For Immediate Release
SALT LAKE CITY, July 13, 2026 — Sunset has introduced Automated Closure, a new service designed to reduce the calls, paperwork, mailing, and repeated follow-up commonly required when an executor or trustee closes a deceased person’s financial accounts.
The service can be used to request the closure of bank accounts, retirement accounts, brokerage accounts, and insurance policies identified through Sunset. Sunset then contacts the institution, provides the required notification and documentation, monitors the request, and follows the process through completion.
When appropriate, proceeds are transferred into an estate bank account controlled by the user and managed through Sunset. The funds can then be used to pay estate expenses or eventually be distributed to heirs and beneficiaries.
“The follow-up calls, the forms, and the certified mail are our job now.”
— Stephen Walter, Attorney, Founder and CEO, Sunset
Reducing the Work of Account Closure
Closing even one account after a death can require an executor to locate a specialized estate department, determine the institution’s documentation requirements, obtain certified records, complete notarized forms, send materials, and repeatedly confirm that the request is moving forward.
That process may have to be repeated for every checking account, credit card, retirement account, investment account, and insurance policy associated with an estate.
Sunset reports that the average family spends more than 500 hours settling an estate. Its 2025 Estate Settlement Report Card also found that 55% of the large financial institutions it reviewed did not permit families to begin the estate-settlement process online.
Closing an Account: The Traditional Process and Automated Closure
The Traditional Process
- Locate the institution’s estate department.
- Request its requirements and forms.
- Obtain certified death certificates and probate documents.
- Complete affidavits and notarizations.
- Mail or deliver the documentation.
- Follow up until the institution completes the request.
With Automated Closure
- Select an account identified through Sunset.
- Request that the account be closed.
- Sunset contacts the financial institution.
- Sunset submits and tracks the required documentation.
- The user is alerted if a signature or additional action is required.
- Funds are transferred to the estate account when the closure is completed.
How Automated Closure Works
- Request the closure. The executor or trustee selects an account Sunset has identified and asks that it be closed. For an insurance policy, Sunset initiates the claim process.
- Sunset contacts the institution. Sunset provides the required notice and documents, stores the correspondence, and monitors the request through completion.
- Funds are transferred. Proceeds are placed into an estate bank account where they can be used for expenses or distributed as part of the estate or trust administration.
Designed for Estates and Trusts
Automated Closure is available for both estate administration and trust administration. An executor may use it to close an estate-owned checking or investment account, while a trustee may use it to consolidate assets held by a trust.
Sunset states that the service was tested for approximately one month with selected users before its public introduction. During that beta period, it processed 509 closure requests involving 223 financial institutions without requiring participating families to make the related phone calls or mail the forms themselves.
Estate Account Protection
According to Sunset, estate bank accounts established through its platform are placed with its banking partner and receive FDIC insurance through a sweep-account structure. The company states that this structure can provide coverage of up to $3 million in eligible deposits.
The executor or other authorized user controls the estate account and may use it to pay bills, taxes, professional expenses, and other estate obligations before distributing the remaining funds.
Availability and Cost
Automated Closure became generally available on July 13, 2026. Existing Sunset users may select an identified account within the platform and submit a closure request.
Sunset states that its consumer service, including Automated Closure, is available to families without an out-of-pocket fee and that it does not deduct a percentage from recovered estate assets. The company generates consumer-side revenue through its banking relationships while estate funds are held in an estate account.
Additional information is available at hellosunset.com.
About Sunset
Sunset is an automated estate-settlement platform serving families and professionals after a death. Developed by attorneys and engineers, the platform combines asset and account searches, document automation, account-closure assistance, and estate banking within a single workflow.
Sunset operates across all 50 states and U.S. counties. It is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is backed by Y Combinator. Sunset also offers Sunset Pro for probate attorneys, professional fiduciaries, trustees, and other estate professionals.
Contact
Sunset Support
Phone: (385) 707-0082
Website: hellosunset.com
Original announcement: Introducing Automated Closure
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