We know that when you're settling a loved one's estate, every day matters. Here's a detailed guide to what you can expect from Sunset's search process — from getting started to having a complete picture of every asset and liability.
Getting Started: What You'll Need
Before Sunset can begin searching, we need to verify a few things to protect you, your family, and the estate from fraud.
Information About the Deceased
Full legal name (including any maiden names or aliases)
Phone number
Date of death
Date of birth
Social Security number
Last known address(es)
Information About You (the User)
Full legal name
Phone number
Email address
Date of birth
Additional Setup Steps
After entering basic information, you'll answer a few more questions about the estate and your relationship to the deceased. Then you'll upload a copy of the death certificate.
Search begins after the death certificate has been validated. This step is essential — it protects the deceased's accounts from unauthorized access and ensures that only verified family members, executors, or personal representatives can view results.
Search Timeline Overview
Once your account is validated, here's what to expect. Keep in mind that Sunset does not notify financial institutions of the death during the search phase (with the exception of life insurance — see below). This means accounts remain untouched and undisturbed while you get a full picture of what exists.
Immediate Results (Within Hours)
These results begin appearing shortly after your account is validated:
Creditors and Debts Sunset pulls a complete picture of your loved one's debts and liabilities, validated directly from all three major credit bureaus. This includes:
Open credit cards — We report the card issuer, current balance, and whether the account is individual or joint. Joint debts are clearly flagged, since a surviving co-borrower may still be responsible.
Closed credit cards — Even cards that are no longer active are listed so nothing falls through the cracks.
Personal loans — Open, closed, or written-off loans are reported with balances so you can plan repayment or settlement.
Auto loans and leases — We locate vehicle loans and leases with current balances and lender contact info, so you can decide whether to pay off, return, or transfer the vehicle.
Mortgages and HELOCs — We flag active mortgage and home equity balances. This is especially important to make sure payments continue while you decide to sell, transfer, or refinance the property.
Student loans — Some student loans qualify for a discharge after a death. We'll get you instant info on the status, creditor, and balance. For private student loans, you'll be able to quickly contact creditors to notify them and work to hopefully discharge.
Business loans — We identify outstanding and even closed business loans, from SBA-backed financing to equipment leases, with contact info for the creditor.
Medical bills — We collect a complete list of hospital and provider bills, even those sent to collections or charged off, so you can pay them in the correct order and avoid surprises.
Important note about debts: In most cases, you are not personally responsible for the deceased's debts. If the deceased was solely responsible for the debt and it was not backed by a physical asset (like a home or vehicle), it can often get charged off entirely. If it was a joint credit card or loan, the responsibility remains with the other person on the account, often a spouse. Sunset automatically identifies if a debt has a living responsible party and clearly flags it.
Some Bank Accounts Many bank account results appear instantly thanks to Sunset's data integrations. Depending on the institution, you may see results from major national banks right away, including checking accounts, savings accounts, and more. Further bank results take longer (see the 7–14 day section below).
Property Records (Real Estate in All 50 States) Sunset searches nationwide property and address data to identify real estate holdings. Results include:
Property ownership and co-owner details
Lien and tax information
Transfer-on-death (TOD) designations, if applicable
Address history that can help uncover additional accounts at institutions near where the deceased lived
This covers residential properties, vacation homes, rental properties, and land across all 50 states.
Vehicle Titles We search vehicle records from all 50 states. Results typically include:
Cars, trucks, and SUVs — Ownership confirmation, payoff amounts if there's a loan, and title details (owned outright, jointly titled, pledged as collateral, or transfer-on-death designation)
Motorcycles, ATVs, campers, and motorhomes — Including those that are stored or financed
Boats, jet skis, and other titled vessels — Along with trailer and marina contract information
Work vans, trucks, and fleet vehicles — Tied to a business
Classic and collectible vehicles — That might be missed in a standard search
Utility trailers, horse trailers, fifth-wheels, and travel trailers — Which often have separate titles
Snowmobiles, golf carts, side-by-sides, and other off-highway vehicles — Which may require special registration
After discovery, Sunset can guide you through transferring a title to a family member, completing a small-estate DMV filing, or selling the vehicle. Proceeds from a sale can be deposited into the estate bank account.
