Bank accounts
Visit or call institutions with certified death certificate and executor documentation from the probate court
Some steps differ by region inside the country.
Where
Each bank's estate services department, plus state unclaimed property databases for accounts nobody knew about.
How
Contact each bank's estate unit and request a list of all accounts, loans, cards, and safe deposit boxes.
Ask for the balance as of the date of death for the inventory and tax filings.
Ask whether each account is payable on death or joint, since those pass outside probate.
Search missingmoney.com and your state's unclaimed property site, dormant accounts are eventually escheated to the state.
What to bring
A certified copy of the death certificate
Letters testamentary or a small estate affidavit
Your photo ID
Sources
This is practical information, not legal, medical, or financial advice.