There are many horror stories told by individuals who have been unable to access money in the account of a deceased, even to pay bills which were clearly those of the deceased.The fact is that banks will in fact freeze accounts of an account-holder upon learning of the account-holder’s death. This can create significant problems where there are pre-authorized payments set up to pay all the deceased’s bills, and other bills needing payment begin to accumulate. A bank will usually allow for payment of direct funeral expenses, and, in some cases, ongoing utilities, taxes, and condominium fees related to a property owned by the deceased. A bank may also allow for the payment of probate fees from the account. However, for all other needs the account will be frozen until the Estate Trustee named in the deceased’s Will has been officially appointed by the court (issuance of a Certificate of Appointment), which can and does take months.