that of an Attorney/deputy/third party.

If the Attorney/deputy/third party is not the Personal Representative, all responsibilities and access will cease.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us via email at expat.bereavement.support.team@hsbc.com, call us on +44 1534 616313* or you can write to us at the following address:

Bereavement Support Team

HSBC Expat

HSBC House

Esplanade

St Helier

Jersey, Channel Islands

JE1 1HS

For sole accounts, all debit cards will be cancelled. For joint accounts, any USD or GBP current accounts will be converted into a sole account, but we won't issue a new debit card for these accounts. This is because we've decided to withdraw USD and GBP debit cards from our HSBC Expat offering, following a recent review. 

HSBC Expat no longer issue cheque books for any customers holding a GBP current account. Therefore, any accounts converting from joint to sole that previously held a cheque book won’t get a new cheque book. For any cheque books issued for sole accounts, these will be cancelled. 

If Fixed Term Deposit accounts were held in joint names, on maturity the funds will be transferred to the new sole account. If you wish to close the Fixed Term Deposit account prior to the maturity date, please contact the 24/7 contact centre on +44 1534 616313* and ask to speak with a Relationship Manager.

If Fixed Term Deposit accounts were held in a sole name, we would need to close this account prior to transferring the funds. In order to complete the closure of these accounts, we'll need you to confirm in writing that the Fixed Term Deposit accounts can be closed before the maturity dates.

If Fixed Term Deposit accounts were held in a sole name with maturity instructions to credit a joint account, these funds would now mature into an account in the sole name and in the same currency and would no longer be transferred to a joint account.

There's no penalty or charge to end these accounts early.

A member of the relevant team will be in contact directly to discuss available options for these products. Credit cards will be frozen and no further interest on outstanding balances will accrue from the day of death. 

Any outstanding debt will need to be repaid prior to the release of any funds and closure of accounts. 

If the deceased held investments in HSBC Jersey branch’s nominee entity (if any), HSBC Client Nominee (Jersey) Limited, will provide statements showing the value of the investments as at the date of death. Please note this valuation is required to obtain probate and is an indication amount only and the value will change. It could go up or down when the investment is sold, depending on the price which updates/changes daily.

Any investments held outside of the HSBC Nominee, please contact the product provider directly.

If further information is required, please email: wealth.business.services@hsbcib.com.

If an Invest Direct International account was held in the deceased’s name, the Invest Direct International team will be in contact with the next of kin or solicitor.

If further information is required, please contact 03456 100 105 or +44 113 234 5678

Any Global Money (a mobile banking only multi-currency account) balances will be transferred into other existing primary current or savings accounts and the Global Money Account will be closed. This may include a foreign exchange conversion cost, if there's no other account in the same currency. Any foreign exchange will be processed at the rate of the day. 

Any joint accounts will remain open for 21 days, so you can advise relevant parties of the new account details. After the 21-day period, the funds and any standing orders and Direct Debits on the joint accounts will transfer over to the new joint account (if more than one survivor) or new sole accounts (if only one formerly joint account holder survived).

Any standing instructions linked to the joint accounts will be cancelled. Please check for any standing instructions set up on the joint accounts that will need to be reinstated once the new sole accounts in the names of the surviving account holders is/are open.

For any sole accounts of the deceased, standing orders, standing instructions and Direct Debits will automatically be cancelled upon closure.

Yes, we’re able to continue to receive payments into an account once it has been frozen following notification of the death.

Please bear in mind, some of these payments may be reclaimed, such as state pension. We suggest you notify your government pension provider as soon as possible, if you've not already done so.

Once we’ve received formal confirmation of the death, where required we’ll issue a letter with the details of the products and balances held at date of death to the Personal Representative(s).

Once we receive all documentation required to close the accounts, where there are only savings and current accounts and no debts owed to HSBC, we'll combine the balances and aim to release the funds within 2 weeks.

Where there are other products held by the deceased customer, such as investments, this may take longer and we'll advise you of this separately.

If we're aware that a dispute exists over the estate, we'll make payment to the court-appointed Personal Representative of the deceased, unless we're presented with a binding legal or regulatory reason why we should not do so.

Before the account is closed, and where sufficient funds are available to cover the costs, we may pay the following fees and bills, subject to seeing relevant invoices and entirely at our discretion:

If we have concerns around payments we are asked to make prior to receiving probate documentation, we will not make them.

If there are insufficient funds available, HSBC are not liable for these costs.

Subject to legal requirements. Once we have received formal confirmation of the death, and we’ve been provided with the funeral bill, where sufficient funds are available, we may pay the funeral bill for you from the deceased customer’s account.

If the bill is an estimate, we are able to pay the deposit from the deceased customer’s account.

If you've already paid the funeral bill from your own account, we may be able to reimburse you from the deceased customer’s account once we receive formal confirmation of the death and proof of payment.

In order for us to pay funeral expenses from the deceased estate, written authority will be required from all executors of the estate and a copy of the invoice that is to be paid.