[discostu]

We opened an estate account when my grandfather died. Just to make things cleaner in the paperwork.

[Cementjungle]

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE... we tried as a longshot our (and our MIL's) past investment broker (he's now part of Southwest Securities) in Beverly Hills. He has our kids' trust accounts, and also had some of my MIL's accounts. He was located in the same building in BH that my old office was in, so for years I had done some investing with him...it was a plus that my MIL was also a client of his at the time.

He just called back and will resurrect an old trust account that my MIL had and will allow the deposit into that account, then distribute the funds to my wife. Yea!

Now... we're going to enjoy marching into Chase and B of A and yanking our stuff away from those suckers... once we find someplace better.

[Alex Murphy]

It's a frustrating situation to have in your hands a check from the US Treasury for over $141,000 and you can't do a darned thing with it except frame it and hang it on the wall as a souvenir.

It could have been worse. It could have been a check for $15,800,000.

[vbmoneyspender]

You need to get a court order directing either a specific bank or any federally insured bank to cash the check. Once you have the court order, if the bank defies the court order, you can then go after them for contempt of court.

My opinion on this though is that once you have the court order, whichever clerk you are dealing with at the bank will kick it to their legal dept and the attorneys in the legal dept will direct the clerk to cash the check rather than be in violation of a court order.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I had a very similar experience, but a smaller amount, about 16k. I called someone at the bank and they “took care of it”, we deposited the check, no questions asked.

[Innovative]

Did you try getting the IRS to reissue the check just in your wife’s name?

And/or — having your wife sign once for herself and once for the estate as “executor”? There doesn’t need to be a bank account in the name of the estate. Suppose the check is made out to person x and person y — they just have to sign, they don’t both need to have accounts at the bank.

I think you may need to get a lawyer and have him/her help with an approach, that will hopefully work.

[Organic Panic]

Pay yo taxes. We’re depending on you!

-Washington DC

[minnesota_bound]

Hello
My name is Akinlana and I am from Nigeria and can help you out. Sign over check and I will cash it in my bank in Nigeria and wire you the money.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

there's no account with the name of "Estate of XXXXXX".

Set one up.

[a fool in paradise]

I think that there is a bank in Nigeria who would kindly accept that check. A prince of a man contacted me by email once.

[rabidralph]

*Ping* in case you can offer some advice.