Unclaimed Property Sunset checks state unclaimed property databases to surface forgotten or overlooked assets, including:
Dormant bank accounts — Banks turn inactive accounts over to the state after a few years without activity
Uncashed checks — Paychecks, tax refunds, insurance credits, or other payments that were never cashed
Utility and rental deposits — Often remain unclaimed after a move or death
Safe deposit box contents — If rent was unpaid, some banks send box contents to the state for safekeeping
Abandoned investment accounts — Brokerages turn over accounts to the state after years of no activity
Dormant retirement accounts — Unused 401(k)s, pensions, or IRAs that were eventually reported to the state
Gift cards and store credits — Some qualify as unclaimed property under state law
After discovery, Sunset provides direct links to state claim portals, pre-fills claim forms when possible, and helps you gather or generate any required documents like a death certificate, letters of administration, or a small estate affidavit.
1–2 Business Days
These searches involve contacting financial custodians and fund managers through Sunset's data integrations. Results are typically available the next business day.
Note: These searches cannot run on weekends or bank holidays.
Retirement Accounts Sunset scans major retirement custodians, employers, and government sources for matches. This covers:
401(k) accounts — When an employer is notified of a participant's death, the 401(k) is typically frozen and plan administrators begin the process of transferring to listed beneficiaries. Sunset searches custodians like Fidelity, Schwab, Empower, Vanguard, Voya, and every small fund manager in the US.
Traditional IRAs — We identify accounts and beneficiary designations, then guide you through required minimum distribution (RMD) rules and help initiate transfers or payouts in compliance with IRS regulations.
Roth IRAs — Roth IRAs pass to named beneficiaries tax-free if distributions qualify, but custodians still require documentation. We confirm eligibility for tax-free withdrawals and help you initiate distributions or retitle the account as an Inherited Roth IRA.
Pension plans — Pension administrators will suspend payments upon notice of death until a claim is filed. We help determine whether survivor benefits or lump-sum payouts are available.
SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs — For self-employed individuals or small business owners
Keogh plans — Less common today, but we locate these and verify funds and beneficiary designations
403(b) and 457 plans — For public employees, teachers, and nonprofit workers
Sunset has located over $100 million in retirement assets for families.
Investment Accounts We search custodians, transfer agents, and fund managers — without notifying them of the death — for:
Brokerage accounts — At firms like Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, Merrill Lynch, Robinhood, and TD Ameritrade
Mutual funds and ETFs — Including those held directly with fund companies
Individual stocks and bonds — Including direct stock purchase plans (DSPPs) and dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs)
Annuities — Including any death benefit provisions
Cryptocurrency — We identify wallets stored on major platforms such as Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken for assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. We confirm balances and guide families through exchange-specific transfer processes. (Note: Private wallets held offline require the family to provide keys or credentials.)
Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) — Less common today, but funds must still be distributed properly
Sunset has discovered over $200 million in investment assets for families. If requested, we can work directly with brokerage firms to transfer or liquidate assets, handling the paperwork and compliance requirements.
Life Insurance Sunset checks across major insurance carriers, group plans, and government programs to make sure no benefits go unclaimed. This includes carriers like Northwestern Mutual, MetLife, New York Life, Prudential, and many more. We search for:
Individual life insurance policies — Term life, whole life, and universal life
Group/employer life insurance — Policies offered through an employer or union, which are often overlooked. Sunset checks with HR departments and plan administrators.
Government and military life insurance — SGLI, VGLI, and FEGLI coverage for military service members, veterans, and federal employees
Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) policies
Annuities with death benefits
Important: Life insurance is the one exception to Sunset's no-notification policy. Discovering a life insurance policy does put the insurance company on notice of the death, which is necessary to verify coverage. Most families see policy matches within 1 business day, with insurers often verifying a match in 2–3 business days once documents are submitted.
When you're ready, Sunset can draft and submit claim forms, connect you with the insurance company, and handle follow-up paperwork on your behalf.
7–14 Days
Comprehensive Bank Account Search This is the most thorough phase of the search. Sunset searches every major US bank — including Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and hundreds more — plus local banks and credit unions, to locate all types of bank accounts:
Checking accounts — Banks often freeze these after notification of a death, which can cause checks to bounce and autopay expenses to go unpaid.
Savings accounts — Typically frozen once a bank receives notice of a death.
Money market accounts — Check-writing privileges are usually canceled immediately after a death.
