How to Obtain Decedent's Credit Report for Summary Administration of Estate

Many Floridians don't realize that it is possible to settle the estate of a family member without an attorney. In certain circumstances, when the value of the entire estate is less than $75,000. excluding exempt property; or when the person died more than two years ago; an attorney may not be required. It is common for estates to qualify for summary administration, and with some of your own research and help from a document preparer, the estate assets can be passed to the heirs.

One step that may be required is to obtain the credit report of the family member who died. This will help you discover if there are outstanding debts that must be paid before the estate can be settled.

Here’s what to do:

 Step 1.  Gather the documents you will need. If your family member prepared a durable financial power of attorney before he or she died and named you as the financial agent, make a copy of that document.

Step 2. Mail a copy of the certified death certificate and either the copy of your father’s durable power of attorney or a copy of the letters testamentary to all three credit reporting agencies. Include a cover letter explaining what you are trying to accomplish, and make sure the deceased’s name, address and Social Security number are clearly identified in the letter. Here are the mailing addresses of the credit reporting agencies:

TransUnion LLC
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022

Equifax Information Services LLC
Office of Consumer Affairs
PO Box 105139
Atlanta, GA 30348

Experian
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion’s recommends that you update your deceased father’s credit reports by:

1. Contacting all of his creditors and requesting that they update their records to show that he is dead. The creditors will probably want you to forward to them a copy of his death certificate, if they have not already been notified of the death.

2. Check with the Social Security Administration to ensure that it has updated its files. Refer to the blue page of your local telephone directory for the address and phone number of the nearest Social Security office. Or, use this online tool to find a local office.

Experian explains on its web site that spouses, executors or others representing the deceased can request that a “deceased indicator” be added to the deceased’s credit report by providing a copy of the death certificate to its consumer assistance center. The indicator will help prevent identity theft.

Unclaimed Assets:

Also, you may want to search the State of Florida Unclaimed Property Division. People frequently find assets through this site, it may be a refund check, a bank account, or any number of things that may have been overlooked. According to the FAQ on that site:

What if the Original Owner of the Property is Deceased?

Proof of ownership (detailed below) must still be established with documentation (as detailed on your claim form). In addition, you must provide a certified death certificate for the owner, along with identification and signed claim forms for all heirs of the owner (or for the personal representative if the estate remains open). Additional documentation may be required depending on the specific case. Please review the Florida Administrative Code section 69I-20.0022 (paragraph 3) for more information.

What Types of Identification are Accepted?

Florida law requires claimants to provide a copy of their driver's license or another form of government-issued photographicidentification. If your Identification does not reflect your current address, please include other documentation (such as a current utility bill, etc.) reflecting your current mailing address in addition to your Identification and proof of ownership. If the account has more than one owner and one of the owners is deceased, a certified death certificate for the deceased owner is required in addition to the Identification for the person claiming the account. Note: Each claimant must submit identification and sign the claim form.