Certificates of deposit (CDs) — Banks can penalize for early withdrawal without the proper paperwork, but with proper death and probate documentation, beneficiaries can receive funds without penalty and without waiting for the CD term to end.
Business accounts — These typically remain active if the business is ongoing, but banks may restrict them if they believe the death creates risk.
Foreign currency accounts — Handled like standard bank accounts, with balances converted and distributed to the estate.
Safe deposit boxes — Banks often restrict access after a death. We identify boxes linked to the deceased and assist with the legal steps to gain access.
Revocable trust accounts — After death, the trust becomes irrevocable and banks require successor trustee documentation. We automate the bank verification process.
Irrevocable trust accounts — We verify accounts, confirm trustee authority, and ensure assets are managed or transferred per trust documents.
During this phase, Sunset is getting bank account numbers, balances, and account status for each account — all without notifying the bank of the death. Financial institutions are only notified after you request that we close and transfer an account.
Business Ownership (1–2 Business Days)
Sunset also searches for business interests the deceased may have held:
LLCs — Membership interests, managers, and operating agreements
Corporations (S-corps and C-corps) — Ownership percentages and officer roles
Partnerships — General and limited partner names and responsibilities
Sole proprietorships and DBAs — Registered business names
Business search results are typically available the next business day across all 50 states. After discovery, Sunset guides you through next steps — whether that means selling the business, dissolving it, or transferring ownership. Note that business entities like LLCs are governed by their own private contracts (operating agreements, bylaws, etc.), so resolution can vary.
The Big Picture
Most families have 100% of assets discovered within 5–6 days. The maximum search time is typically 2 weeks, driven mainly by comprehensive bank account confirmations.
Here's a summary:
What We Search | Typical Timeline |
Creditors and debts (all 3 credit bureaus) | Within hours |
Some bank accounts | Within hours |
Property records (all 50 states) | Within hours |
Vehicle titles (all 50 states) | Within hours |
Unclaimed property | Within hours |
Retirement accounts (401k, IRA, pension, etc.) | 1–2 business days |
Investment accounts (brokerage, stocks, bonds, crypto) | 1–2 business days |
Life insurance policies | 1–2 business days |
Business ownership | 1–2 business days |
Comprehensive bank account search (all account types) | 7–14 days |
What Happens After Discovery
Once assets are discovered, you're in control. Nothing moves forward without your approval. Here's what you can do next:
Set up an estate bank account — Sunset helps you set up an FDIC-insured estate bank account (insured up to $3 million) where all funds can be consolidated. You get physical and virtual debit cards to pay estate expenses.
Generate probate documents — Sunset generates county-specific probate forms for all 50 states and every county in the US, with optional online notarization. 98% of estates don't require a probate lawyer when using Sunset.
Close and transfer accounts — When you're ready, Sunset contacts financial institutions on your behalf, emails or faxes required documents, and helps transfer funds into the estate bank account.
Distribute to heirs — When the estate is settled, distribute inheritance to beneficiaries directly from the estate bank account.
You can go at your own pace. Some families move quickly; others take weeks or months between steps. Sunset is here whenever you're ready.
Frequently Asked Questions About Timelines
Will the banks know I'm searching?
No. Sunset does not notify any financial institutions of the death during the search phase, except for life insurance (where notification is required to verify coverage). Banks are only notified after you specifically request that we close and transfer an account.
Can I speed up the process?
Having the following information ready can help improve matching and speed up results:
Known account statements or financial documents
Prior addresses where the deceased lived
Employer and benefits information (company names, HR contacts)
Old tax returns (which may show 1099s or W-2s that hint at accounts)
What if I don't have all the required information?
You can get started with just a name and phone number. Additional information helps improve search accuracy, but is not required to begin.
How long does the full estate settlement take after discovery?
Discovery is just the first step. If you request help closing and transferring accounts, Sunset starts the process immediately. Some financial institutions respond quickly, but unfortunately most take a few weeks. You stay in control the whole time.
Is there a cost for the search?
No. Sunset is 100% free. We never charge families or take a percentage of the estate. Our bank partners pay us a fee based on interest generated from estate bank accounts, so all of the deceased's assets go to the beneficiaries and heirs.
Need Help?
If you have questions about your search timeline or results, reach out to our team at [email protected]. We typically respond within 24 hours.